1. It's really hard to keep a trim song list. I kept thinking 'but what about this? what about that one?'
2. Lots of those older pentecostal-ish songs are really slow. It's pretty hard for most people to hold the notes in really slow songs, and unless you're in a very particular moment in the service where you're feeling a certain way, I think those super-slow songs can be a little oppressive.
3. The Emu catalogue is much stronger than I thought. There's a bunch of great stuff there, and even the second-tier stuff which I've mostly omitted here is pretty good.
4. Some songs definitely age better than others. Going through CCLI and finding out exactly how old certain songs are is a surprising thing. Did you know that 'My hope is built' (the Chiswell re-write) is seven years older than 'That's why we praise him'? Some certainly age more gracefully...
5. The songs basically fell out in 3 categories: older pentecostal-ish songs, contemporary-ish (90s/early 2000s) songs (mostly Emu), and hymns (mostly re-arranged).
Anyways, here is the final list (in date order, except for the really old ones):
There is a Redeemer
Servant King
Amazing love
Lord I Lift Your Name On High
My Hope is built
May the mind
How deep the father’s love
This Kingdom
Consider Christ
Jesus, your blood and righteousness
Before the throne of God above
Highest Place
Rock of ages
That’s Why We Praise Him
Hallelujah to the King of Kings
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
In Christ Alone
Let your Kingdom come
Never Alone
When I survey
Amazing Grace
You may note that I cheated - there are 21.
So what has been egregiously omitted or included?
ReplyDeleteSurprised that How Deep the Father's Love is as old as it is...
ReplyDeletePersonally not sold on There is a Redeemer but for my 2c I'd say a good list. If I could add one I would go for Put a New Song in My Heart, but I don't know if it fits the easy to play criteria (easy enough on piano, def. fine on sax but I have no idea about guitar)
"Did you know that 'My hope is built' (the Chiswell re-write) is seven years older than 'That's why we praise him'? Some certainly age more gracefully..."
A true statement I think but not sure how to read this - I'm surprised there is only 7 years difference (would have thought at least 10), but I read this the other way?
Hi Nathan - thanks for reading!
ReplyDeleteI meant that 'That's why we praise him' sounds really old and daggy - it has aged far more disgracefully than 'my hope is built' (which still sounds pretty good on acoustic guitar)
I think 'there is a redeemer' got over the line because one of the Mars Hill bands does a cracking version. 'Put a new song in my heart' is a good one, though.