Ok, so I said only one Rich Mullins track made it into the Top Forty at Forty. Technically this one is by Rick Elias. I can get away with it.
It was written by Rich Mullins and recorded as a demo, a muffled effort with Mullins banging away at an old piano, as with the rest of Mullins' "Jesus Record" project tracks. Mullins died in a car accident prior to getting into the studio to record the final version - so his industry friends, along with his usual band, got together and recorded the tracks between them. Rick Elias drew the short straw - the stand-out song of the group by a mile, which is good except for the fact that when you know a song is that good you HAVE to get the arragement right. And they did.
Musically it's a little like a mini-opera in itself, comprising several sections but with the same driving rhythm through the majority of it. Lyrically strong as well ("He will never break His promise, though the stars should break faith with the sky") the song is six minutes long and feels somehow longer, but in a good way. I could talk about the lyrics and even the music - nothing exciting chord-wise but smart use of a swelling string-section - but there's no real need to disassemble the song.
They took their time and they got it right.
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