I know that Cynthia Clawson had more than one single on Christian radio during the 1980s, but for the life of me, I can't recall the name of any other songs I'd heard from her after her rendition of the hymn "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise". Frankly, I'm completely fine with that.
There's something majestic and regal about old hymns, but at the time this song was on Christian radio, I didn't know that "Immortal, Invisible" was based on a hymn by Walter Chalmers Smith, who wrote the lyrics in 1867, then paired them up with a Welsh melody. The chorus of Clawson's version of the song carries the original hymn's melody, but supplemented with verses and a bridge whose lyrical styling smacks of the lyrics used at the time of the song's writing.
Come stars in space and bow down to His Glory!
Come hearts of praise and tell His holy story!
Let every rock, let every realm, let every voice speak His name
Let every song on every tongue proclaim His glory
Filling the night with His praise
The majesty of God's greatness, and the need of God's creation to proclaim His goodness are found all over the lyrics to this song. The first words of the chorus and the title -- immortal, invisible -- immediately describe a God who is set apart from the rest of existence by His limitlessness and His mystery. This song is all about giving honor to whom honor is due.
Normally, I didn't care for the symphonic arrangements of many songs by Christian artists in the 1980s, but due to the nature of the lyrics, the music works with this song. It is royal, stately, grand, and large in scope, and the addition of a modern rhythm section brings it into the modern era. This song somehow sounds dated and timeless at the same time, and I love every second of it.
There are times that I wish modern worship music sounded this good.
See previous entries on this list:
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #21
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #20
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #19
There Is No Box.
Zach
There's something majestic and regal about old hymns, but at the time this song was on Christian radio, I didn't know that "Immortal, Invisible" was based on a hymn by Walter Chalmers Smith, who wrote the lyrics in 1867, then paired them up with a Welsh melody. The chorus of Clawson's version of the song carries the original hymn's melody, but supplemented with verses and a bridge whose lyrical styling smacks of the lyrics used at the time of the song's writing.
Come stars in space and bow down to His Glory!
Come hearts of praise and tell His holy story!
Let every rock, let every realm, let every voice speak His name
Let every song on every tongue proclaim His glory
Filling the night with His praise
The majesty of God's greatness, and the need of God's creation to proclaim His goodness are found all over the lyrics to this song. The first words of the chorus and the title -- immortal, invisible -- immediately describe a God who is set apart from the rest of existence by His limitlessness and His mystery. This song is all about giving honor to whom honor is due.
Normally, I didn't care for the symphonic arrangements of many songs by Christian artists in the 1980s, but due to the nature of the lyrics, the music works with this song. It is royal, stately, grand, and large in scope, and the addition of a modern rhythm section brings it into the modern era. This song somehow sounds dated and timeless at the same time, and I love every second of it.
There are times that I wish modern worship music sounded this good.
See previous entries on this list:
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #21
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #20
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #19
There Is No Box.
Zach
Comments
Post a Comment