less ambitious.
March 31, 2008Brett McCracken, a college friend who now writes for Christianity Today and Relevant, and also blogs at The Search, came up with his top 100 worship songs of all time. I found this a fascinating list, and as imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, began my own. However, my list is far less ambitious than Brett’s (and also probably less well-done), clocking in at 50. I’d love to hear your comments and thoughts.
(Bear in mind as you read that I’m using Brett’s definition of worship song, which I completely agree with, and am including ones that “are simply the songs that pack the biggest holiness punch when I listen to them.” Also, if I made another list tomorrow, it would probably be different….)
50. Shenandoah, Chanticleer
49. He Won’t Let You Go, The Kry
48. Nobody Number One, Over the Rhine
47. Give Me Jesus, Fernando Ortega
46. Oh My God, Jars of Clay
45. Hold Me Jesus, Rich Mullins
44. People Get Ready, Curtis Mayfield
43. Ring Them Bells, Bob Dylan
42. Salvation, The Cranberries
41. Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin
40. O Sacred Head Now Wounded, Bernard of Clairvaux
39. Shifting Sand, Caedmon’s Call
38. High Noon, Andrew Peterson
37. Secret of the Easy Yoke, Pedro the Lion
36. Where the Streets Have No Name, U2
35. Sweet Little Jesus Boy, Robert Macgimsey
34. Creed, Rich Mullins
33. And God Created Great Whales, Alan Hovhaness
32. We Shall Walk Through the Valley In Peace, Spiritual
31. There Will Be A Light, Ben Harper & the Blind Boys of Alabama
30. Clair de Lune, Claude Debussy
29. Strays, Hem
28. Why Walk When You Can Fly, Mary Chapin Carpenter
27. The Truth Is Not A Lie, Jim Drew
26. Christ Be In Me, John Rutter
25. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, Bob Dylan
24. You Did That For Me, Pierce Pettis
23. Appalachian Spring, Aaron Copland
22. Prayer of St. Francis, Francis of Assisi arr. Sarah McLachlan
21. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Robert Robinson
20. Patriarch, Steve Thorngate
19. Every Grain of Sand, Bob Dylan
18. A Long December, Counting Crows
17. Hurt, Nine Inch Nails arr. Johnny Cash
16. Amazing Grace, Traditional arr. Ani DiFranco
15. It Is Well With My Soul, Horatio Spafford
14. Changes Come, Over the Rhine
13. Prayer of St. Gregory, Alan Hovhaness
12. On Jordan’s Stormy Banks, Samuel Stennett
11. We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are, Rich Mullins
10. Let It Be, The Beatles
9. Wayfaring Stranger, Traditional
8. The Beatitudes, Arvo Part
7. The Trumpet Child, Over the Rhine
6. Be Thou My Vision, Irish traditional
5. Wondrous Love, Alexander Means
4. Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan
3. The Love of God, Frederick Lehman
2. Ave Maria, Franz Biebl
1. The Messiah, Handel
Along vaguely similar lines: Mark D. Roberts, pastor/blogger/theologian/etc., recently moved to Texas and needed to do a statement of faith for his new presbytery. Here is the (quite interesting) result:
http://www.markdroberts.com/htmfiles/resources/mystatementoffaith.htm#mar2708
Great list! You brought up lots that I didn’t even think of but totally agree with (Arvo Part, “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks,” Gershwin, etc). It’s true that these lists could change day to day. Interesting that some songs endure though.
p.s. How are you doing?
Interesting list! I wonder why you included “We Are Not as Strong As We Think We Are” as a worship song?
Is it commonly sung in your worship community? Rich alternately described it as a “Christian breakup song” and “the most honest love song I could write.”
I suppose you could make any love song over into a worship song when sung in a context of worship. . . but it is clearly not exclusively a song directed to God. In this song, I assume God would not be part of the “we” that is not as strong, etc. God is addressed only in third person in this song. “It took the hand of God almighty” and “The Master said their faith was gonna make them mountains move.”
Just interested in your thoughts.