| "Lift Up Your Face" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byThird Day featuringThe Blind Boys of Alabama | ||||
| from the albumMove | ||||
| Released | July 11, 2010 (2010-07-11) | |||
| Studio | The Quarry(Kennesaw, GA) The Smokestack(Nashville, TN) | |||
| Genre | Southern rock | |||
| Length | 4:26 | |||
| Label | Essential | |||
| Songwriter | Mac Powell | |||
| Producer | Paul Moak | |||
| Third Day singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Lift Up Your Face" is a song recorded by theChristian rock bandThird Day and featuring vocals fromThe Blind Boys of Alabama. Written byMac Powell and composed by Third Day,Bo Rinehart, andBear Rinehart, it was released to Christian AC and CHR radio on July 11, 2010 as thelead single from Third Day's 2010 studio albumMove. "Lift Up Your Face" is asouthern rock song with influences fromblues andgospel, possessing a shadowy and edgy sound accompanied bydistorted guitars. Dark and soulful vocals are also present, while the lyrics convey a message of encouragement and hope.
Since its release, "Lift Up Your Face" has been performed live in concert by Third Day on the Make Your Move Tour and the Make a Difference Tour, as well as atRock the Universe 2011. It received a positive response from critics, some of whom praised the vocals of The Blind Boys of Alabama, and was nominated for theDove Award for Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year at the42nd GMA Dove Awards. "Lift Up Your Face" peaked at No. 12 on theBillboardHot Christian Songs chart, No. 8 on theBillboardHot Christian AC chart, and No. 2 on theBillboard Christian CHR chart.
"Lift Up Your Face" was written byMac Powell; Third Day composed the music to "Lift Up Your Face" with Bo and Bear Rinehard ofNeedtobreathe.[1] Third Day's bassist Tai Anderson recalls that "We got together in their home studio and had ajam session that went with Mac's idea of a song based on the idea of 'lift up your head' from thePsalms... By working with another 'southern' rock band from South Carolina, we got to show our Georgia roots musically with a "gospel" sound";[2] he further noted that "the big message of the song is 'salvation is calling'".[2] It was recorded at The Quarry inKennesaw, Georgia and The Smokestack inNashville, Tennessee.[1]
"Lift Up Your Face" is asouthern rock song with a length of four minutes and twenty-six seconds.[3][4] It is set incommon time in thekey ofE minor and has atempo of 88beats per minute, with avocal range spanning from D4-G5.[5] The lyrics to the song portray a hopeful message[6] of salvation and encouragement.[2][7] Lead vocalist Mac Powell commented that "The country is going through hard times, and there are doubts and insecurity. The message of 'Lift Up Your Face' is [Third Day's] message of encouragement – not just to listeners though – to us as well. It's a message we all need to hear".[2]
"Lift Up Your Face" opens with an "atmospheric"[7] intro led by "haunting"[8] vocals sung byThe Blind Boys of Alabama; this intro is then "blown away" asdistorted guitars enter,[7][8] followed by a mid-tempo chorus.[8] In the second verse, vocalist Mac Powell shifts intofalsetto vocals;[9] elsewhere in the song, Powell's vocals are "soulful" and "dark".[6] As a whole, the song has a "shadowy"[6] and "edgy"[10] feel which contrasts with its hopeful message.[6] "Lift Up Your Face" also features influences fromblues andgospel music.[6]
"Lift Up Your Face" received mostly positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised the vocals ofThe Blind Boys of Alabama.[6][7][8][10][11][12] C. E'Jon Moore of The Christian Manifesto praised "Lift Up Your Face", saying "[the song] gets you out of your seat and sticks with you long after the last note has faded".[8] In his review ofMove, Glenn McCarty ofCrosswalk.com regarded "Lift Up Your Face" as an exception to a "ho-hum affair"[9] of an album and regarded the song as a "classicThird Day rocker in the vein of 'Consuming Fire'".[9] John DiBiase of Jesus Freak Hideout regarded the song as "edgy"[10] and the praised the vocal support from The Blind Boys of Alabama.[10]Brian Mansfield ofUSA Today listed the song as a download pick fromMove.[13] Andrew Greer ofChristianity Today regarded the song as a "fiery collaboration with music's legendary Blind Boys of Alabama"[12] and "a hearty charge to look heavenward for lasting hope".[12]Lindsay Williams ofGospel Music Channel said the song gives "a glimpse of the grittiness of ['Move']",[11] but argued "there are stronger songs [on the album] that would have made for better 'out of the box' singles".[11]
At the42nd GMA Dove Awards, "Lift Up Your Face" was nominated for the Dove Award for Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year.[14]
OnBillboard magazine'sHot Christian Songs chart, "Lift Up Your Face" debuted at No. 39 for the chart week of August 7, 2010.[15] It advanced to No. 30 in its second chart week[16] and to No. 17 in its third.[17] It spent a total of twenty weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 12.[18] It also peaked at No. 8 on theBillboardHot Christian AC chart,[19] spending a total of twenty-two weeks on that chart,[20] and at No. 2 on theBillboard Christian CHR chart,[21] which it spent twenty-one weeks on.[20] "Lift Up Your Face" was ranked byBillboard on their 2010 year-end charts at No. 32 on the Hot Christian Songs chart, No. 27 on the Hot Christian AC chart, and No. 28 on the Christian CHR chart.[22][23][24]
Since its release,Third Day has performed "Lift Up Your Face" in concert. AtRock the Universe 2011, Third Day performed "Lift Up Your Face" as the first song in their setlist.[25] They also performed the song as the opener at a concert inJoplin, Missouri on March 20, 2011; Third Day later released this live recording as a digital download along with the rest of the concert, with proceeds going to relief for thedevastating tornado that struck Joplin on May 22, 2011.[26] At a concert as part of their Make Your Move Tour inWilkes Barre, Pennsylvania on November 6, 2011, Third Day performed the song after returning to the stage from an earlier acoustic set.[27] At the opening night of the Make a Difference Tour, Third Day performed the song as part of their setlist.[28]
Credits adapted from the album liner notes of the 'Deluxe Edition' ofMove.[1]
Third Day
Additional musicians
| Production
|
Weekly
| Year-end
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| Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|
| July 11, 2010 | Christian AC radio[30] | Essential |
| Christian CHR radio[31] | ||
| August 23, 2010 | Digital download[3][4] |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)