Each year I like to look back and do some analytic reports on the songs we sung. Here are some of the interesting stats for my church’s song selection for 2009.

5 Most Played Songs

1. (13) Gloria 34 – Taylor Sorensen (loop available)
2. (11) With Everything – Hillsong (loop available)
3. 2 way tie with 10 plays each
   1. The World Can’t Take It Away – Ryan Delmore
   2. True Love – Phil Wickham (loop available)
4. 6 way tie with 9 plays each
   1. Dress Us Up – John Mark McMillan
   2. God of This City – Bluetree (loop available)
   3. Hosanna – Hillsong United (loop available)
   4. Jesus’ Name – Ryan Delmore
   5. Lead Me to the Cross – Hillsong United (loop available)
   6. Skeleton Bones – John Mark McMillan (loop not yet available)
5. 6 way tie with 7 plays each
   1. Come Thou Fount – Robert Robinson
   2. Everlasting God – New Life (loop available)
   3. My Soul Sings – Delirious (loop available)
   4. Rain Down – Delirious (loop not yet available)
   5. We Cry Out – Kim Walker (loop available)
   6. You Love Me Forever – Merchant Band (loop not yet available)

New Songs Introduced in 2009

• The World Can’t Take It Away – Ryan Delmore
• True Love – Phil Wickham (loop available)
• God of This City – Bluetree (loop available)
• Jesus’ Name – Ryan Delmore
• Skeleton Bones – John Mark McMillan (loop not yet available)
• Messiah – Phil Wickham
• Death In His Grave – John Mark McMillan (loop available)
• Live or No Longer Live – Kyle Campos
• Destructor – Red Letter
• Burning Ones – Jesus Culture (loop available)
• Lamb of God – Sarah Reeves
• Found – Hillsong United

Largest Drop in Play Count from 2008 to 2009

* denotes song retired (0 plays in 2009)

1. 3 way tie with 6 less plays
   1. * Salvation Is Here – Hillsong United
   2. Everything – Tim Hughes (loop available)
   3. I Am A Temple – John Mark McMillan
2. 6 way tie with 5 less plays
   1. * Coming Back – Desperation Band
   2. * How Great Is Our God – Chris Tomlin
   3. * Joy of the Lord – Twila Paris
   4. * Rescue – New Life
      
   5. Solid Rock – Delirious (loop available)
   6. Rain Down – Delirious (loop not yet available)

What did you play most in 2009?

I wanted to profile some of the great worship leaders that have helped shaped me, my music and how they look in the church setting. I can’t think of a better person to start with than Kevin Prosch. As a young man and budding musician Kevin’s music was so inspirational to me by his honesty, transparency and language he chose in worshiping Jesus. It was like nothing else I’d heard. The emotion, passion and truth he brought to each song was apparent not just in his performance but in the lyric. He revolutionized worship music and pioneered an entirely new wave of worship music through his writing at the Vineyard. I had the pleasure of meeting Kevin a few times and he’s one of the most humble men I’ve met in my life and is still in my prayers.

Here are what I view to be the Top 5 worship songs Kevin has released.

1. Even So Come (Even So Come)

One of the most beautifully written acoustic worship songs I’ve heard. The lyrics dance between powerful proclamations of God’s power and promise to desperate please and appeals to a loving God. I can rarely hold it together when playing this song. This song certainly stands the test of time.

2. Come Let Us Return (Reckless Mercy)

Like most of Kevin’s early work, a really simple song taken right out of the scriptures. Kevin is a master at taking text straight out of scripture and putting incredible melody to something seemingly unfit for corporate verse. Not many “contemporary” (I hate that I just said that) worship leaders attempt to take on the biblical texts Kevin did. Again, truly stands the test of time.

3. Psalm 102 (Reckless Mercy)

Another example of singing straight scripture and how powerful it can be in corporate worship. I hope the more charismatic/contemporary/whatever worship leaders remember their roots here and come back to this more and stop singing so many experiential verses. There is no greater revelation than the gospel, don’t ya think it would benefit the body to sing it more? I do. This song is a good intro to Kevin’s rhythmic creativity. It wasn’t just his melodic sensibility that made his songs great, but his rhythmic creativity brought such a freshness to worship.

4. His Banner Over Me – (Touching the Father’s Heart Vol. 10)

I don’t see how I could have this list and leave out his most popular song. For me it doesn’t stand the test of time, but it had it’s time and purpose and without a doubt edified the body greatly. It was in regular church rotations for many many years and deservedly so. I remember quite a few banner waving dance frenzies to this song(God help me). Good opportunity to plug Top 5 things I miss about 90s worship.

5. God is So Good – (Reckless Mercy)

Simple melody, powerful proclamation lyrically, killer vocals, creative arrangement, passionate performance, yup that makes for a great song. Another one of his songs that got heavy heavy play for many years. I think this is due for a new arrangement and even while writing this post I’m getting very much inspired to work on some new arrangements of a few of these.

Kevin is re-releasing 3 of his albums, Tumbling Ground (Black Peppercorns), Kiss the Son and Journeys of Life. He also has his cds available for sale on his site, even some digital versions available.

Twitter honorable mention: Raise Up the Standard (Come to the Light), Save Us Oh God (Touching the Father’s Heart Vol 10.), Come Down (Palanquin), Highest Praise (Come to the Light)

Songs sometimes take a while to grow on me, some take years and musical taste certainly evolves over time as well. Here’s a list of songs that I really hated when I first heard it but came to appreciate and in some cases love.

1. Thank U (Alanis Morissette / Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie) – Most of Alanis’ songs grated on me when I first heard them. I had a strong dislike for her as an artist, her whiny voice, her sometimes ridiculous lyrics. When this song came out in 1998 I despised it. I didn’t listen to it until about a year ago when I heard her do it live and she killed it. I heard it completely different this time almost 10 years later. Now when I hear the album version I can appreciate the lyrics, although some still bother me like, “How bout them transparent dangling carrots”.
2. Lovefool (The Cardigans / First Band on the Moon) – This was all over the radio and of course the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack in 1996. I was a junior in high school and at the time I was a big Matthew Sweet, Smashing Pumpkins fan so this poppy, cutesy, chick song was death for me. The hook in the chorus was too much for any trying to be masculine high schooler to take. But then I started to really dig Gran Turismo a few years later and gave Lovefool another chance. I could tolerate it but wasn’t fully converted. Then Long Gone Before Daylight came out, I got married, had a baby and suddenly Lovefool made sense to me. I don’t know why, but God ordained it so.
3. Rain King (Counting Crows / Across a Wire: Live in New York City ) – I can’t emphasize enough how I loath Counting Crows live not to mention anything they wrote after Recovering the Satellites. My fertile dislike  for them began when I bought tickets to see them around 1997 at the Bowl in Santa Barbara and they canceled that day. Then I bought their live album Across A Wire only to find out that they completely rearrange every single song I liked and Adam Duritz sounds like he’s making up a mumbling melody on the spot for each tune. It’s terrible! Fast forward 10+ years and somehow this version of Rain King has stayed in my iTunes playlist and I actually like his random, mumbling melody. In fact I like it better than the poppy original. I’m still waiting for my ticket refund.
4. What I Am (Edie Brickell & New Bohemians / Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars) – Listening to this song now I can’t believe it came out in 1988. I don’t hear much of any eighties production on this, I would have guessed late 90s just on production. That being said I didn’t get this song at all when it came out, I’m going to chalk it up to just being too young to get. 1988 I was dancing to Michael Jackson and singing to Hall & Oates in the shower, worlds away from this. Now I can really appreciate the genius that went into this song.
5. Do You Realize? (The Flaming Lips / Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots) – The glitter, the balloons, the giant dancing rabbits, it was all too much for me to take in, sensory overload. I thought they were playing a joke on me, no way they could seriously be into this. They just took some acid one night and thought “hey, let’s pretend everyone is on acid, have 20 people on stage dressed in animals costumes and drop balloons on em, they’ll pay for that right?” But after taking a breath, realizing they weren’t trying to play a joke on me, they have some killer tunes. I mean really killer. This was one of the shorter turnarounds, maybe a year or so to go from hate to appreciate.

What are some songs you hated by now appreciate or dare I say, love?

When I first started dating my husband about nine years ago, I would write letters to him everyday, sometimes 2 or three a day. Some were for him, some were just about him. Most I would keep in a shoe box and save for a later day. I would write to him in class and leave it for him in the locker we shared. I couldn’t wait to check it after the next period to see if he’d written back yet. In the letters, I could say what I truly wanted to tell him, whether declaring my “undying love” or just letting him in on what my day consisted of while we were apart or venting to him about whatever crisis was ailing me. Those letters got me through so many days. And they kept my heart turned toward him. It sounds cheesy and childish I know, but at the end of the day, today in fact, I’ve learned an interesting truth – What is a song but a letter set to a melody? What are the Psalms but the heart of David written and sung? “Words immersed in music can touch places in our hearts that nothing else can reach.” (Excerpt from Lisa Bevere’s book, Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry).

Ephesians 5:18-19 says this: “Be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart for the Lord.”  All of a sudden, I am taken to the old movies where a lady sings about her affections for her beau to a group of her friends crowded around listening to every word.  I have experienced that. There are a lot of songs that have made me think of my husband and how much I adore him. Just yesterday I was listening to “The Truth” by India Arie. The chorus says this:                                                        Cause he is the truth
Said he is so real
And I love the way that he makes me feel
And if I am a reflection of him then I must be fly because
His light it shines so bright

Just thinking of my husband and singing these words awakened a love for him within me.  Ephesians tells us to sing our love for God to one another. Worship doesn’t only keep our eyes set on Him… it keeps our hearts turned towards Him. He is “enthroned in the praises of Israel” (Ps. 22:3) He is exalted to His proper place in our lives, both as King and as the object of our desire, through our songs.

This lesson has challenged me in the area of my writing. What has been my motive? To write a catchy hook with unpredictable lyrics? Obviously, those are important aspects – creatively.  But the simplicity of honest praise/worship is as easy as a letter. If I can write pages and pages about my feelings toward a man who has the ability to disappoint and cause pain, then surely I can write about a God who never fails and with whom my heart is completely safe – Whether  it be about our undying love, or whatever might be ailing me at the moment, whether to Him or about Him. And if those words can fit well in a melody with a catchy hook and unpredictable lyrics… well then, I’d say that’s a recipe for a freakin’ good song!