traviswright


New Songs vs. Old Songs
July 7, 2009, 9:52 am
Filed under: church, music

Psalm 98:1 O sing to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things
Psalms 33:3 Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

It’s fun to look back at all the songs that have been sung in church since the “contemporary” movement started 10+ years ago. For example, Trading My Sorrows, Lord I Lift Your Name On High, Here I Am To Worship, The Heart of Worship, Come Now Is The Time To Worship, and many others. Some of these are still good today, but some are better left locked up in a vault somewhere. I love the new songs that we sing on a regular basis now, but I miss some of the old ones.

So, I’d love to have your help. What old songs are still “useable” and relevant in 2009.  What old songs, in your opinion, are fine to never be used again? I would love to know your opinion!


25 Comments so far
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oldies but goodies:
kathryn scott – hungry
matt redman – give us clean hands
jars of clay – worlds apart
dc*b – thank you (for hearing me)
dc*b – you alone
lifehouse – everything
rich mullins – awesome god (just chorus)

dead and buried:
rich mullins – awesome god (verses)
cliff richard – shine jesus shine
jamie rivera – heal our land
darrel evans – trading my sorrow (where does that concept come from in the scriptures???)
mercyme – i can only imagine
dc*b – every move i make

can we just agree no more mercryme stuff?

Comment by asian

thanks for distinguishing between the verses and choruses on awesome god.

Comment by Travis Wright

When He rolls up His sleeves
He ain’t just putting on the ritz
(Our God is an awesome God)
There’s thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fists
(Our God is an awesome God)
And the Lord wasn’t joking
When He kicked ‘em out of Eden
It wasn’t for no reason
That He shed His blood
His return is very close
And so you better be believing that
Our God is an awesome God

come ON rich mullins… seriously?
better be believing in god or else he is gonna go gorilla stomping on your face.

Comment by asian

I like the challenge of revamping old songs to make them more relevant to our culture today. So, I’m willing to do any old song as long as the lyrical content is Biblical.

Comment by grubbs

can you “revamp” Trading My Sorrows? yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord, yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord

Comment by Travis Wright

and i would love to see where in the scriptures teaches us the concept of trading our sorrows for anything.

Comment by asian

Jeremiah 31:13
Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

Sorry, gotta defend trading sorrows. Not a fan of the song, though.

Comment by carissagraham

Once again, I was logged in under my wife. That was Kelly

Comment by carissagraham

you have no idea how happy it makes me that you called old asian out!!

Comment by Travis Wright

we can go ahead an chalk up this to the endless things ive been wrong before. humility is good.

Comment by asian

Happy Day
Better is one day
Draw me close
Agnus Dei
All in all
Be glorified
Blessed be your name
Breathe
Father I adore you
Grace flows down
Grace like rain
I will worship
In the secret
Kindness
My glorious
Sanctuary
Take my life
Wonderful cross
Your love is extravagant

yea i grew up in a church. whats up.

Comment by asian

I’ve been to churches/talked with worship leaders who felt that hymns either didn’t have a place in “contemporary worship” at all or unless they have contemporized (sure its a word!) it. I think that at times, hymns are perfectly fine they way they were written originally, but that a lot of people are repulsed by how old sounding they are. What do you think?

Comment by katiembrewer

i think that a lot of hymns have a place in “contemporary worship” just as they are with no changes at all. sometimes lyrically, things can get confusing b/c we don’t speak that way anymore…i.e “naught be all else to me save that thou art.” i love “be thou my vision” but the language makes you think a little bit harder about what the words are really saying. one of my favorite hymns though and we hardly changed it at all when we did it a couple of weeks ago.

Comment by Travis Wright

Still Good:
Prince of Peace (You are Holy)
Yearn
You Said
Face Down

No Good:
Hallelujah (Your Love Makes me Sing)

I also like a lot of RUF songs where they take hymns but give them more contemporary music. You can get a lot of demos and guitar music at the site below (link to the hymnbook). They also have professional recordings of a lot of the songs that are really good.
Some of these are better than others.
http://www.igracemusic.com/

Comment by brady

I love You Said, and Face Down (if you’re talking about the matt redman song). I also loved Hallelujah. I am not familiar with RUF stuff, but I’ll check it out.

check out red mountain church. They do some great stuff with their music.
http://www.redmountainchurch.org/rmm/

Comment by Travis Wright

dude. we need to crush Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble VERY soon.

also, Open the Eyes of my Heart. Just kidding about that one. kinda.

Comment by Kent

yes…i love some did you feel the mountains tremble…a lot of redmans songs still work well today…

open the eyes of my heart? hmm…i’ll pass :) mainly b/c i think i’ve done it 800 times before.

Comment by Travis Wright

Oldies that I still Like:

I Love You, Lord (I think it’d made a great reprise-not sure if that’s the right word-) sayin’)
How Deep the Father’s Love For Us
Wonderful Maker

Comment by melissafennell

i’ll be playing wonderful maker until i can’t play or sing anymore…easily one of my lifetime favorites.

Comment by Travis Wright

It’s easily one of my favorites. the lyrics are beautiful.

Comment by melissafennell

And I do like Your Love is Extravagant and Take My Life.

Comment by melissafennell

No Good (just in my opinion)

Shout to the Lord
I will sing of your love forever (…feels like that song lasts forever)
God of Wonders (played out)

Still Good

Let everything that has breath (Leigh Nash – City on a Hill version)
Create in Me a Clean Heart
Though I may speak (Hymn)
Be thou my vision (Hymn)

Classic

Pour some sugar on me (Poison)

Comment by jeff

poison is the best suggestion so far! maybe we could bring back some black crowes “she says she talks to angels” — it talks about angels so surely it can fit in church right?

Comment by Travis Wright

Good: All who are thirsty (easily one of my favorites)
As The Deer
Beautiful (I Need You)
Everything Lifehouse (seconded)
I Need You (the swift, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNvZ4d5vqqo&feature=related)
Kindness (Tomlin)
This Is Our God (Tomlin)
DC*B Wonderful King
Grace Like Rain
Sing to the King (Satan is vanquished and Jesus is king.. perfect truth=)
When I think about the lord

there are some that are aweful. they aren’t in the above list.

Comment by lpmitch

maybe:
big house, Audio A
Good Life, Audio A
Hands & Feet, Audio A
Get Down, Audio A
any Audio A
In The Light: DC Talk
Jesus is Just Alright With Me – Doobie Brothers

Comment by lpmitch




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