American worship leader CHRIS TOMLIN talks us through the songs on his 'Hello Love' album, due to be released in the UK by Survivor on 2nd September.
We need to introduce ourselves to love again. With each new record, I continue to strive to create songs that will help people voice their worship to God. I hold this as a great responsibility when I begin to think about what the overall recording will look like. Worship is a massive word with a very broad scope, but in the end, it's very simple. It is love! It's our response in love to our great God who loved us first. As well, it's our love for others. Hopefully these songs will renew in some way or stir up again your love for God and his people.
It's pretty exciting these days to see the Church awaken to the portion of its calling where it serves the "least of these," where we carry those less fortunate than ourselves not just in a special place in our hearts, but in our finances, our energy, our life. And the motive and heart behind all of it is love. That's it. More simply put, worship is "love with legs." It's on the move! It's not just the words and melody. As Paul says so well in 1Corinthians 13:13, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
"Sing, Sing, Sing."
This song was written
together as a band. Really it's the only song that we've written
together like that. Usually I have most of the song written before I
bring it to the band, so this one is unique because it came out of us
being in the room together. I remember the guys getting the feel of it
and it beginning to come together musically. So I just found a corner
of the room listening to what they were doing with my headphones and
started singing out that first lyric idea of the chorus, "sing, sing,
sing." This song became a big part of our Passion regional events and
world tour. It is crazy to see how immediate this song is with the
audience. It's the most fun I've had with a song in a while. I love
the energy and the connection this song brings with the audience.
"Jesus Messiah"
The initial melody and lyric of
this song came from my guitar player, Daniel Carson. He is constantly
writing and recording ideas and from time to time I wander over to his
world and listen. Among several demos, was this melody and lyric idea
for a chorus that jumped out at me. At the same time, I was looking to
use the name "Messiah" in a song. The two ideas seemed to fit
perfectly. Messiah is such a strong name for Jesus. For when you use
that name, you are truly saying that he is the name above all names.
That he is the Christ, the Son of God, the Chosen One, the Saviour of
the world. That's why you will notice that every lyric in this song
amplifies this idea of Jesus being the Messiah.
"You Lifted Me Out"
Much of this song is
straight from Psalm 40. I began to write this song shortly after I
heard Louie (Giglio) speaking on this Psalm at the recent Passion
regional events. In his message, I remember the profound and absurd
thought that God didn't just give us a pat on the back, but he
literally got in the mud and mire with us. The very thought that God
heard my cry for help and actually turned my way should stop us well
in our tracks. My friend Matt Redman helped me finish this one out.
"God Of This City"
We were recently in Belfast,
Northern Ireland for a concert. The night consisted of a great line up
of worship bands. One of the bands was local and they were called
Bluetree. Daniel was thankfully paying close attention when they went
into this song. He immediately came to me and said I had to hear it.
When I did hear it, I knew it was a timely song and that it would be
perfect for the journey we were about to undertake with Passion. And
after hearing how the boys at Bluetree wrote this song, it is no
wonder why it is full of power. Turns out the song was written in a
bar/brothel in Pattaya, Thailand . When the owner of the bar found out
the lads were in a band, he asked if they wanted to play and the
Bluetree boys were up for it. Now that's worship leading! Proclaiming
the grace of God in the middle of a brothel. Sounds like a lot of
Jesus to me. Aaron Boyd of Bluetree told me that in the middle of
their set of songs, this song just spontaneously birthed. God put this
powerful lyric on their lips in that moment. "greater things have yet
to come and greater things are still to be done in this city." They
graciously allowed me to record it and it became the title track to
the current Passion CD and the name of our 17 city Passion world tour.
What a statement to proclaim in the cities of the world!
"I Will Rise"
Towards the end of the How Great
Is Our God tour, Louie (Giglio) challenged me to write a song of
worship for people in the hardest time of grief. We were talking about
the reality that we need more songs like the hymn "It Is Well" that
can be sung as worship and hope at a funeral. To be able to find words
to say and sing in that moment of sorrow when you lose someone you
love. A few days later, Louie sent me an email with a few thoughts
about the song and the one line that struck me most was "the grave is
overwhelmed." I took that idea and ran. This song speaks the truth
that we have a Saviour and a God who has defeated death and we have
victory over it as well in him. That he made us alive, and even though
all of us one day will say good-bye to our earthly bodies, we will
rise when he calls our name. I love the passage in Revelation 4 and 5
where you see the angels and all the creatures gathered round the
throne of God in celebration, singing in a loud voice, "worthy is the
lamb." That's what I am pointing to in this song. That we will join
those angels and will stand before the throne of our God and our Risen
Saviour alive forever! Amen!
"Love"
On one of my trips back home to Austin, I
decided to detour through Dallas and see if my friend Cary Pierce was
around. Cary has been someone I have enjoyed writing with since our
song "Unfailing Love" landed on 'Arriving'. Fortunately and divinely
appointed, Cary had just cancelled a family trip and was home for the
weekend. We spent of couple of days writing some songs together. He
played me a demo he had recently worked on and I was really excited
about a song on there called "Love". I asked Cary if I could take the
song with me and work on it a bit and see what happens. Well, I wish
you could hear the different turns that this song has taken to be what
you hear on the record now. From Cary's first demo, to my demo, to the
final product after Ed Cash got through with it is quite a journey. I
remember Ed hearing the song and immediately commenting that he
thought it should be more of a world sounding song, with world
percussion and instruments. Admittedly, I was nervous about this idea
at first, but then began to hear and see how it was coming together.
But that's the half of it. Ed then suggested that it might be cool to
have an African children's choir on the track as well. I joked, "Yes,
that would be amazing, but we are in Nashville and how is that going
to happen?" A few short days after this initial thought, Matt (Ed's
assistant) gets a text that says the Watoto Children's Choir from
Uganda was in town for a concert and day off in the city.
Unbelievable! The Watoto ministry is one I had recently become
acquainted with and so for it to be them was just even more amazing to
me. These beautiful kids are AIDS orphans. Who better to sing a song
called "Love". The way this song was finally recorded is truly a gift
from God. It was truly one of the greatest days I've ever experienced
in the studio. I hope you can hear the hope in the voices of the
Watoto Children.
"Praise The Father, Praise The Son"
There are
always those songs that you hold an extra special place for inside.
This is one of those for me. Ed Cash and I wrote this song on the last
night of recording my vocals for the record. All of the songs were
already recorded and we were happy with where we were. But I am always
open to God possibly breathing another song along the way. On this
night, Ed grabbed his guitar and told me he wanted to play this melody
that he felt was special and that he had been using in some times of
ministry with his church family. It kind of reminded me of how the
Bible teaches that David would play and it would bring peace and
healing. Ed sang a few lyric ideas for the verse and I immediately
just began to sing out the chorus you hear on the record. It was one
of those moments where you knew you were not in charge, and we both
just sat there with tears in our eyes, stunned at what was happening.
I do feel this song is one that any church, with any style of worship,
can sing. It continues to be my heart to write songs that give voice
to the generations now and the ones that are to come and I sense this
is one of those songs.
"My Deliverer"
This is the second song on the
album that actually started from Daniel's world of songwriting. Again,
it was just the simple refrain of "my deliverer" that I heard coming
from Daniel's computer that caught my attention. Shortly after, I came
across this verse from Isaiah 60:18 ".but you will call your walls
salvation and your gates praise." I am sure I had read over that verse
several times, but this time my eyes and heart stopped on it and I
found it to be the perfect way to amplify that chorus. This is a song
for all of us who continually wait on God to move.
"With Me"
This is another song that came about
on my spontaneous visit with Cary Pierce. I had been carrying this
thought for some time about Moses' response to God in Exodus 33 when
God calls him to go and lead the people. Moses' statement and
understanding continues to bring everything I am doing into focus.
Exodus 33:15-16, "Then Moses said to him (the Lord), 'If your presence
does not go with us, do not send us up from here. What else will
distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face
of earth?'" That's it. I pray it's the presence of God that marks my
music and my journey. That I continually stay in step with the Spirit
of God.
"Exalted (Yahweh)"
Yahweh was and is the most
revered name for God. In fact, it was so holy that the early Jewish
people would not even speak the name, but only write it. Wow! When we
proclaim the names of God we are saying something to ourselves and to
the world about his character.
"God Almighty"
My producer, Ed Cash, is one
those guys who constantly amazes you with his unending talent. Not
only does he do a great job of getting what I have in my head onto the
CD, but he is an extremely talented musician, singer and songwriter in
his own right. Over the past three records we have enjoyed writing
songs together. "God Almighty" was a song that Ed initially sent to me
as a chorus and I took it from there. I especially like the bridge on
this one and how it expresses a picture of just who we are before this
massive, Almighty God. You can sense this awe of God as you sing that
refrain. "I hide my eyes with my face to the ground in the presence of
your majesty/I clap my hands and lay my crowns in the presence of Your
majesty. There is no other response but to fall on our face when we
truly get even a glimpse of the holiness of God.
"All The Way My Saviour Leads Me"
If you are
familiar with my music at all you know that I love bringing some of
the older songs of our faith (hymns) to life. My friend Matt Redman
also has a passion for remembering and reviving some of these songs as
well. One of the songs he came across is [this one]. Matt is not only
one of my favourite people in general, but one of my favourites to
write with as well. Besides the chorus, the majority of the lyric is
taken from stanzas of the original hymn. I put it as the closing song
of the record because I think the lyric "This is my song through
endless ages/Jesus led me all the way" is a fitting benediction.
Worshiptogether.com and hearitfirst.com are playing a song from the awesome new cd each week! Its WOW!!!!