Here I Am to Worship (song)

"Here I Am to Worship" is a song written by Tim Hughes and was released as the title song of his debut album Here I Am to Worship. The song is a popular worship ballad. It is commonly sung at Christian churches, festivals and youth gatherings. The song was ranked #1 on the Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) two years in a row^[1] and is still ranked on their Top 25 Songs list.^[2]

Writing and inspiration

Tim Hughes wrote this song in 1999 as a response to how he felt after reading Philippians 2. The passage speaks about Christ's humility and how He willingly left His throne in heaven, came to earth as a man, and sacrificed Himself on the cross all because of His love for us. With this passage in mind, Tim picked up his guitar and, as he sang, the words to the song flowed out, but he was not satisfied with the chorus and felt that it did not flow well with the song. For several months, he struggled with the chorus and even put the song aside for about six months before finally finishing the song.^[3] However, he was still not confident in the chorus. It was not until he played this song at his home church Soul Survivor, and his pastor told him to play the song more often, that he realized the potential the song had. Since then, this song has spread and become widely known. Tim Hughes himself said. "No one has been more surprised than myself at seeing how God has used this worship song."^[4] The themes in the song are Life of Jesus, Thankfulness, and Worship.^[5]

Composition

"Here I Am to Worship" is a slow worship ballad with a length of five minutes and fifteen seconds. The song is set in common time and has a tempo of 75 beats per minute.^[6] It is written in the key E Major. The verses follow the chord progression E - B - F♯m - A - E - B - A, the chorus follows the progression E - B - C♯m - A, and the bridge follows the progression B - E - A.^[7] This song has been re-written in a different, modern version, by Chris Tomlin. He has kept the basic outline and lyrics, but has edited it to be more modern and up-to-date.

Versions

It has been covered by many other Contemporary Christian Music artists, including:^[8]

• Anthony Evans (The Bridge, 2008)
• Chris Tomlin (Passion: Our Love is Loud, 2002)
• Hillsong (Ultimate Worship, 2005)
• Israel & New Breed (Live From Another Level, 2004)
• Jeremy Camp (Empty Me, Vol. 1, 2004)
• John Tesh (Worship Collection: Awesome God, 2003)
• Lenny LeBlanc (Songs 4 Worship: Country, 2007)
• Lincoln Brewster (Let the Praises Ring, 2006)
• Michael Gungor (Bigger Than My Imagination, 2003)
• Javier E. Calix (Worship Again, 2002)
• Phillips, Craig, and Dean (Let Your Glory Fall, 2003)
• Plus One (WOW Worship: Red, 2004 and Exodus, 2003)
• Randy Travis (Glory Train: Songs of Faith, Worship, and Praise, 2005)
• Rebecca St. James (Live Worship: Blessed Be Your Name, 2004)
• Salvador (Worship Live, 2003)
• SONICFLOOd (Cry Holy, 2003)
• Terry MacAlmon (The Sound of Heaven, 2004)
• The O.C. Supertones (Faith of a Child, 2005)
• Marcela Gándara (Spanish cover: Vine a adorarte) (¡Digno es el Señor!, 2008)
• Hybrid 2808 (Worship God, 2014)

See also

• Here I Am to Worship (the album)
• Tim Hughes
• Soul Survivor
• Chris Tomlin

References