Michael W. Smith Talks About Why Worship Music is so Powerful
By Movieguide® Contributor
Michael W. Smith recently sat down with Kirk Cameron to talk about the power of music and the impact it can have on a person’s faith.
“I still think [music] is the most powerful universal language in the world,” Smith said. “It’s amazing how a three-and-a-half-minute song can completely change somebody’s life. The fact that I’ve been doing it for now four decades, I’m just so grateful. You get to see transformation, you get to see the music just completely impact people’s lives and for me, it doesn’t get any better than that.”
Maybe one of the reasons Smith’s songs are so impactful is because he lets them come to him. He never sits down and tries to craft the perfect song. Sometimes a heartbreaking event happens, and he sits down at the piano to express the feelings that words couldn’t. Other times, he is struck by God’s glory and again, he uses music to express himself. It’s only after he has a melody, that Smith tries to come up with words.
The authenticity that Smith’s songs come from is something that he tries to capture every time he sings. He hates when he is leading people in worship and they view him as a celebrity, and focus on him, rather than connecting with God and using his music as a vessel to do that.
“When you project [authenticity] then people can follow you,” he said. “My role is to change the atmosphere and to create a space where God meets people. And then, you never know what’s going to happen at that point, especially when there’s a shift in the atmosphere, you feel it, there’s a breakthrough; you just kinda sense it in your spirit. And then, sometimes I feel like I’m not in control, I’m not even hanging onto the reigns, this thing takes off, and it can literally wipe you out emotionally, and I’ve seen it happen not only here in America but all around the world.”
Smith believes that his songs are powerful because they remind listeners of who God is.
“I feel like [I] don’t need to tell very many people something new, because it’s already there,” Smith said. “I’m a pastor to all these people that come. I’m just reminding them what the book says, and really, that’s it.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Smith:
Grammy award-winning artist Michael W. Smith recently reflected on his music career following his Christmas tour and newest album, ‘Christmas at Home.’
Smith, 65, recently said that he never could have imagined still performing on stage.
“I remember when I finished my first album I thought, ‘Thank you God that I got to make a record.’ Not knowing that I would make 36,” he told Fox News in a recent interview.
Smith said that he hopes his music brings hope to families and fans across the country.
“People have lost loved ones. Isolation is not a good thing. What is it about music that soothes the soul?” he said. “I still think it’s the most powerful universal language in the world, and a three and a half minute song can… you just feel like they can walk out of here with a greater sense of hope. I think that’s what this music does for people.”
Smith originally got his start touring with Christian artist Amy Grant. To this day, Smith and Grant perform their songs on stage together.
“Our love for music was deep and we wrote some songs that I am really proud of if I can say that,” she said. “There is just a camaraderie there that you can’t manufacture. Our love for each other and our gifts, I have learned a lot from her. She might be the kindest woman that I have ever known in my life, other than my wife Debbie.”
“We are still making music together. If it’s working, why stop?” he added.
The multi-platinum artist also reflected on some of his favorite songs that he has written in his career.
“I write what I feel led to do. I am not twenty five anymore, I think it’s tempting you want to compete, but you just can’t go there,” he said. “Well, ‘All is Well’ is my favorite song that I’ve written. I think most people would want me to say ‘Friends.’ It might not be my favorite song, but I didn’t know I was gonna have to sing it for the rest of my entire life. It part of the fabric of people’s lives. You look out at the audience and go, ‘Oh my gosh, that was song at a funeral, that was song at a graduation’ the list goes on.”
Smith, who had a friendship with former President George W. Bush, said that he was intimate when the president asked him to write a song after the tragic events of 9/11.
“It all stemmed from a conversation I had with President Goerge W. Bush. I was with him six weeks after 9/11. I would go visit often, and I think he was processing, like all of us were, and he just looked at me and said, ‘You need to write a song about this,’” he said.
“I am sitting there going, ‘How do I do that?’ I remember saying, ‘I will try Mr. President.’ I remember walking out of the office hoping that he would never bring it up again,” he continued. “And then six months later, I am on my farm and I have a big American flag that flies out there, and I look up at the flag, the winds blowing, its a beautiful Spring day, and I had a meltdown. I started weeping thinking about all the heroes, all the people who died for my freedom.”
Shortly after, he wrote his song ‘There She Stands.’
“I am on this piece of dirt that I love, because somebody fought for this country. And all of sudden I started to write ‘There She Stands’ watching the flag,” he said.
Smith said that he believes that the longevity of his career is due to the lyrics of his songs.
“It would be different if people didn’t buy the records, and people didn’t continue to come to the shows, it all comes down to the song to me,” he said. “You can be a mediocre singer, which I would consider myself one of those, I am not Andrea Bocelli, but if you have the song and they sing the song for the rest of their lives, then I think you might have a chance of sticking around.”
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