Boy, are people going to disagree with this choice.
When you click a link to read someone's blog and they wax poetic about the "Top X Number" of anything, you have to take their list with a grain of salt. Why? Because this is all subject to the viewpoint of the author. I'm not a music industry insider. I'm not a former record executive, not a former CCM radio DJ, not a former concert promoter, and not a former member of a band from the 1980s. I'm just a guy (a musician, yes) with a love of great music, and great love of God, and a list of reasons why the songs I chose made this list. There are probably songs on this list that you completely disagree with or have never heard, while other songs might make you nod, but you would rank differently.
So, please understand that there's a big part of me that DOESN'T want my #2 song in the Top CCM songs of the 1980s to be a DeGarmo & Key song. And I guarantee you it's not the song you're thinking it might be. In fact, I don't know that this song was ever released as a single or got radio airplay outside of maybe an odd request here or there.
But first, a just question: why would I NOT want a song from D&K on this list, when the band was so instrumental in raising the standard of excellence for performance in Christian music? Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key created a massive catalog of songs that would stir, encourage, challenge, and convict the everyday Christian to live a life more devoted to Christ. The two even formed a record label that would pave the way for many bands to showcase their talents and message to the world in the 1990s, ForeFront Records. You may have heard of a couple of the artists that came out of this label.
So with all that working for them, and given their legendary status in the CCM world, what was my hesitation in putting a DeGarmo & Key song on this list? Frankly, because their lyrics weren't all that great.
Musically, they were stunning, combining great rock sensibilities with progressive and popular music pastiches to create a sound that could not be easily duplicated, even live in concert. On the lyric side of things, though, they could have used some help. There were some great songs throughout their career that seemed to buck the trend of mediocrity present in the music of so many Christian artists, but for every "Alleluia, Christ is Coming", "Addey", or "Let the Whole World Sing", there was a "God Good/Devil Bad", "Holy Hustle", or "Boycott Hell" (famously ridiculed by Steve Taylor on the Newsboys' cover of the song) right around the corner.
So while DeGarmo & Key's music was ubiquitous on CCM radio and even in my home, I wasn't really willing to share much of their music with my unbelieving friends or family. But suddenly, in 1987, Eddie and Dana released an album, simply entitled D&K, which was by far their most excellently produced and best-reviewed album since their sophomore effort, Straight On. The cassette format of the album was released in a 2-pack, with one cassette packaged as normal, and the other labeled as a "gift edition" that a fan could give to an unsaved friend. The liner notes not only contained the lyrics to the songs, but also scripture verses that were inspirations for the songs, and short messages of encouragement to someone who might be discovering their faith for the first time. There was even a listing of suicide hotline numbers one could call if they were contemplating suicide.
A nice gimmick, but one that would have been wasted if it didn't come attached to one of the most solid rock records to come out of CCM in the 1980s. DeGarmo & Key shrugged off a significant portion of the synthesized pop-rock that was so prevalent on previous releases and ventured back into more guitar-driven music, somewhat reminiscent of their earlier career work, with some remnants of blues and progressive rock scattered here and there. The overall result was a more cohesive, more pleasing, and more solid effort than many fans the band garnered in the '80s were used to hearing.
So what song made my list?
It's not "Out of the Danger Zone".
It's not "Rock Solid".
It's not any of their radio hits like "Destined to Win" or "Casual Christian".
It's not any of their other rock anthems like "Every Moment".
I chose a song with a message that was timeless. A song whose music felt both haunting and heartfelt. A song that featured amazingly subdued, yet effective, keyboard work from Eddie DeGarmo, and an emotive, powerfully moving vocal performance from Dana Key.
At #2 - "Brother Against Brother (It's Not Right)".
I don't care for parenthetical titles, but I'm making an exception for this one.
I never quite knew what the impetus for this song was, or exactly who the song was directed at. I couldn't tell if it was about racial division in the Church, or a plea to other Christians to not get bogged down in issues of theology when Jesus is the common bond between us, or something else. And honestly, I'm not sure I care which one it is.
This song hits an emotional note that's hard for some songs to capture. As I think about today's political climate, the state of affairs across the Church at large, and the spirit of division threatening believers throughout the United States and around the world, I can't help but think that this song is just as poignant today as it was in 1987.
This song is a bit of a slow burn from the get-go, with a simple, percussive guitar riff opening into an alternately ascending/descending melody line before the verse comes in. And as much as I complained before about mediocrity in lyricism, I have to admit that the song's simplicity in its lyrics is actually a strength, not a weakness.
Will you listen to my plea
And we can lose our prejudice
There's no time to disagree
There's a world that's losing hope
While we fight among ourselves
While we flirt with destiny
It takes a little bit of understanding
I'm not just like you
A brother don't judge a brother
Can't we agree that's true?
Dana Key's vocals on this cut sound like they come from the gut. His scorching, repetitive refrain of "You know it's not right" cuts straight to the listener's heart, communicated with such urgency and need that one can't help but be moved.
I can't say much more about the song that the song can't say for itself. One of the band's deep cuts, probably known only by those who owned or listened to the album (the YouTube video has less than 700 views as of this writing), "Brother Against Brother (It's Not Right)" stands apart from nearly everything in the band's catalog as insistent, timeless, and powerful. As such, it sits at #2 on my list of the top CCM songs of the 1980s.
Previous entries in this series:
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
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #16
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #15
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #14
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - Honorable Mention
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #13
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #12
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #11
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #10
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #9
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #8
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #7
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #6
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #5
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #4
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #3
There Is No Box.
Zach
When you click a link to read someone's blog and they wax poetic about the "Top X Number" of anything, you have to take their list with a grain of salt. Why? Because this is all subject to the viewpoint of the author. I'm not a music industry insider. I'm not a former record executive, not a former CCM radio DJ, not a former concert promoter, and not a former member of a band from the 1980s. I'm just a guy (a musician, yes) with a love of great music, and great love of God, and a list of reasons why the songs I chose made this list. There are probably songs on this list that you completely disagree with or have never heard, while other songs might make you nod, but you would rank differently.
But first, a just question: why would I NOT want a song from D&K on this list, when the band was so instrumental in raising the standard of excellence for performance in Christian music? Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key created a massive catalog of songs that would stir, encourage, challenge, and convict the everyday Christian to live a life more devoted to Christ. The two even formed a record label that would pave the way for many bands to showcase their talents and message to the world in the 1990s, ForeFront Records. You may have heard of a couple of the artists that came out of this label.
 |
| Audio Adrenaline, Skillet, dc Talk, Rebecca St. James |
So with all that working for them, and given their legendary status in the CCM world, what was my hesitation in putting a DeGarmo & Key song on this list? Frankly, because their lyrics weren't all that great.
Musically, they were stunning, combining great rock sensibilities with progressive and popular music pastiches to create a sound that could not be easily duplicated, even live in concert. On the lyric side of things, though, they could have used some help. There were some great songs throughout their career that seemed to buck the trend of mediocrity present in the music of so many Christian artists, but for every "Alleluia, Christ is Coming", "Addey", or "Let the Whole World Sing", there was a "God Good/Devil Bad", "Holy Hustle", or "Boycott Hell" (famously ridiculed by Steve Taylor on the Newsboys' cover of the song) right around the corner.
So while DeGarmo & Key's music was ubiquitous on CCM radio and even in my home, I wasn't really willing to share much of their music with my unbelieving friends or family. But suddenly, in 1987, Eddie and Dana released an album, simply entitled D&K, which was by far their most excellently produced and best-reviewed album since their sophomore effort, Straight On. The cassette format of the album was released in a 2-pack, with one cassette packaged as normal, and the other labeled as a "gift edition" that a fan could give to an unsaved friend. The liner notes not only contained the lyrics to the songs, but also scripture verses that were inspirations for the songs, and short messages of encouragement to someone who might be discovering their faith for the first time. There was even a listing of suicide hotline numbers one could call if they were contemplating suicide.
A nice gimmick, but one that would have been wasted if it didn't come attached to one of the most solid rock records to come out of CCM in the 1980s. DeGarmo & Key shrugged off a significant portion of the synthesized pop-rock that was so prevalent on previous releases and ventured back into more guitar-driven music, somewhat reminiscent of their earlier career work, with some remnants of blues and progressive rock scattered here and there. The overall result was a more cohesive, more pleasing, and more solid effort than many fans the band garnered in the '80s were used to hearing.
So what song made my list?
It's not "Out of the Danger Zone".
It's not "Rock Solid".
It's not any of their radio hits like "Destined to Win" or "Casual Christian".
It's not any of their other rock anthems like "Every Moment".
I chose a song with a message that was timeless. A song whose music felt both haunting and heartfelt. A song that featured amazingly subdued, yet effective, keyboard work from Eddie DeGarmo, and an emotive, powerfully moving vocal performance from Dana Key.
At #2 - "Brother Against Brother (It's Not Right)".
I don't care for parenthetical titles, but I'm making an exception for this one.
I never quite knew what the impetus for this song was, or exactly who the song was directed at. I couldn't tell if it was about racial division in the Church, or a plea to other Christians to not get bogged down in issues of theology when Jesus is the common bond between us, or something else. And honestly, I'm not sure I care which one it is.
This song hits an emotional note that's hard for some songs to capture. As I think about today's political climate, the state of affairs across the Church at large, and the spirit of division threatening believers throughout the United States and around the world, I can't help but think that this song is just as poignant today as it was in 1987.
This song is a bit of a slow burn from the get-go, with a simple, percussive guitar riff opening into an alternately ascending/descending melody line before the verse comes in. And as much as I complained before about mediocrity in lyricism, I have to admit that the song's simplicity in its lyrics is actually a strength, not a weakness.
Will you listen to my plea
And we can lose our prejudice
There's no time to disagree
There's a world that's losing hope
While we fight among ourselves
While we flirt with destiny
It takes a little bit of understanding
I'm not just like you
A brother don't judge a brother
Can't we agree that's true?
Dana Key's vocals on this cut sound like they come from the gut. His scorching, repetitive refrain of "You know it's not right" cuts straight to the listener's heart, communicated with such urgency and need that one can't help but be moved.
I can't say much more about the song that the song can't say for itself. One of the band's deep cuts, probably known only by those who owned or listened to the album (the YouTube video has less than 700 views as of this writing), "Brother Against Brother (It's Not Right)" stands apart from nearly everything in the band's catalog as insistent, timeless, and powerful. As such, it sits at #2 on my list of the top CCM songs of the 1980s.
Previous entries in this series:
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
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #16
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #15
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #14
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - Honorable Mention
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #13
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #12
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #11
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #10
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #9
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #8
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #7
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #6
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #5
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #4
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #3
There Is No Box.
Zach
Great song. I had a cassette version of this album and above the lyrics for ‘Brother’ was a line which had been retrospectively blacked out but was still visible. It said ‘written to Jimmy Swaggart’ who I believe had been very critical of the band before his high profile fall from grace.
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