Beautiful (MercyMe song)
Encyclopedia
"Beautiful" is a song by Contemporary Christian
/Christian rock
band MercyMe
. The song's lyrics revolve around the love of God, and the song itself was written with the daughters of the band in mind.
Released on September 17, 2010 as the second single from MercyMe's 2010 album The Generous Mr. Lovewell
, "Beautiful" attained success on Christian radio, peaking at No. 1 on Billboard
magazine's Christian Songs, Christian AC Indicator, Christian AC Monitored, and Soft AC/Inspo charts.
targets our girls from a materialistic way
, telling them how to act and how to look, what to eat and not to eat", also commenting that "I try to tell my kids all the time that they are perfect and I know my daughters need to get their confidence in themselves from me. The way they want to be treated by men needs to come from me". However, Millard also noted a more broad theme, noting that "All of us have felt unlovable at some point. At times, I feel worthless. I have an argument with a friend, all that I’ve come to like about myself is suddenly falling apart. Who can love me if I don’t even like myself? It’s hard to drag ourselves out of this way of thinking. We are taught to live according to these expectations. We think we need approval and accomplishment to validate our lives. But what does God tell us? He says, “You’re beautiful. You are made for so much more than all of this.” He loves us, even in our failings".
and has a moderate tempo
of 69 beats per minute, with a vocal range spanning from D4-B5.
Lyrically, the song is about self-worth and the love of God, specifically aimed at young women and daughters.
commented on his review of The Generous Mr. Lovewell that "Of course, there's the token ballad or two, including "Beautiful" and "Won't You Be My Love," both of which are sure to further MercyMe's radio domination, while providing a soothing and tender touch to the plugged in periods". Kevin Davis of Christianmusic review opined that "Having three young daughters, I’m extremely moved by the passion behind the lyrics speaking of how the world says we are never good enough, yet Christ saw something beautiful in us worth dying for". Jesus Freak Hideout
reviewer Roger Gelwicks was less positive, commenting that the song (along with an album cut, "Free") "lack[s] anything to be held onto musically, and they do tend to drag on for too long and therefore bore the listener".
Christian Songs chart. The song advanced to No. 22 in its second chart week, and to No. 15 in its sixth chart week. The song advanced to No. 10 the next week, and spent four weeks at No. 9 (from weeks eight to eleven) before dropping back to No. 10 in its twelfth chart week. "Beautiful" dropped to No. 16 for the chart week of January 8, 2011 (its fifteenth week on the chart),, but advanced to No. 6 the following week and spent two consecutive weeks at that spot. Starting with the chart week of February 18, 2011, the song spent four consecutive weeks at No. 2 before advancing to No. 1 in its twenty-fifth chart week. "Beautiful" held the top spot for one week (the chart week of March 19, 2011) before dropping to No. 5. The song spent fourteen more weeks on the chart before dropping out, having spent a total of forty weeks on the Christian Songs chart.
"Beautiful" also peaked at No. 1 on the Christian AC Indicator, Christian AC Monitored, and Soft AC/INSPO charts.
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
/Christian rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
band MercyMe
MercyMe
MercyMe is an American Christian rock band founded in Greenville, Texas. The band consists of vocalist Bart Millard, keyboardist James Bryson, percussionist Robby Shaffer, bassist Nathan Cochran and guitarists Michael Scheuchzer and Barry Graul....
. The song's lyrics revolve around the love of God, and the song itself was written with the daughters of the band in mind.
Released on September 17, 2010 as the second single from MercyMe's 2010 album The Generous Mr. Lovewell
The Generous Mr. Lovewell
The Generous Mr. Lovewell is the seventh major label, full-length studio album from MercyMe. Released in May of 2010, the album is a concept record revolving around a fictional character, 'Mr. Lovewell', and the overall theme of love. Produced by Brown Bannister and Dan Muckala, the album met with...
, "Beautiful" attained success on Christian radio, peaking at No. 1 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine's Christian Songs, Christian AC Indicator, Christian AC Monitored, and Soft AC/Inspo charts.
Background
"Beautiful" was written for the daughters of MercyMe's band members. Lead singer Bart Millard, in an interview with Kevin Davis of New Release Tuesday, stated that "We [MercyMe] wrote the song with our daughters in mind. The band has 15 kids among all of us... SatanSatan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
targets our girls from a materialistic way
Economic materialism
Materialism is a mindset that views the consumption and acquisition of material goods as positive and desirable. It is often bound up with a value system which regards social status as being intrinsically linked to affluence as well as the perception that happiness can be increased through...
, telling them how to act and how to look, what to eat and not to eat", also commenting that "I try to tell my kids all the time that they are perfect and I know my daughters need to get their confidence in themselves from me. The way they want to be treated by men needs to come from me". However, Millard also noted a more broad theme, noting that "All of us have felt unlovable at some point. At times, I feel worthless. I have an argument with a friend, all that I’ve come to like about myself is suddenly falling apart. Who can love me if I don’t even like myself? It’s hard to drag ourselves out of this way of thinking. We are taught to live according to these expectations. We think we need approval and accomplishment to validate our lives. But what does God tell us? He says, “You’re beautiful. You are made for so much more than all of this.” He loves us, even in our failings".
Composition
"Beautiful" is a ballad with a length of four minutes and twenty-one seconds. It is set in the key of G majorG major
G major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp, F; in treble-clef key signatures, the sharp-symbol for F is usually placed on the first line from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first space from the bottom...
and has a moderate tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of 69 beats per minute, with a vocal range spanning from D4-B5.
Lyrically, the song is about self-worth and the love of God, specifically aimed at young women and daughters.
Critical response
Critical reception to "Beautiful" was generally mixed to positive. Andy Argyrakis of Today's Christian MusicToday's Christian Music
Today's Christian Music is a radio format programmed and produced by Salem Radio Networks. It targets the 25-54 adult Christian listener demographic. Today's Christian Music has a blend of Contemporary Christian music from artists such as Amy Grant, Steven Curtis Chapman, MercyMe, Delirious?,etc....
commented on his review of The Generous Mr. Lovewell that "Of course, there's the token ballad or two, including "Beautiful" and "Won't You Be My Love," both of which are sure to further MercyMe's radio domination, while providing a soothing and tender touch to the plugged in periods". Kevin Davis of Christianmusic review opined that "Having three young daughters, I’m extremely moved by the passion behind the lyrics speaking of how the world says we are never good enough, yet Christ saw something beautiful in us worth dying for". Jesus Freak Hideout
Jesus Freak Hideout
Jesus Freak Hideout is a Christian music website. The website specializes in reviewing, previewing, and selling Christian albums. The website is known for its album reviews, independent music, artist interviews, concert dates and ministry through devotionals and prayer...
reviewer Roger Gelwicks was less positive, commenting that the song (along with an album cut, "Free") "lack[s] anything to be held onto musically, and they do tend to drag on for too long and therefore bore the listener".
Chart performance
"Beautiful" debuted at No. 42 for the chart week of October 2, 2010 on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Christian Songs chart. The song advanced to No. 22 in its second chart week, and to No. 15 in its sixth chart week. The song advanced to No. 10 the next week, and spent four weeks at No. 9 (from weeks eight to eleven) before dropping back to No. 10 in its twelfth chart week. "Beautiful" dropped to No. 16 for the chart week of January 8, 2011 (its fifteenth week on the chart),, but advanced to No. 6 the following week and spent two consecutive weeks at that spot. Starting with the chart week of February 18, 2011, the song spent four consecutive weeks at No. 2 before advancing to No. 1 in its twenty-fifth chart week. "Beautiful" held the top spot for one week (the chart week of March 19, 2011) before dropping to No. 5. The song spent fourteen more weeks on the chart before dropping out, having spent a total of forty weeks on the Christian Songs chart.
"Beautiful" also peaked at No. 1 on the Christian AC Indicator, Christian AC Monitored, and Soft AC/INSPO charts.
Music video
A music video was released for "Beautiful". The video features the band performing the song in a live concert setting.Weekly charts
| Chart (2010-2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Christian Songs |
1 |
| Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Christian AC Indicator |
1 |
| Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Christian AC Monitored |
1 |
| Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Soft AC/Inspo |
1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.... |
45 |
Chart procession and succession
}}External links
- The MercyMe "Beautiful" music video on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.com