Here with Me (MercyMe song)

"Here With Me"
Single by MercyMe
from the album Undone
Released April 2004
Format CD single, digital download
Recorded 2004 at various locations
Genre Contemporary Christian, pop, rock
Length 4:09
Label INO/Curb
Writer(s) MercyMe, Dan Muckala, Brad Russell, Peter Kipley
Producer(s) Kipley
MercyMe singles chronology
"The Change Inside Of Me"
(2003)		 "Here with Me"
(2004)		 "Homesick"
(2004)

"Here with Me" is a song by Christian rock band MercyMe. Written and composed by the band, as well as Peter Kipely, Dan Muckala and Brad Russell, "Here with Me" is a ballad with a musical vibe influenced by worship, pop and rock music; the overall sound has been compared to that of alternative rock band Coldplay. "Here with Me" lyrically discusses the omnipotence of God.

Released as the lead single from MercyMe's 2004 album Undone, "Here with Me" attained positive critical reception and peaked at No. 1 on multiple Christian radio chart formats; it also peaked inside the top 40 on several mainstream radio formats. It ranked at No. 16 on the 2000s decade-end Hot Christian Songs and Hot Christian AC charts.

Background and production

"Here with Me" was written and composed by MercyMe, Dan Muckala, Brad Russell, and Peter Kipley.[1] It was recorded at several locations: Blueberry Hill, Sound Stage, Abbey Road Studios, The Indigo Room, Maximedia, Luminous Sound, and The Schwoodio.[1] Recording was handled by F. Reid Shippen, Mike O'Connor, and Steve Bishir; the strings on the song were arranged by Rob Mathes and recorded by Simon Rhodes at Abbey Road Studios.[1] "Here with Me" was mixed by Shippen and produced by Kipley, while the mastering for the song was handled by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound.[1]

Composition
Here with Me
An audio sample of the first chorus from "Here with Me", which demonstrates a rock and pop sound similar to Coldplay.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Here with Me" is a ballad[2] with a length of four minutes and nine seconds.[3] It is set in common time in the key of B major, with a moderate tempo of eighty-four beats per minute and a vocal range spanning from B3-F♯5.[4] Musically, "Here with Me" has been compared to the musical vibe of Coldplay[5][6] and Robbie Williams.[3] The song is piano-driven,[2] with influences from pop,[3] rock,[6] and worship.[5][6] It features a musical crescendo that has been described as similar to "I Can Only Imagine".[2] The lyrical content of the song has been described as having a devotional bent,[3] and conveys a theme of God's omnipotence and holiness.[2] "Here with Me" also attempts to comprehend the mystery of God's love.[7]

Reception

Critical reception

"Here with Me" received generally positive reviews from critics. Johnny Joftus of Allmusic commented that "the lush "Here With Me" might be a Robbie Williams pop gem were it not for its devotional bent".[3] David McCreary of CCM Magazine opined on his review of Undone that "One surefire hit is “Here With Me,” the album’s first single ... A captivating piano-driven ballad, the song vividly conveys the wonder of God’s omnipresence and holiness and features a rousing crescendo rivaling that of “Imagine".[2] Russ Breimeier of Christianity Today International commented that the song was "worshipful",[7] also opining that it "struggle[s] with comprehending the mystery and enormity of God's love".[7]

Chart performance

"Here with Me" debuted at No. 40 on the Hot Christian Songs chart for the week of April 3, 2004.[8][9] The song advanced to No. 10 in its sixth chart week,[9][10] and to No. 5 in its eight chart week, holding that spot for three consecutive weeks.[9][11] In its sixteenth chart week, "Here with Me" advanced to its peak of No. 1,[9][12] holding that spot for eleven consecutive weeks.[9] It dropped to No. 2 in its twenty-seventh chart week,[9][13] holding that spot for two weeks before returning to No. 1 for two more weeks.[9] "Here with Me" dropped to No. 3 in its thirty-first chart week,[9][14] and spent a further eight weeks on the chart before dropping out.[9] In all, "Here with Me" spent thirty-nine weeks on the Hot Christian Songs chart, thirteen of them at No. 1.[9] On the Adult Contemporary chart, "Here with Me" debuted at No. 24 for the chart week of May 15, 2004.[9][15] "Here with Me" advanced to No. 19 in its sixth chart week, holding that spot for three consecutive weeks.[9] In its nineteenth chart week, it advanced to its peak of No. 12, and spent a further seven weeks on the chart before dropping out.[9] In all, "Here with Me" spent twenty-six weeks on the Adult Contemporary chart.[9]

On the Adult Top 40 chart, "Here with Me" debuted at No. 38 for the chart week of August 28, 2004.[9] It spent an additional week on the chart before dropping out, after having spent two weeks on the chart.[9] "Here with Me" also peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Christian AC chart (spending ten weeks at No. 1),[16] the Radio & Records Christian AC chart (spending seven weeks at No. 1),[16] and the Radio & Records Inspo chart (spending five weeks at No. 1),[16] as well as peaking at No. 2 on the Radio & Records Christian CHR chart.[16] "Here with Me" ranked at No. 4 on the 2004 year-end Hot Christian Singles and Tracks Titles[17] and Hot Christian Adult Contemporary Titles charts,[18] as well as at No. 19 on the year-end Adult Contemporary Singles and Tracks chart.[19] Additionally, it ranked at No. 16 on both the 2000s decade-end Hot Christian Songs[20] and Hot Christian AC charts.[21]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2004) Peak
Position
US Billboard Hot Christian Songs[22] 1
US Billboard Hot Christian AC[16] 1
US Radio & Records Christian AC[16] 1
US Radio & Records INSPO[16] 1
US Radio & Records Christian CHR[16] 2
US Billboard Adult Contemporary[22] 12
US Billboard Adult Top 40[22] 38

Year-end charts

Chart (2004) Position
US Billboard Hot Christian Singles and Tracks Titles[17] 4
US Billboard Hot Christian Adult Contemporary Titles[18] 4
US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Singles and Tracks[19] 19

Decade-end charts

Chart (2000s) Position
Billboard Hot Christian Songs[20] 16
Billboard Hot Christian AC[21] 16

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Undone (Media notes). MercyMe. INO Records. 2004. p. 7.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 McCreary, David (23 June 2004). ""Little Band That Could" Has Come into Its Own on "Undone"". CCM Magazine. Crosswalk.com. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Loftus, Johnny. "Undone – MercyMe". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  4. ↑ "Here With Me Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Simpleville Music. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jenison, David. "A Severe Mercy". Today's Christian Music. CCM Magazine. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Nentwig, Wendy Lee (20 May 2004). "Meet & Greet: MercyMe". Crosswalk.com. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Breimeier, Russ. "Undone, Christian Music Reviews". Christianity Today International. The Fish. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  8. ↑ "Christian Songs Archive (3 April 2004)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 9.14 9.15 "Here With Me – MercyMe (Billboard)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  10. ↑ "Christian Songs Archive (8 May 2004)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  11. ↑ "Christian Songs Archive (22 May 2004)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  12. ↑ "Christian Songs Archive (17 July 2004)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  13. ↑ "Christian Songs Archive (2 October 2004)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  14. ↑ "Christian Songs Archive (30 October 2004)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  15. ↑ "Adult Contemporary Archive (15 May 2004)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 "Billboard Charted Singles" (PDF). Mikecurb.com. Curb Records. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Hot Christian Singles and Tracks Titles Year-end (2004)". Billboard.biz. Billboard. 25 December 2004. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Hot Christian Adult Contemporary Titles Year-end (2004)". Billboard.biz. Billboard. 25 December 2004. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Hot Adult Contemporary Year-end (2004)". Billboard.biz. Billboard. 25 December 2004. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Hot Christian Songs (Decade-end)". Billboard.biz. Billboard. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Hot Christian AC (Decade-end)". Billboard.biz. Billboard. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 "Here With Me – MercyMe". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 24 August 2011.