When a good idea becomes unbearingly boring. Great accompaniment or band arrangement couldn't save this song. The YouTube rendition is good, (only with the nice pop band accompaniment,) however, it can't save this worship song. When I first came to be forced to sing this song in a worship session, (They called singing as worship, as if they do not need anything else.) two weeks ago, while I was in the audience, I wanted to leave, suffering from nausea caused by the selected song. It was holy torture. The reason is noted on the sheet music (below, which gives the basic structure and style of the song.) On top of the nauseating song, the "praise Team" weren't praising at all. They stood there like 2x4s and sang like Buddhist monks, chanting the mind emptying Sanskrit mantras. And the poor accompaniment was only one pianist struggling to follow the "Song Leader" who could not even follow the rhythm flow. My soul was insulted and murdered by the song session. WOL should do a lot better than this. They wanted me to advice them on the selection of songs. But it is too late. They ought to give them to me for an evaluation first before they put them to use in order to save the torture.
Let me explain:
1. The melody is static: dead, lacking in melodic movement
2. The whole song has a very limited range. That is why it sounds like Buddhist chanting.
e.g. the range of the A idea (or theme, measures 1 to 8, first three lines, which is repeated a total of four times.) is only a 4th (perfect 4th) The B idea (or theme, measure 9 to 16) repeated a total of 6 times is only a 6th (major 6)
3. The whole song is absolutely suffering from the lack of contrast not only in range but also in melodic movement.
4. There is no climax in this song and the Cantonese tones was worse when it replaced the word (used as title) "God" with the word "Kidney" and the word "King" with the word "Prosperity"
Songs for worship must have some sort of beauty, poetry. They must present movement and climax. This song has absolutely boring musical ideas and poor structure where the dead musical idea were repeated in each theme: A1A2, B1B2, A1A2, B1B2, A1A2, B1B2, B1B2, B1B2, ending1, ending2. and the whole song has a range of only a major 6th!!!
It is amazing how people, once they see a guitar, a bass, a synthesizer and great pictures and graphics, they begin to swallow this kind of trash. And the "singer-song writer" could practically parade around as holy artists and even made money selling trash. Don't get me wrong, the lyrics are fine. But still there are, as usually the case, too many Christian jargons and buss words such as "liberate me", "Glorify You", "lay down my weaknesses", "offer as living sacrifice". Not only these jargons, words of sexual romance, such as "my heart pressed tight to You", "forever stalling next to You", "for you I'd pour out my heart". Once there are such buss words, the young Christians go for it like the groupies of Rock and Roll singers. Some even raising their arms in fantasy and ecstasy. When Christian love God they are reserved (sober) in public and expressive (beside oneself) in their inner rooms alone, toward God. (II Cor. 5:13 For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.) I guess most Christians can't be Christians until they publicly display their Christianity in church. In private, they can't deal with themselves or God.
In the old days, the organ and the piano was regarded as holy instruments. (not that they were holy.) Now, they are banished and replaced by guitars, basses, synthesizers, drum sets and other wind instruments such as the sax, trumpets and trombones. (not that they are unholy) However trumpets and trombones are difficult to learn, therefore what is left are the combo. A church guitarist only need to learn about six guitar chord to become supertars in their own church. Churches would rather pay 10s of $1,000s to pay for a drum set, wireless mics, (Most of them don't know how to use one.) speakers, amplifiers, sound systems, projectors and screens, stage light systems but abandon, throw away, expansive organs and grand pianos. In the old days, song leaders were usually good Christian singers, and they led music alone by their gestures, facial expressions and voice. Now, non-singers forming the so called "praise teams" (most of them can't sing and can't lead) standing on the "holy" podium area like a bunch of 2x4s, (wooden studs) not smiling, not leading, singing like Buddhist monks and nuns without any expression on their faces. Sometimes they are forced to, (in order to gain acceptance) raise their hands in ecstasy toward God as an act of "Holiness". They dare to call that worship leading. Shame on us.
Matching melodic movement with lyrics and vice versa is difficult particularly in Cantonese. I understand that. I speak Cantonese very fluently. This song is not salvageable. Cantonese worship songs are written with the perfect cooperation between lyricist and the song writer. In this case, I am afraid both are the same person and in both areas, he is at best mediocre. My friend Alice Chiu should take a look at this song and also offer her expert opinion. WOL should do much better than this. They should give them to me for an honest evaluation before they put them to use. But it is too late to save the torture.
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