Tag: Faith

My Sunday Song – “Hole In My Hand” by Day of Fire

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For My Sunday Song #462, we are talking Day of Fire’s massive song “Hole in My Hand” off their 2006 album ‘Cut & Move’. The Christian Rock band out of Nashville, Tennessee bring us their second album that was produced by Pete Thornton who had worked with Limp Bizkit. Not quite the same type of music, so an interesting choice, but a good one. The song was written by Gregg Hionis, Joseph Alan Pangallo and Richard Joshua Brown

The song could mean a lot of things. I’ve seen that people think it is about addiction or even relationships troubles. For me, I don’t think that at all. I think the song is about struggles with faith. The struggles he has had in life have chipped away at his faith. The title of “Hole in My Hand” could related to the stigmata and I think represent for him his struggles in faith. He is reaching out to his friend, Jesus, in helping bringing the light back in to him. The hole in his hand is a reminder of what he has been through and with God he can stand tall and have the fire burning back in his heart to lift him up. A very uplifting song despite it being a rather dark song overall.

Musically, I love the tone of the guitar, it is sharp and cutting. The drums are heavy and loud and together they give you a feel of desperation and struggle. Singer, Josh Brown, has such a grit to his vocals it bleeds of despair yet a hint of hope. The quieter, darker verses counteractive by the uplifting and bigger choruses show us the possible light in burning brightly and ready to be let loose. The song ends with the guitar, bass and drums exploding and then it all quietly fades away. A very nice touch.

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My Sunday Song – “In My Veins” by Colton Dixon

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For My Sunday Song #440, we are talking “In My Veins” by Colton Dixon. The song is off his stellar 2017 album ‘Identity’ released on March 24th of that year. The song was not a single, but my absolute favorite song on the album. The singles “Limitless” and “All That Matters” helped propel the album to #73 on the US Top 200 albums chart, but it went to #1 on the US Christian Albums chart. If you don’t know Colton, he is a former American Idol participant during Season 11 and made it to the Top 7, but amazingly didn’t win.

The song was written by Colton and Tommee Profitt and of course is a very religious song. The album it was from, ‘Identity’, was a concept album that had three parts, The Mind, The Body and The Spirit. “In My Veins” fell in The Body section. It is about how Jesus is inside of us, He is the fire in our veins. He gives us life through His death. When your world is dark, he is the light, the power that drives you and through your faith you can accomplish anything with His name written in your veins. A very spiritual and powerful message and every time I hear this song, I feel rejuvenated.

The song opens with a dramatic keyboard run, then the drums explode and you get some orchestration. It is all explosive and over the top in a good way. The chorus is huge, layers of vocals, great harmonies and Colton sounds amazing. The slow build up, the explosiveness and then to go go back to the softness before it explodes again takes you on a journey both musically and lyrically. The music gives you an uplifting, rejuvenated feeling that washes over you. Colton’s vocals are a higher range that is delivered so smooth and so effortlessly. The combination is perfection. A Christian song that is both a sensational pop song and a rock song at the same time.

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My Sunday Song – “He Will Provide” by Inglorious

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For My Sunday Song #438, we are talking “He Will Provide” by the band Inglorious. The song is from their 2021 album ‘We Will Ride’ which was released on February 12 of that year. This is not a band that charts here in the U.S. as most people here probably have never heard of them which is a shame because lead singer Nathan James might be one of the best new singers out there…period!! The rest of the band are no slouches either and consist of Danny Dela Cruz and Dan Stevens on dual guitar roles, Vinnie Colla on bass and Phil Beaver on drums.

The song was written by lead singer Nathan James and the main riff came from Dan Stevens. Nathan wanted to write a song about an end of times vibe where everyone was waiting on their Savior to return and redeem them all. The people believe their Lord is all powerful and will provide for them at the end it all, thus the title. The song is about Faith, overcoming life’s challenges and God’s Grace. And funny thing, Nathan is not really religious. He simply finds religion fascinating. Ultimately, the song is a message of hope and encouragement.

The song was influenced heavily by Scorpion’s Uli Jon Roth who Nathan was listening to at the time and Dan came up with that riff. The rhythm guitar has a middle-eastern vibe to it. I believe Nathan once said something to the effect that the song’s real role is to showcase the dual guitar work of the band and man does it every do that. The riffs at the beginning are simply heavy and rocking and that dual guitar solo is freaking insane. Over-the-top and dramatic which fits the song perfectly. The guitars make the song, Nathan’s vocals are simply icing on the cake. The killer bass work and drumming are the sprinkles.

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My Sunday Song – “Blues for the Disillusioned” by Rick Springfield

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For My Sunday Song #274, we are going to talk about a song that is not what you’d expect from Rick Springfield. It is a blues song called “Blues for the Disillusioned” off his 2018 album ‘The Snake King’ which is as close to blues album as you will get from Rick. The album didn’t chart, the song was not a single and it might be one you’ve never heard about, but you would be missing out.

The album was recorded during a very dark time in Rick’s life. He had contemplated suicide at one point during his darkest days. I’m not sure if this album was his therapy, but he laid out a lot on this album and this song in particular for me was a standout. There are a lot of religious aspects to the song and not all of them good. He blasts God and the Bible in particular John 16:24 where it says “Ask and You Shall Receive”, but I don’t think Rick feels God answered anything. In fact, I think he is now very disillusioned with God and faith. In reading the lyrics, Rick has had enough of so called “God” and it seems he feels that God has abandoned us all and it really makes this a very sad song.

Some of the other examples are that God manipulated Adam and Eve as well as they say God doesn’t give you what you ask for, He gives you what you need…well tell that to the 13 million starving kids in the Middle East. These parts of the song show some one who is not on the side of God anymore. I wonder where he sits now, I’d love to ask him about it.

The song is more of a ballad type song in tempo and it has a melancholy feel to it which makes sense as the lyrics are pretty dark. There is a not much blues per se, more of a country twang, but the slide guitar gives a little hint at blues. Regardless, there is a nice groove and Rick does sound great, but for me the song is about the lyrics and the meaning behind them all. That is what I found most fascinating about it. For that, I am a huge fan.

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My Sunday Song – “Something to Believe In” by Bon Jovi

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For My Sunday Song #195, we are diving in to the fantastic song “Something to Believe” off the band’s 1995 underrated album ‘These Days’.  This song was never a single and probably one of the best deep cuts they have on any record.  It really spoke to me and to this day, it means a lot.

The song has been considered anti-religious with lines like “I lost all faith in my God, in his religion too”, but the song is really about fighting back and finding that one thing to hold on to and reach for and to believe in.  I know for me, I have struggled a lot in this world.  There were times I had lost my faith and I still struggle with my belief in religion.  Not with God or Jesus, but organized religion. I see the damage it has caused through the centuries, the charlatans out there wanting your money and our the first ones to sin.  The holier-than-thou Church goers that think cast the first stone and our cheating on their spouses.  The churches that hide the child molesting priest.  I could go on and on and talk about the hypocrisy of it all.   But I won’t.  You get where I am coming from.

So how do you find that one thing to believe in?  I don’t know, but dig deep and it just happens.  I believe in my wife and kids.  My brothers and sisters and those that have always been there. I believe in Jesus and God…BUT…in my own way.  As Jon states, “in a world that gives you nothing, we need something to believe in”.  And with what has going on in the world these last couple months, I think this song holds even more meaning.  Hang in there!  We will get through it and come out the other side even better as we always do.

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My Sunday Song – “Blind Faith” by Def Leppard

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For My Sunday Song #159, I want to discuss the  song “Blind Faith” off the self-titled album Def Leppard from 2015.  The final song on the album and not a rocker, but not sure it is a ballad either.  The album has helped see a jump in popularity for the band as it is probably the best album they have done in about the last 20 years.  And for me, this song is part of the reason.

“Blind Faith” was written by Rick Savage and Joe Elliott and is a commentary on religion and cult-like faith groups.  I think I connected to it due to his viewpoints are similar to mine.  It is not that he doesn’t believe in God, it is not a knock on religion, it is more that sometimes organized religion is kind of futile.

Joe said this about the song in an interview with Claire Sturgess for Absolute Radio:

“We’ve always touched on the real side of life if you like. Mostly it’s in with relationship stuff but with this it was like just observation of the that humanity can be abused if you like. And I set out writing this thing and I just had this stream of consciousness. It just came pouring out of me but I made a very conscious effort to not be preachy and finger waggy about it. If you actually read the lyrics. And I did say to the guy when he was putting the artwork together. I want a question mark putting at the end because I want everybody to realise. I’m asking a question and I’m not telling you what’s going on. I’m asking is it really what’s going on?. You know. Make your own mind up. So in that – it is poking a little bit but it’s not preaching. I want the listener to make their own mind up as to whether you know what they’re hearing is representative of what they’re thinking as well because it’s certainly what a lot of people think.”

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My Sunday Song – “Something to Believe In” by Poison

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For My Sunday Song #95, this power ballad comes to us from Poison. The song is “Something To Believe In” and is off their 1990 album ‘Flesh & Blood’.  The song went to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is great example of how moving and poignant a song can be.

The song is about two people in Bret Michael’s life.  The first is his personal friend and bodyguard, James Kimo Maano or Kimo.  Kimo got hooked up in the rock & roll lifestyle and with his abuse of drugs and alcohol, his life tragically ended early.  When Bret found out, he was inspired to write this song as a tribute to his friend.  When you watch the video of this song, you see an emotional Bret Michaels reacting to pictures that showed up on the TV of his friend.  The Director of the video didn’t tell him the pictures were being used and it took Bret by surprise.  It was a cruel trick, but it captured a real moment.

The other person is Bret’s cousin Bob who had been wounded in Vietnam and the song talks about his struggles mentally with what happened as well as the loss of so many of his cousin’s friends in the way.  It paints a stark reality of the damage war can have on a person.

The whole song discusses reasons for Bret’s loss of faith whether it is from false prophets, the homeless, the impact of war or the loss of a close friend.  The song paints such a graphic picture that you can’t help but be touched by it in some way.  And depends on your mood when you listen, it could even bring a tear to your eyes.

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Colton Dixon – Identity (Deluxe Edition – 2017) – Album Review

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Colton Dixon is one of the rising stars in the Christian genre.  As everyone always has to mention, he is a former American Idol contestant who finished in 7th place on Season 11. Now on his third album, the maturity and vocal talent are hitting their peak. Colton has been growing with each release and ‘Identity’ shows definitely shows that growth.

‘Identity’ is a very ambitious album for this young singer.  The Deluxe Edition is a startling 17 tracks and is a loosely based concept album.  I say loosely as the album doesn’t tell a story from beginning to end, but appears to be broken into three parts with the songs representing that theme.  The three themes are “The Mind”, “The Body” and “The Spirit”.

“The Mind”

The first part of the album is “The Mind”.  The album starts off with the Interlude called “The Mind” which is an instrumental piece with angel like voiceovers by a female and male voiceover giving you the theme of the section.  It is actually quite great.  The song transitions seamlessly into the title track “Identity”.  The four songs in this section are all pop songs that in one shape or another are representative of the mind.

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My Sunday Song – “Even If” by MercyMe

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For My Sunday Song #38, I chose “Even If” by MercyMe. I know I just did a MercyMe but that post was written before I discovered this song.  The song is off their new album, “Lifer” and is the first single from that release (Click on “Lifer” to read the review). It is currently #1 on iTunes in the Christian genre.

What I get from the song is that no matter how dark things may get, no matter how bad your situation may be, no matter if you feel if God is not their to help…He is there for you!  There is someone I know that is probably going through the most difficult time of their life and I hope they dig deep and reach out to God for forgiveness and for help.

God is a comfort for me.  I might not “walk the walk” or “talk the talk” as a Christian person should, but I know He is there when I need Him…which is a lot.

From FreeCCM.com, I found an article by FreeCCMAbby that discusses the meaning behind the song.  There is a video you can watch that will discuss the song.  I am borrowing the following quote from the site

“Even If” is a reminder to people in difficult situations that don’t seem to go away. God is worthy long before any of those circumstances even showed up. This song is a declaration to God that even if He went silent and never said another word, He’s still worthy to be praised and that He’s our greatest hope in the midst of the trial.” – Bart Millard (MercyMe)

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