SONGWRITING
WRITING SONGS FOR THE CHURCH | Alex MacDougall
The
movie
apexed The opening verse lines soon followed ‘Here I
with Queen’s Live Aid (1985) performance am in that old place again down on my face
at London’s Wembley Stadium. But in 1997, again’. My experience of attempting to live a
just 12 years later, 50,000 British believers life following God, is one of regularly coming to
gathered at that same stadium for Champion of the end of myself, not in a ‘woe is me’ type
the World, a gathering designed to collectively way, but one where I’m coming back to a
celebrate the church’s faith in Jesus. place of ‘I need You’. That’s the space within
Bohemian
Rhapsody
The band Delirious? was there (see video), as
which that song was written. Sanctify means
Delirious? at Wembley
to be set apart and that’s the heart cry of this
was Matt Redman (video), Noel Richards, and song—I need you God to live this life. Martin
others. Martin Smith of Delirious? later recalled, and I wrote songs from the place of “what do
“We wanted to lead people into the presence we need to sing”. At the time of writing anything
of God, but we wanted to do it by turning it has to come from our authentic experience. If
everything up really loud”. it doesn’t make it onto a record or in front of a
crowd, so be it. I think we always had a hunch
And Stu G, co-writer along with Martin Smith
with that one that we would see arms in the
of the Delirious? song “Sanctify” recently stated
to me, “The song ‘Sanctify’ started while I was
air and people singing it around the world, but
Matt Redman at Wembley
that’s not why you write any song.”
running one day. I noticed my breathing pattern
was every three steps, so it had this kind of to think and contemplate. I started singing (in The
waltz-type lilt to it. Running used to be the my head) "All I want is all you have" and I could demonstrates the broad definition of the
space where I would ponder and get some time hear the changes underneath. “church”, and Stu’s honesty reflects the
46
June 2019
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