The Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #6

You know how, sometimes, when you hear that one song by that one band that you've never paid attention to before, and it just kind of hangs in your memory for years and years after you hear it? There are many songs like that I just can't remove from the wonderful-and-frustrating part of my brain that sling to lost melodies and fragments of words. 

Over the years, many songs have eluded me before Google made looking up lost songs much easier. Songs like "Shine a Little Love" by Electric Light Orchestra, "Mighty Rushing Wind" by Terry Talbot (an early entry on this countdown, by the way), and "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty were hard to find without having the wonderful internet to help us.

Servant

One song I could never find, but had absolutely no problem remembering from when I'd heard it on Christian radio, was "We Are the Light" by Servant.

This song was HUGE. It had a huge sound, a huge idea, and it spoke of a huge responsibility we have as Christians to carry the light of Jesus into the world around us. There was nothing subtle at work here, but it didn't feel heavy-handed, the way some of the Christian music of the day did.

That's the thing I remember most about when I finally picked up Light Maneuvers on vinyl (I couldn't find anyone with a cassette or CD of the album), and I took the time to listen to the whole thing. "We Are the Light" stands head and shoulders above everything else on the album, in both lyrical quality and musical composition. Everything in this song declares majesty and purpose, from the shimmering keyboard work in the chorus, to the layered harmonies in the vocals, to the repeated refrain that sounds like a battle cry. This song reached for the stratosphere, and it hit some amazing heights.

I think this song deserves such a high place on this list, though, because its musical accomplishments are carried by lyrics that don't shy away from purpose. This isn't just recitation of scriptural facts set to music; these are marching orders. This a mission statement, a calling to all who will answer it.

And so I dream of a day
When we feed all the men who are hungry
All those who hunger for God's Word
But I can't wait anymore
For He calls us to carry this message
To the world
We are the light
We are the light
We are the light of the world

I have to admit that I find some of Servant's music a bit annoying. Sandie Brock and Bob Hardy weren't the best vocalists on the planet, the music now seems dated, and many of the lyrics were full of Christian clichés that didn't seem to offer anything new. In spite of evidences of these kinds of shortcomings in many of their other songs, "We Are the Light" somehow avoids all those and rises above the din with perhaps one of the most urgently triumphant song of their entire catalog.

Heaven vies for those He died for
Those who haven't heard
We can't just let them die
Somehow we've got to try
If we believe that Jesus saves
We've got to pray His love will find a way

When you listen to this song, listen past the dated instrumentation, and you'll find a tune that was made to be a classic. The hand of God is all over this one, and it stands out as one of the best songs the CCM world had to offer in its entire history, not just 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

There Is No Box.
Zach