Lifesong (song)

"Lifesong" is a song recorded by Christian rock band Casting Crowns. Written by Mark Hall and produced by Mark A. Miller, it was released as the lead single from the band's 2005 album of the same name. According to Mark Hall, the lead vocalist of Casting Crowns, "Lifesong" came out of what he found himself saying to students in his church's youth ministry. Compared to the work of rock band U2, the song lyrically points believers towards honoring God in all they do.

"Lifesong"
Single by Casting Crowns
from the album Lifesong
B-side"Perfect Day"
ReleasedJuly 19, 2005 (2005-07-19)
RecordedVarious locations in the United States
GenreChristian rock, pop rock
Length4:37 (single version)
5:16 (album version)
LabelBeach Street Records
Songwriter(s)Mark Hall
Producer(s)Mark A. Miller
Casting Crowns singles chronology
"Voice of Truth"
(2004)		 "Lifesong"
(2005)		 "Praise You In This Storm"
(2006)

"Lifesong" received mostly positive reviews upon its release, with some critics praising the song's musical arrangement. The song was nominated for two awards at the 37th GMA Dove Awards and has been performed by Casting Crowns in concert. It was a hit on Christian radio, topping the Billboard Hot Christian Songs and Hot Christian AC charts as well as the Radio & Records Christian AC and Soft AC/Inspirational charts. It also peaked inside the top 10 on the Radio & Records Christian CHR chart. It ranked at number 21 on the 2000s decade-end Hot Christian Songs chart and number 27 on the decade-end Hot Christian AC chart.

Recording and composition

"Lifesong" was written by Mark Hall and produced by Mark A. Miller. The strings on the song were arranged by Bobby Huff.[1] "Lifesong" was recorded and mixed by Sam Hewitt at Zoo Studio in Franklin, Tennessee. Additional recording was done at Lifesong Studio in McDonough, Georgia. Strings were recorded at Little Big Studio by Boeho Shin and Daewoo Kim. It was mastered by Richard Dodd and engineered by Dale Oliver and John Lewis Lee III.[1]

"Lifesong" is a song with a length of four minutes and 37 seconds;[2] the version of the song on Lifesong has a length of five minutes and sixteen seconds.[3] It is set in common time in the key of A major and has a tempo of 112 beats per minute. Mark Hall's vocal range in the song spans from the low note of A3 to the high note of E5.[4] "Lifesong" has been described as a power ballad[5] and "robust pop",[6] and it has been musically compared to the work of rock band U2,[7][8] Lyrically, it "points believers towards honoring God in all they do".[9] According to lead vocalist Mark Hall, the song came out of what he found himself saying and praying to the student's in his church's youth ministry.[10]

Critical reception

"Lifesong" received mostly positive reception from music critics. John DiBiase of Jesus Freak Hideout described it as a "musical nod to U2" and felt that the opening of Lifesong with the song was responsible for the album having a "greater appeal" than Casting Crowns' debut record.[11] David McCreary of CCM Magazine called the song a "powerhouse praise number".[9] Russ Breimeier of Christianity Today, however, felt the song was one of the weakest on the album, calling it "predictable" and criticizing what he perceived as imitation of U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name" and Chris Tomlin's "Forever".[7] At the 37th GMA Dove Awards, "Lifesong" was nominated for Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year. It did not win in either category.[12]

Release and chart performance
"Lifesong" became Casting Crowns' third number-one single on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart.

"Lifesong" was released as a digital single on July 19, 2005, with Josh Bates' "Perfect Day" as its B-side.[2] It was released to Christian AC, Christian CHR, and Soft AC/Inspirational radio on July 30, 2005.[13][14][15] "Lifesong" debuted at number 21 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart for the chart week of August 6, 2005.[16] It advanced to number 10 in its third week[17] and to number two in its fourth week.[18] In its seventh chart week, "Lifesong" advanced to the number one position on the chart.[19] It spent a total of 10 non-consecutive weeks atop the chart[20][21] and 34 weeks on the chart in total.[22] "Lifesong" also peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Christian AC chart,[23] the Radio & Records Christian AC chart,[24] and the Radio & Records Soft AC/Inspirational chart.[25] It peaked at number seven on the Radio & Records Christian CHR chart.[26]

"Lifesong" ranked at number 12 on the 2005 year-end Hot Christian Songs and Hot Christian AC charts[27][28] and at number 19 on the 2005 year-end Radio & Records Christian AC chart.[29] It ranked at number 16 on the 2006 year-end Hot Christian Songs chart[30] and at number 17 on the 2006 year-end Hot Christian AC chart.[31] It also ranked at number 21 on the decade-end Hot Christian Songs chart[32] and at number 27 on the decade-end Hot Christian AC chart.[33] "Lifesong" was included on the compilation albums WOW Hits 2007 and Wow: Best of 2007.[34][35] A live version of the song was included on Casting Crowns' live album Lifesong Live.[36]

Live performances

Casting Crowns have performed "Lifesong" live in concert. At a concert at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Casting Crowns opened their setlist with the song, accompanied by over 100 robed choir members.[6] At a concert on November 12, 2005 at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Casting Crowns opened their setlist with the song.[37] They performed "Lifesong" as the eighteenth song on their setlist at a concert on February 5, 2010 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.[8] At a concert on February 28, 2010 in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Casting Crowns closed out their concert with a performance of "Lifesong".[38] Casting Crowns performed the song as the second of their setlist at a concert on October 29, 2011 at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois.[5]

Track listing
Digital single[2]
  1. "Lifesong" – 4:37
  2. "Perfect Day" (Josh Bates) – 4:10
Album version[3]
  1. "Lifesong" – 5:16

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the album liner notes of Lifesong.[1]

Charts

Release and radio history
Date Format Label
July 19, 2005 Digital download[2] Beach Street Records
July 30, 2005 Christian AC radio[13]
Christian CHR radio[14]
Soft AC/Inspirational radio[15]
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References
  1. Lifesong (Media notes). Casting Crowns. Beach Street Records. 2005. p. 9.CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. "Lifesong: Casting Crowns: MP3 Downloads". Archived from the original on April 1, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  3. "Lifesong by Casting Crowns". iTunes. Apple Inc. August 30, 2005. Archived from the original on April 13, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  4. "Casting Crowns – Lifesong Digital Sheet Music" (Digital Download)|format= requires |url= (help). Musicnotes.com EMI Christian Music Group. MN0050954. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. Hatch, Danielle (October 30, 2011). "Review: Casting Crowns blends music, ministry". pjstar.com. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  6. Argyrakis, Andy (June 2006). "Standing Room Only" (PDF). CCM Magazine. 28 (12): 63. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 10, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  7. Breimeier, Russ. "Lifesong". Christianity Today. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  8. Brownlee, Bill (February 5, 2010). "Review: Casting Crowns". Back to Rockville. The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  9. McCreary, David (September 2005). "Another Crowning Achievement" (PDF). CCM Magazine. 28 (3): 50–51. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-05-10.
  10. Riddle, Melissa (September 2005). "Real Life Conversations" (PDF). CCM Magazine. 28 (3): 38. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 10, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  11. DiBiase, John (September 25, 2005). "Casting Crowns, 'Lifesong' Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Archived from the original on May 2, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  12. Jones, Kim. "37th Annual GMA Dove Awards – Songs of the Year Nominees". About.com. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on April 7, 2006. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  13. "Going for Adds – Christian AC". Radio & Records. July 30, 2005. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  14. "Going for Adds – Christian CHR". Radio & Records. July 30, 2005. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  15. "Going for Adds – Soft AC/Inspirational". Radio & Records. July 30, 2005. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  16. "Christian Songs (August 6, 2005)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  17. "Christian Songs (August 20, 2005)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  18. "Christian Songs (August 27, 2005)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  19. "Christian Songs (September 17, 2005)". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
  20. Chart dates for the first run of "Lifesong":
  21. Chart date for the second run of "Lifesong":
  22. "Singles Charts Archive Search". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2012. Note: User must manually input the correct search information to obtain the sourced information.
  23. "Hot Christian Adult Contemporary (October 1, 2005)". Billboard. VNU Media. Archived from the original on September 24, 2005. Retrieved June 8, 2005.
  24. Peterson, Kevin. "Christian AC National Airplay". Radio & Records. Archived from the original on October 19, 2005. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  25. Peterson, Kevin. "Inspo National Airplay". Radio & Records. Archived from the original on October 25, 2005. Retrieved June 8, 2005.
  26. Peterson, Kevin. "Radio & Records – Christian". Radio & Records. Archived from the original on October 25, 2005. Retrieved June 8, 2005.
  27. "Hot Christian Songs Year-end (2005)". Billboard.biz. Prometheus Global Media. November 26, 2005. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  28. "Hot Christian AC Year-end (2005)". Billboard.biz. Prometheus Global Media. November 26, 2005. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  29. Peterson, Kevin. "Christian AC 2005 Year-End Chart". Radio & Records. Archived from the original on December 31, 2005. Retrieved June 8, 2005.
  30. "Hot Christian Songs Year-end (2006)". Billboard.biz. Prometheus Global Media. 2006. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  31. "Hot Christian AC Year-end (2006)". Billboard.biz. Prometheus Global Media. 2006. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  32. "Hot Christian Songs Decade-end (2000s)". Billboard.biz. Prometheus Global Media. 2009. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  33. "Hot Christian AC Decade-end (2000s)". Billboard.biz. Prometheus Global Media. 2009. Archived from the original on August 17, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  34. Johnson, Jared. "WOW Hits 2007 – Various Artists". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  35. Monger, James Christopher. "Wow: Best of 2007 – Various Artists". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 6, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  36. Johnson, Jared. "Lifesong Live – Casting Crowns". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  37. Mabee, Justin (November 16, 2005). "Casting Crowns Lifesong Tour". Jesus Freak Hideout. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  38. Davis, Kevin (March 30, 2010). "A Night With Kutless & Casting Crowns". New Release Tuesday. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
  39. "Casting Crowns Album & Song Chart History (Christian Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
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