The first concert I ever attended -- don't laugh -- was The 2nd Chapter of Acts in the now-defunct Life Christian Center in St. Louis, Missouri. It was 1986, and it was the first of many concerts I would attend throughout my life.
The 2nd Chapter of Acts had been around for a spell, hearkening back to the days of Jesus Music in the 1970s, and the rise in evangelical culture that came with it. This trio of siblings knew how to make amazing music together with their hooky melodies and tight harmonies, and they sounded absolutely pristine. You could also tell they were siblings not just because of their facial similarities, but also because of their hair.
So when you think of songs like "Rejoice", "Easter Song", "Mansion Builder", and "Humble Yourself", you're linking back to a time when Christian music was in its infancy, stretching up into the decade where it began to explore new territory. The 2nd Chapter of Acts also explored new musical territory, following the trends of the times as each new album was released, but they never strayed too far from their traditional-sounding vocal arrangements. Unfortunately, some things have a shelf life, and theirs was coming to a close in the late '80s.
So the album Night Light is something of a bothersome project for me. You have the traditional warmth of piano and triple-voiced vocals, and then you have the full production of a pop/rock band, and in many songs, the two are smashed together in a musical cacophony. Sad to say, that combination didn't work that well on some of the songs. However, there were a few, such as the radio single "Heartstrings", where the two styles seemed to blend together like peanut butter and chocolate.
One other such song of choco-peanut butter smoothness is the opening title cut, and #16 on my countdown -- "Night Light".
If The 2nd Chapter of Acts ever had anything close to a power ballad in their arsenal, this is it.
Not only is the song short, sweet, and to the point, but there's some amazing musicianship in here. Both Kerry Livgren (Kansas, AD) and award-winning producer and songwriter Michael Omartian played on the record, although I don't know for sure if they played on this cut. I do know that if you find one of the live videos of this song on YouTube, you're going to wonder for a bit if someone superimposed the album audio over the video soundtrack. They were that good live.
It's a simple structure -- a verse that opens the song quietly, with a crescendo into a chorus that carries the theme into a guitar solo, then picking back up on the end refrain of the chorus, and closing out on a quiet note. It's not a typical song structure, but for 3 minutes, your attention is held by this wonder of a tune.
And I just want to thank you
For never, never letting go
Through the storms at night
You would shine Your light
Until the break of day
Through the storms at night
You would hold me tight
And never, never
Never leave my sight
You're my night light
Words honestly can't describe the emotion that this song brings with it, especially when you focus on the lyrics. It's a simple prayer of thanks to God, an acknowledgment that He is the one who guides us, He is the one who leads us through the darkness, and He will never let us falter. It's short, and you wish it was longer, but honestly, it doesn't need to be. It does the job and lets the song end just at the right moment.
One other interesting tidbit that I found in my research . . . Matthew and Nelly, the younger siblings, moved in with older sister Annie and her husband in the late 1960s when their parents died, and they were still minors at the time. It was during their time living together that Annie would play piano and the three would develop their harmonic style, eventually leading to their official formation in 1973. When you're that young and your parents suddenly die, you have to wonder what God has in store for you, and the questions of what's to come can often be frightening. So while the lyrics in this song are generic enough to apply to anyone in practically any situation, the thought of God being the younger brother & sister's night light in the absence of their parents gives the song new meaning.
Matthew Ward, the bottom third of the trio, had a successful career as a solo artist in the years following this recording, and The 2nd Chapter of Acts' output of original material stopped after 1987's Far Away Places. But listening to certain songs in their catalog gives you a great idea of the history of the development of Christian music from its beginning stages. Not everyone sounded like them, and few would have the longevity they did, but Night Light sat firmly in the mid-1980s and took advantage of all the decade had to offer. It wouldn't win over metal or punk fans, and it wasn't about to score any points with the rap & hip-hop crowd, but it was a great way for this storied group to begin walking their way out, and the opening cut was an all-incapsulating statement of their trust in God through all they'd experienced.
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
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #18
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #17
There Is No Box.
Zach
The 2nd Chapter of Acts had been around for a spell, hearkening back to the days of Jesus Music in the 1970s, and the rise in evangelical culture that came with it. This trio of siblings knew how to make amazing music together with their hooky melodies and tight harmonies, and they sounded absolutely pristine. You could also tell they were siblings not just because of their facial similarities, but also because of their hair.
 |
| I mean, come on. |
So when you think of songs like "Rejoice", "Easter Song", "Mansion Builder", and "Humble Yourself", you're linking back to a time when Christian music was in its infancy, stretching up into the decade where it began to explore new territory. The 2nd Chapter of Acts also explored new musical territory, following the trends of the times as each new album was released, but they never strayed too far from their traditional-sounding vocal arrangements. Unfortunately, some things have a shelf life, and theirs was coming to a close in the late '80s.
So the album Night Light is something of a bothersome project for me. You have the traditional warmth of piano and triple-voiced vocals, and then you have the full production of a pop/rock band, and in many songs, the two are smashed together in a musical cacophony. Sad to say, that combination didn't work that well on some of the songs. However, there were a few, such as the radio single "Heartstrings", where the two styles seemed to blend together like peanut butter and chocolate.
One other such song of choco-peanut butter smoothness is the opening title cut, and #16 on my countdown -- "Night Light".
If The 2nd Chapter of Acts ever had anything close to a power ballad in their arsenal, this is it.
Not only is the song short, sweet, and to the point, but there's some amazing musicianship in here. Both Kerry Livgren (Kansas, AD) and award-winning producer and songwriter Michael Omartian played on the record, although I don't know for sure if they played on this cut. I do know that if you find one of the live videos of this song on YouTube, you're going to wonder for a bit if someone superimposed the album audio over the video soundtrack. They were that good live.
It's a simple structure -- a verse that opens the song quietly, with a crescendo into a chorus that carries the theme into a guitar solo, then picking back up on the end refrain of the chorus, and closing out on a quiet note. It's not a typical song structure, but for 3 minutes, your attention is held by this wonder of a tune.
And I just want to thank you
For never, never letting go
Through the storms at night
You would shine Your light
Until the break of day
Through the storms at night
You would hold me tight
And never, never
Never leave my sight
You're my night light
Words honestly can't describe the emotion that this song brings with it, especially when you focus on the lyrics. It's a simple prayer of thanks to God, an acknowledgment that He is the one who guides us, He is the one who leads us through the darkness, and He will never let us falter. It's short, and you wish it was longer, but honestly, it doesn't need to be. It does the job and lets the song end just at the right moment.
One other interesting tidbit that I found in my research . . . Matthew and Nelly, the younger siblings, moved in with older sister Annie and her husband in the late 1960s when their parents died, and they were still minors at the time. It was during their time living together that Annie would play piano and the three would develop their harmonic style, eventually leading to their official formation in 1973. When you're that young and your parents suddenly die, you have to wonder what God has in store for you, and the questions of what's to come can often be frightening. So while the lyrics in this song are generic enough to apply to anyone in practically any situation, the thought of God being the younger brother & sister's night light in the absence of their parents gives the song new meaning.
Matthew Ward, the bottom third of the trio, had a successful career as a solo artist in the years following this recording, and The 2nd Chapter of Acts' output of original material stopped after 1987's Far Away Places. But listening to certain songs in their catalog gives you a great idea of the history of the development of Christian music from its beginning stages. Not everyone sounded like them, and few would have the longevity they did, but Night Light sat firmly in the mid-1980s and took advantage of all the decade had to offer. It wouldn't win over metal or punk fans, and it wasn't about to score any points with the rap & hip-hop crowd, but it was a great way for this storied group to begin walking their way out, and the opening cut was an all-incapsulating statement of their trust in God through all they'd experienced.
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
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #18
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #17
There Is No Box.
Zach
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