“A good song is a good song is a good song.”
I heard Steve say that countless times. Steve is one of the best musicians with whom I have ever served, a professional musician who had toured and been a roadie. When Steve spoke about music, I listened.
When it came to what made a good song, he would repeat, “A good song is a good song is a good song.” He would explain that no matter what you took away from a song if it was truly a good song, the melody and lyrics could stand on their own. A good song should be able to communicate and move you with just a vocal, or just a guitar, or just a piano. A good song was only enhanced by adding all of the other flourishes of production and instrumentation.
On the other hand, a bad song was a song that only made sense with all of the flourishes of production and instrumentation.
I think about this concept often when I am choosing new music, and trying to determine if a particular song will work in my specific context. Is this song great because of the professional musicians who have recorded these parts? Is this a good song because of the emotion of being recorded in a stadium? Is this a good song because the production is creative, artistic, and compelling?
Or is this a good song because it is theologically rich, poetically written, and able to be sung acapella around a hospital bed as easily as with a full band, and full congregation?
There are many things to consider when choosing new songs for your local congregation. But a good song is a good song is a good song, and should always be able to stand on it’s own.