Top 10 Tuesday: Contemporary Songs I Would Prefer Never To Sing Again
March 6th, 2007 | by Scott |(Caveat: If you don’t want to read me or anyone else stating that they don’t like a song you do, then stop reading. And remember this is all in fun.)
I don’t miss much from my youth ministry days. When I transitioned in the pulpit it was time. However, I still miss the worship times with teenagers. I don’t experience worship very often like young hearts coming with their passion and recognition of their humanity into the throne room.
With that said there are some more contemporary songs that drive me up the wall. Alas, I’m in a traditional worship setting so there isn’t much of an incursion of new songs into my weekly worship experience. Therefore, my list will exist of ones that are a little more established but still have debuted among us in my lifetime.
First, two honorable mentions:
Honorable Mention 1–Humble Yourself: First off, I love this song. It’s one of my favorites because I view humility as such an intrinsic quality of a disciple. But in our songbook the last verse is “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun.” What? When what? If you are going to incorporate Amazing Grace into this song then at least have the decency to finish the stinking line.
Honorable Mention 2–Lord, I Lift Your Name On High: Another song I really like. I can do without the hand motions though. Do we really need to simulate digging a grave to get the point across?
Now the List:
10. Awesome God–I’m a huge Rich Mullins fan. I cried when we lost him so young. And singing the chorus is great. But you cannot tell me that the verses to this song were even intended to be sung in an a capella context. It just sounds bad.
9. There’s Something About That Name–Oh yeah? What might that be? A second verse of exposition might be in order here.
8. Victory Chant–I’ve sang this song for years, even led it on many occasions. But I’ve never liked it. What exactly are we conquering in His name here? Just curious.
7. Marvelous Things–Maybe, I’m jaded by first hearing this song by a singing group with the member who sang like Elmer Fudd. But, ultimately, songs that have each part singing different words can be beautiful. But not this time.
6. Celebrate Jesus–Yikes!
5. Blue Skies and Rainbows–Maybe it’s because I sang it at every age-specific event from the time I was 2 until I reached the age of 30, but I am so beyond sick of this song. And now my kids are learning it. Please, make it stop.
4. People Need The Lord–Yes, they do. But do we really need this song?
3. Glorify Thy Name–The fact that this song takes 15 minutes to sing essentially 6 words drives me bananas. Could we just reduce it down to one verse and “Godhead we love You?”
2. Get Right, Church–Is there truly any redeeming value to this song? The basic point is “I’m outta here first chance I get. Hope you can shape up in time to join me.”
1. Said I Wasn’t–Then don’t.
Again, all in fun. What songs would make your list
44 Responses to “Top 10 Tuesday: Contemporary Songs I Would Prefer Never To Sing Again”
By Lane on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
Being in the youth ministry world, we sing a lot of these songs, obviously. Here are some I don’t lead unless a kid begs me:
1. Sing and Be Happy
2. Aint No Rock
3. There’s Something About That Name
4. Someday (or any of the other four part add on songs).
There are many more.
But one little gripe. I hate it when people call “contemporary songs” teen songs.
By M on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
I am 100% in agreement concerning your #1.
First of all, I don’t sing this song because I never said I wasn’t going to sing, pray, shout about it. I would be lying if I sang this song.
Plus, I want to strike violent blows upon anyone within hearing distance of me that *shouts* that they weren’t going to shout about it.
Additionally, the whole thing about “couldn’t keep it to myself” is bollocks. These people are singing it in church, with a bunch of other believers, but I wonder if they are really going around spouting off to co-workers and strangers about what the Lord has done for them, for them.
Beyond that, the whole “Ought to have been there when he wrote my name on the roll” thing bothers me. The rolling is, of course, best left to the kindergartners, but the whole eternally secure salvation thing is what bothers me. It tells people, “Hey, your name is on the roll, so don’t worry about anything like theosis or deification. You’re in!”
By greg on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
our worship leader in Huntsville got a hold of some Keith Lancaster arrangements a few years ago. we started singing them all and they were unbearable for me. one of them was Awesome God (with the verses) and it was just a crime. ruined the song. (those arrangements ruined several other songs as well.)
(Note: as you may have guessed, i’m not a KL fan - I really don’t like his arrangements. it seems he’s been ordained as the patron saint of acappella music among some CoC’s, and I’m sure he’s a nice guy. But, I just can’t bring myself to sing his stuff.)
By Matt W on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
Days of Elijah makes me want to throw myself off a bridge…
By Jeff on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
I know of no song that is more shallow (perhaps to the point of irreverence)as the following:
“Ha-la-la-la-la-la-la-le-lujah”
“I used to drive a Chevrolet, but now Jesus is my way …”
More in the children’s song category, I DESPISE “Tiptoe, tiptoe in God’s house” for more reasons that I care to explain.
I love “Days of Elijah” but I can’t figure out he phrase that speaks of David rebuilding the temple. Last time I checked, that wasn’t him.
Growing up, I learned a VBS song with these lyrics:
Revelation, Revelation
21:8, 21:8
Liars go to hell
Liars go to hell
Burn, Burn, Burn!
Burn, Burn, Burn!
Not a big fan of that one either.
By Tracy on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
I’m docking Matt W. 2 points for that comment. Days of Elijah is one of my all-time favorites.
My least favorite song is the kid song “Noah built the Ark” I just can’t.stand.it. It pains me to sing it and I usually let one of the helpers lead it when YOUR THREE YEAR OLD insists on singing it in children’s church. Tangential, sorry.
By Someone who knows on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
Keith Lancaster does a good job with the singing group, but as for arranging worship songs, he is awful. And he’s narcicistic. I’ve sung with Acappella before and I’m a frequent commenter here, but obviously I’m leaving my identity secret.
Have you seen(have you seen) Jesus my Lo o o ord is terrible.
Also, I can’t stand most every song on the new Zoe album. Most of them are terrible.
By Scott on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
Lane, I thought about “Sing and Be Happy” but it was written in 1940. Not one of those “young people songs
By Scott on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
I like Days of Elijah, as well. I can understand why some might not, though.
There are a number of the more juvenile tunes that I left off just because they weren’t even worth considering.
M has done a lot more consideration of my #1 than I have. I just don’t want to hear “one more time” and then the chorus sang an additional 100 times ever again.
By jasonk on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
God’s not dead, NO, He is alive
God’s not dead, NO, He is alive
God’s not dead, NO, He is alive
I can feel Him in my shoes
Feel Him in my knees
Feel him in AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Scott on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
Come on Jason. Don’t you love the theological depth of that song?
By Jeff Slater on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
I agree with you on many of your selections. I do like “People Need The Lord” and “Glorify Thy Name” (although it can be too long). And “Said I Wasn’t” is great at camp, but nowhere else.
By Scott on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
Do you think TD Jakes sings “Glorify Thy Name?”
By greg on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
We used to sing Days of Elijah in Hsv, too. All the time. I liked it at first, but it’s one of those where they won’t lay off it and you get sick of it.
By KS on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
I remember at Madison Academy hearing these lines before I headed out:
“Give me a J,
You got your J, you got your J,
Give me an E…”
By M on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
“Days of Elijah” belongs on the lyrical and theological junkpile, too.
The whole David thing really throws me off. I get “poetic license” but I’d really like some historical accuracy in my songs. Put the “whoop” in the chorus right up there with shouting during “Said I Wasn’t” for things that make me want to punch people.
Some others for consideration:
- Can He Still Feel the Nails
- Above All (holy crap, this song sucks so mightily, it might deserve its own category)
By Scott on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
Don’t you hate it when they beat a song into the ground? I have a long list of songs that would fall into that category.
Kenny, reminds me of a rousing round of “We’ve got Holy Spirit, yes we do. We Got Holy Spirit, how about you?”
By Scott on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
M, have we struck a nerve?
It’s been so long since I’ve sung “Days of Elijah” I need to go listen to it again.
By M on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
Scott,
We could mine the “Songs that Suck” theme all day.
Being fairly liturgical (mostly in desire, not in practice), and attending a church that spawned the ZOE Group, I have more than my fair share of material to work with.
I long for the days when theologians were poets. This current state of musicians who think they are theologians is terrible.
By Scott on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
As I get older I find myself preferring more and more the older hymns than the glut of worship music that is churned out today. The hymns are laden with so many different points of theology that you can spend time dissecting them and relishing what they have to say.
Unfortunately, much of what is being written today is fueled by an ADD mindset that seeks simplicity above all else. Yet the mistake is confusing simplicity with shallowness.
By jasonk on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
Its not a worship chorus, but a few years ago this theologically nasty line flooded our airwaves:
“And the more I trust in Him, the more He is faithful.” Oh REALLY?
And the Point of Disgrace song: “God loves people, more than anything.” Oh, the depth. They are coming to my church this Friday, and I wonder if I will be able to get into the building Sunday, for all the sap.
By Mike the Eyeguy on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
Greg–
Having been at your old church for eight years, I feel your pain…
I was there the day the aforementioned anonymous worship leader led “Get Right, Church” for the first time. I literally laughed out loud, drawing some hard stares (and an elbow in the ribs from Eyegal), and was nearly overcome by the urge to make “choo-choo” motions with my arms.
By justin on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
Can He Still Feel the Nails? is definitely up there on the “songs I can’t stand” list. What terrible theology that song has.
I will say I like Days of Elijah… as long as it is used sparingly. People always get hung up on the second verse saying david built the temple. I don’t believe that’s what the author was trying to say. I’ve always understood it as being David was the author of so much praise, through his psalms and his worshipful lifestyle. Because Solomon didn’t rebuild a temple either… he just built it straight up. I think it’d have to be zerubabel or something (was he the one that rebuilt the temple). One of the guys in my youth group changed the words up a little bit, and we always sang
these are the days of methusalah, the oldest man ever to live
and these are the days of the minor prophets, but nobody knows their names….
I don’t know that this song is ever sung in c of c’s, but its hugely popular at Sanctuary, which is an instrumental “worship” service done by students (not on campus). Sanctuary used to be really good, but its pretty much a concert now, and I don’t go. Anyway they sing this song
Give me one pure and holy passion
Give me one magnificent obsession’
Give me one glorious ambition for my life
to know and follow hard after you
To know and follow hard after you
To grow as your disciple in the truth
This world is empty pale and poor
compared to knowing you my lord
Lead me on and I will run after you
Maybe its the music I hate so much, they have the girls sing alone on the verse and it sounds like a sappy 80s love song. Ugh.
By JTB on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
Has anyone besides me ever noticed that “People Need the Lord” has the same melody as the theme to NPR’s “Talk of the Nation”?
By Jeff Slater on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
The discussion on this well-written post is quickly turning to cynicism. Can we not discuss our opinions, likes and dislikes, without becoming overly-sarcastic cynics?
Sheesh!
By Jason Bybee on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
I’m with M and Matt W. Days of Elijah makes me want to puke.
Any happy clappy youth song would make my list. And I hate it when we sing “I Stand in Awe” and we stand up. Last time I checked, “standing in awe” had little to do with posture.
By Scott on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
JTB, I’ll have to point that out to Tracy. She listens to NPR all the time.
Jeff, it’s a fine line that’s for sure.
By Brandon Scott Thomas on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
Someone sent me a link to this blog. I laughed out loud reading it. I agree with almost every single one of your observations. I feel like if I ever, EVER have to sing “Have You ever stood at the ocean…” again, I might slit my wrists.
Now, you know that I can’t let the ZOE dis go uncommented on. I also can’t totally be forthcoming with my own feelings about some of the songs since I wasn’t involved in the project this year. BUT, there are a few that our church is really loving. AND…my wife singing “The Power of the Cross” is about one of my favorites right now. I love how the melody and lyrics seem to melt together to express the emotion of the song.
Maybe “one who knows” doesn’t know as much as one thinks he knows he knows…or something like that. HA! All in fun, people. All in fun.
I’m signing my post.
By matt elliott on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
I like “Days of Elijah” when Robin Mark — the Irish worship leader who wrote it — does it. Can’t stand it without instruments.
By matt elliott on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
Oddly enough, I don’t hate “Have You Seen Jesus My Lord,” probably because I really love and appreciate its songwriter, John Fischer. (He’s a favorite author of mine, by the way.) But it was kind of a hippie, Jesus-freak song originally, anyway, so it was never destined to make it past the summer camp circuit. What I love more, though, are the lyrics to one of the verses as misunderstood by my friend, Gary, when he was a boy:
“Have you ever stood at the ocean
With your wife home at your feet?”
Now THAT’s comedy.
By Scott on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
Brandon, glad you came by. Humor is important. I’m waiting for someone to do their 10 least favorite sermons of mine. Could be a hoot. There are some clunkers in there.
By Belinda on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
I don’t know the Elijah song. Sounds like a good thing for me. I don’t like many of those songs that sound like they were written on a Sunday afternoon. You know the kind with a phrase that goes on and on and on . . . most of those single-line songs are really bad. Why don’t the kids sing the songs we used to sing? It’s been a long time since I heard the kids sing “This Little Light of Mine,” “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” etc. Although I was never a fan of “Roll the Gospel Chariot.”
By Tracy on Mar 6, 2007 | Reply
JTB - you nailed it! I always wondered why that tune sounded familiar! LOL
I just gotta throw “Light the Fire” out there. I don’t have any problems with it except that it was SO SO SO overdone. I think every retreat I was at for a 5 year span had it for the theme. To say nothing of singing it at every single youth worship.
And speaking of standing for ’stand to praise you’, I’ve wondered why we don’t kneel for the songs mentioning kneeling as well.
Oh, and when people take their shoes off for “standing on holy ground”. No thank you.
By Justin on Mar 7, 2007 | Reply
I was at a youth camp this year, and they started singing light the fire, and people stood up on the cue, and the song leader said, “You better be ready to drop to your knees…” because he’s sick of people doing that.
I almost fell outo f my chair
By Amy on Mar 7, 2007 | Reply
I thought I checked your blog yesterday, but somehow missed this one!
I was rolling on the floor with your post, and agree with most of it.
On the Get Right Church song, oh my! I have always cringed at that song, theology and all. But I have to say a couple of summers ago at camp they added a couple of verses that might have redeemed it:
“Chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes…”
and “Spinach makes that Popeye strong…”
By M on Mar 7, 2007 | Reply
Someone actually took their shoes off for “Holy Ground?”
Holy batman.
Did they put them back on after the song? Did that signify that the ground was only holy when that song was being sung? My head hurts.
How have we created a church culture where this sort of uncritical gobbledygook is tolerated?!?
By Scott on Mar 7, 2007 | Reply
I’ve decided that I’m going to start acting out every song we sing. It’s been a good while since I “marched to Zion.”
By Steve Duer on Mar 7, 2007 | Reply
On a serious note, here is a sermon idea for you. The Posture of Worship. There is so much about this esp. in the OT. I think we need to explore our need for physical response to our heart. People often see this as style or cultural but I believe there is some universality to a physical response to worship other than standing or going up front.
By Amy on Mar 7, 2007 | Reply
At our congregation, we have a man who organizes a “5th Sunday” service which is more devotional in feel and context. He ALWAYS calls the contemporary songs “Youth Songs”, and I feel it’s part of the reason many of our folks have not taken to them; they feel they’re for camp and retreat only. He can’t see my point, so I just quit making it.
I have to agree with Blue Skies and Rainbows. It needs to move on to song heaven.
By Scott on Mar 7, 2007 | Reply
I have a great quote on worship music i want to share when i get more time.
By Chris Campbell on Mar 9, 2007 | Reply
Do “Seek Ye First” and “Jesus Is Lord” qualify as “contemporary?” If so, then add them to the list for me.
As for “Days of Elijah” - I like the chorus…but the verses are almost painful…kinda like listening to Sundance Head try to sing “Jeremy” on American Idol. Sheesh!!!
By Scott on Mar 9, 2007 | Reply
How about Sundance singing “Days of Elijah?”
By Robin on Mar 10, 2007 | Reply
I came across your blog and thought since I sing in a contemporary Christian band I would check out your list as it compares to the ones we tire of singing. I didn’t recognize many on your list. May I add to the list, “Shine Jesus Shine.” Way too sappy. Fun blog to read and I enjoy the comments.
By Scott on Mar 12, 2007 | Reply
Welcome Robin. I’m not a big Shine Jesus Shine fan either. It was on my list and was probably the last one out.