[Tony]

Critique of P&W Continued: Worst of the Genre

Okay, let’s drop the gloves and have it out with P&W. If I sound critical this time, it’s because I am. Of course there are lots of great songs for Contemporary worship. We cannot blindly accept all of it, however. Only with discernment can we use what will benefit our congregations.

Lyrical issues:
Too many songs are incomplete. It’s amazing to hear the stories behind some P&W songs.

[made up example] I was in the shower and God spoke to me through the lather & steam. His presence is like a flood that wants to wash away our sin and unrighteousness. I started to sing “Lather me up, Jesus; Wash me clean in Your presence.” I jumped out of the shower, still wet & soapy and recorded the song in its entirety. Fortunately, I had my Rainsong guitar…[/made up example]

It stuns me how many actual stories are not far from my extreme example. Granted, there are hymn stories that are similar, but the outcome is a multi-verse text, whereas the P&W chorus is a few lines at best. And rather than let the originating experience germinate into a more thorough song, many writers choose to let it stand as is.

Too many songs are theologically thin. I find it very disappointing when a song settles for the “Isn’t God just cool?” mentality. Say something of substance.

Too many songs are inappropriate for congregational singing. Some of the “Jesus is my boyfriend” (or as I call them, “I-wuv-U-Jesus”) songs have churches singing lyrics that are pretty intimate. “Jesus, as You kiss me, I know You’re all the lover I need…” The junior high boy in me giggles at some of these. Others are so personally confessional that they sound awkward coming from a group of people. “Lord, just to waft in your flatulence…” And I don’t want to sing about the composer’s pet sins, especially if I’m not particularly guilty of them.

Too many songs are simply collections of the latest P&W buzzwords. There are several words and phrases that have been so over done; they should be struck from the lexicon: passion, worship (!), seek your face, beautiful… I’m sure you can come up with others to add to the list. What’s more, words like hallelujah are tossed into a chorus or bridge with the same deference as “oh yeah, baby.” Try it sometime and see if it alters the song.

Too few songs deal with the transcendence of God, and many that do use terms we cannot sing confidently. The outcome is either too quaint – “Lord, You’re the bomb!” or too weird – “Lord I worship You in Your otherliness” – to sing with understanding.

Oh, and quit mixing modern and King James English. If you’re going to use Thee, you can’t then use You just because it rhymes in the next line. Pick one or the other.

Musical issues:
G – Em7 – D – C

E – A – C#m7 – Bsus

I’ve just listed the primary chord progressions of dozens of current P&W songs. They are easy to play on the guitar, and have a natural flow about them. But they have been done to death at this point. Find some new chords, and don’t be afraid of different keys.

Melodies have been relegated to 5 or 6 notes in many cases, and are often overly simple. This may lend to quicker memorization by the singing congregation, but it isn’t very appealing. Syncopation is not the only device that makes a song interesting. Try some different (yet attainable) intervals.

So What?
Worship Leaders, we need to examine what’s in our current church catalog. We need to ask the question: Why do I like this song? And we probably need to throw out a bunch of stuff. We don’t have to settle.

Next: Let’s revisit the role of Church Musician as Worship Leader.