Here’s some footage (high quality…finally!) of a song I wrote called Greatly To Be Praised. This was taken from The Father’s House in Rochester, NY where I taught the song a few months back. Big thanks to Jeremy and the production team at TFH for this footage. So top-notch…and this was just from a Sunday a.m. service. You guys are so impressive!
Greatly To Be Praised has gone on to be my most popular tune. I get very encouraging messages from people all over the globe about how the song is working well in their churches and events. This song was birthed out of a time of free worship at my church one Sunday morning. I remember we were in the key of Bb (band hates that key, my vocal range loves that key…vocal range wins) and the phrase “Your name is greatly to be praised” came to mind. I sang it a few times out as a spontaneous line and things really took off. Long story short, I went home and for the next few weeks dug into Psalm 113 which that phrase is from.
I do remember that I struggled a lot with the verses. I definitely lean towards the lyrical side of writing vs. the melodic, and though good worship songs have a lot of repetition in them I don’t like to repeat lines alot (must be my English/History background). Anyways, after a lot of mental gymnastics I ended up keeping it simple. Not the best written song, but it’s definitely been the most effective. A friend recently encouraged me to try not to hold the worship songs I write to the same standards I’d hold to a more poetic genre of music. In the end, the purpose for a worship song is to help others worship God, so even if a lyric isn’t completely revelatory it can still work. Nevertheless I struggled with the verse lyrics ’til the day we recorded it live on the album In Our Day. I had a few variations on the lyrics and just went up there and sang whatever came out. It was the only way to snap out of my “paralysis by analysis”!
Hope you enjoy the video. If you want to hear the song as it was recorded, go to https://www.facebook.com/mikekimmusic to listen to it for free or you can purchase it on iTunes.You can download the chord chart on my “chords” page.
Your name is greatly to be praised
From the rising to the setting sun
With all creation I proclaim
Your great renown in all the earth
I will lift my voice to worship
I will lift my voice to praise You
You alone are God, You alone are good
Your name is greatly to be praised
Both now and forevermore
All of heaven stands amazed
At who You are and all You’ve done
You are great and greatly to be praised
You are great and greatly to be praised
You are great and greatly to be praised, my God
words & music by: Mike Kim | 2009 HP Productions