| "Joyful, Joyful" | |
|---|---|
| Song byCasting Crowns | |
| from the albumUntil the Whole World Hears | |
| Studio | |
| Genre | CCM,alternative CCM |
| Length | 4:28 |
| Label | Beach Street |
| Songwriters | Mark Hall, Bernie Herms |
| Producer | Mark A. Miller |
"Joyful, Joyful" is a song bycontemporary Christian music bandCasting Crowns from their fourth studio albumUntil the Whole World Hears (2009). Written byMark Hall and Bernie Herms and produced by Mark A. Miller, the song is a re-interpretation of the hymn "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" andLudwig van Beethoven'sSymphony No. 9. "Joyful, Joyful", aCCM andalternative CCM song, is driven by astring section that has been compared toColdplay's song "Viva la Vida". It received positive reviews from music critics and received airplay over the 2010 Christmas season, peaking at number three on theBillboardHot Christian Songs chart.
"Joyful, Joyful", is a rearrangement of the hymn "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" (itself a re-arrangement of a theme fromBeethoven).[1] Hall felt that there are many Christian songs that have been around and sung so long that the meaning behind them is lost; he commented that "you hear them so many times you don't really hear what they're saying anymore", listing the original version of "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" as an example.[1]
Although the song is a re-interpretation of "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee", Mark Hall and Bernie Herms are credited with writing the song.[2] It was produced by Mark A. Miller andrecorded by Sam Hewitt, Michael Hewitt, and Dale Oliver at Zoo Studio inFranklin, Tennessee; the string instrument tracks were recorded by John Painter and Leslie Richter atOcean Way inNashville, Tennessee. Digital editing was handled by Michael Hewitt, whilemixing was handled by Sam Hewitt. The song wasmastered by Andrew Mendelson, Shelly Anderson, Natthaphol Abhigantaphand and Daniel Bacigalupi at Georgetown Masters in Nashville.[2]
"Joyful, Joyful" is a song with a length of four minutes and twenty-eight seconds.[3] According to the sheet music published by Musicnotes.com, "Joyful, Joyful" is aCCM andalternative CCM set incommon time in thekey ofF major with atempo of 120beats per minute. Mark Hall'svocal range in the song spans from the low note ofB♭3 to the high note ofF5.[4] The song has regarded as a re-invention of "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee"[5] and Beethoven'sSymphony No. 9,[6] the song alters the format of the former, rearranging the song's overall structure while adding a chorus.[5] "Joyful, Joyful" is led by a "driving"[6] and "pulsing"[7]string section that has been compared toColdplay's "Viva la Vida".[7][8] Mark Hall felt that the band's arrangement brought out the message of one of the song's final verses ("God our Father/Christ our brother/all who live in love are thine/teach us how to love each other/and fill us to the joy divine"); Hall described the message by saying "God's our father and Christ's our brother, we have this connection with God. But if we can't love each other, the joy isn't completed. Its not real joy yet until we know how to love the people that are around us".[1]
"Joyful, Joyful" received positive reviews from music critics. Andrew Greer ofCCM Magazine praised the song as a "fitting ode" to Beethoven'sSymphony No. 9.[6] Roger Ham ofChristianity Today praised it as one of the best songs off ofUntil the Whole World Hears.[7] Tony Cummings ofCross Rhythms praised the song as having "the same kind of string arrangement which made Coldplay's 'Viva La Vida' so enjoyable".[8] Debra Akins ofGospel Music Channel regarded the song as a highlight of the album.[9] Roger Gelwicks of Jesus Freak Hideout, while describing the song as "interesting", felt that it wasn't much of an improvement over the rest of the album.[5]
"Joyful, Joyful" received airplay over the 2010 Christmas season, debuting at number forty-two on theBillboardHot Christian Songs chart for the chart week of December 11, 2010.[10] In its fifth week on the chart, the chart week of January 8, 2011, it reached its peak position of number three.[11]
Credits adapted from the album liner notes forUntil the Whole World Hears.[2]
Recording
Casting Crowns
| Production
|
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| BillboardHot Christian Songs[11] | 3 |
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