Here I Am to Worship (song)

"Here I Am to Worship" is a song written by Tim Hughes and was released as the title song of his debut album Here I Am to Worship. The song is a popular worship ballad. It is commonly sung at Christian churches, festivals and youth gatherings. The song was ranked No. 1 on the Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) two years in a row[1] and was still ranked on their Top 25 Songs list in 2016.[2]

"Here I Am to Worship"
Song by Tim Hughes
from the album Here I Am to Worship
LanguageEnglish
Released24 December 2001 (2001-12-24)
GenreContemporary worship music
Length5:15
LabelEMI Gospel
Songwriter(s)Tim Hughes

Writing and inspiration

Tim Hughes wrote this song in 1999 as a response to how he felt after reading Philippians 2. The passage speaks about Christ's humility and how He willingly left His throne in heaven, came to earth as a man, and sacrificed Himself on the cross all because of His love for us. With this passage in mind, Tim picked up his guitar and, as he sang, the words to the song flowed out, but he was not satisfied with the chorus and felt that it did not flow well with the song. For several months, he struggled with the chorus and even put the song aside for about six months before finally finishing it.[3] However, he was still not confident in the chorus. It was not until he played this song at his home church Soul Survivor, and his pastor told him to play the song more often, that he realized the potential the song had. Since then, this song has spread and become widely known. Tim Hughes himself said. "No one has been more surprised than myself at seeing how God has used this worship song."[4] The themes in the song are the life of Jesus, thankfulness, and worship.[5]

Composition

"Here I Am to Worship" is a slow worship ballad with a length of five minutes and fifteen seconds. The song is set in common time and has a tempo of 75 beats per minute.[6] It is written in the key E Major. The verses follow the chord progression E - B - F♯m - A - E - B - A, the chorus follows the progression E - B - C♯m - A, and the bridge follows the progression B - E - A.[7] This song has been re-written in a different, modern version, by Chris Tomlin. He has kept the basic outline and lyrics, but has edited it to be more modern and up-to-date.

Versions

It has been covered by other contemporary worship musicians, including:[8]

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References
  1. "Tim Hughes, Christian Music Reviews". Christianity Today. 2007. Archived from the original on 2012-03-25.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  2. "Top Songs". Christian Copyright Licensing International. Archived from the original on 2016-09-27.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  3. "Women in Worship: Interview with Tim Hughes". Womeninworshipnetwork.com. 2010-09-02. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  4. David Schrader (2007-04-21). "Song Story: Here I Am to Worship". Crosswalk.com. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  5. "Here I Am To Worship". Ccli.com. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  6. "Here I Am To Worship instrumental karaoke - Tim Hughes". Karaoke-version.com. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  7. "Here I Am To Worship - Tim Hughes Worship Song - Christian Guitar Tabs". Christianguitar.org. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  8. "10 Artists That Have Recorded "Here I Am to Worship"". Christianmusic.about.com. 2012-04-10. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
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