Move (MercyMe song)
Encyclopedia
"Move" is a song by contemporary Christian
/Christian rock
band MercyMe
. Written by MercyMe and Dan Muckala, "Move" is a dance-rock
song with a sound similar to that of Maroon 5
, particularly their songs "Maroon 5" and "Makes Me Wonder
". The lyrical content of the song revolves around perseverance through tough times.
Released on May 23, 2011 as the third single from MercyMe's 2010 album The Generous Mr. Lovewell
, "Move" attained success on Christian radio, peaking at No. 1 on Billboard magazine's Christian Songs, Hot Christian AC, and Christian AC Indicator charts, as well as No. 6 on the Christian CHR chart and No. 20 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
chart.
song with a length of two minutes and fifty-eight seconds. It is set in the key of A minor
and has a tempo
of 100 beats per minute, with a vocal range spanning from G4-G5.
The song's musical feel has been compared to that of Maroon 5
, particularly their songs "This Love" and "Makes Me Wonder
". Lyrically, the song is about perseverance through adversity, with the narrator singing that he will “move to a different drum no matter what life brings". The song does not directly mention God
.
described "Move" as "an upbeat rocker complete with an infectious handclap beat". Andy Argyrakis of Today's Christian Music
called the song "foot stomping", and Kevin Davis of Christian Music Review commented that the song "has a fantastic rock-dance arrangement like “This Love” by Maroon 5. Tris McCall of The Star-Ledger
was much more negative in his review, commenting that the song "sounds so much like Maroon 5 that it’s almost embarrassing" and that "In a music industry governed by sanity, the two songwriters[ Adam Levine
of Maroon 5 and Bart Millard of MercyMe] would sing shoulder to shoulder and reach a common audience: so often, there’s no discernible difference between rock and pop, techno and hip-hop, mainstream and underground, Contemporary Christian and the Devil’s music".
chart for the chart week of May 28, 2011, and advanced to No. 30 in its second chart week. "Move" advanced to No. 20 in its fourth chart week, and to No. 9 in its tenth chart week. The song advanced to No. 5 in its twelfth chart week, and spent two more weeks on the chart before advancing to No. 1. As of the chart week of October 29, 2011, "Move" has spent nine weeks atop the Christian Songs chart.
"Move" has also peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Christian AC chart, No. 1 on the Christian AC Indicator chart, No. 6 on the Christian CHR chart, and No. 20 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100
chart.
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....
. Written by MercyMe and Dan Muckala, "Move" is a dance-rock
Dance-rock
Dance-rock is a post-disco movement connected with post-punk/no wave genres with fewer R&B/funk influences. An example of this "post-disco" is Gina X's "No G.D.M." and artists like Liquid Liquid, Polyrock, Dinosaur L, and Disco Not Disco [2000] compilation album...
song with a sound similar to that of Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
, particularly their songs "Maroon 5" and "Makes Me Wonder
Makes Me Wonder
"Makes Me Wonder" is the first single released from Maroon 5's second album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long . It premiered on the Las Vegas radio station Mix 94.1, and became an instant hit worldwide. Upon release, the song set a record for the biggest jump to number-one in the history of the...
". The lyrical content of the song revolves around perseverance through tough times.
Released on May 23, 2011 as the third 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...
, "Move" attained success on Christian radio, peaking at No. 1 on Billboard magazine's Christian Songs, Hot Christian AC, and Christian AC Indicator charts, as well as No. 6 on the Christian CHR chart and No. 20 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
chart.
Composition
"Move" is a dance-rockDance-rock
Dance-rock is a post-disco movement connected with post-punk/no wave genres with fewer R&B/funk influences. An example of this "post-disco" is Gina X's "No G.D.M." and artists like Liquid Liquid, Polyrock, Dinosaur L, and Disco Not Disco [2000] compilation album...
song with a length of two minutes and fifty-eight seconds. It is set in the key of A minor
A minor
A minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The harmonic minor scale raises the G to G...
and has a 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 100 beats per minute, with a vocal range spanning from G4-G5.
The song's musical feel has been compared to that of Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
, particularly their songs "This Love" and "Makes Me Wonder
Makes Me Wonder
"Makes Me Wonder" is the first single released from Maroon 5's second album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long . It premiered on the Las Vegas radio station Mix 94.1, and became an instant hit worldwide. Upon release, the song set a record for the biggest jump to number-one in the history of the...
". Lyrically, the song is about perseverance through adversity, with the narrator singing that he will “move to a different drum no matter what life brings". The song does not directly mention God
God in Christianity
In Christianity, God is the eternal being that created and preserves the universe. God is believed by most Christians to be immanent , while others believe the plan of redemption show he will be immanent later...
.
Critical reception
"Move" received generally positive reviews. Allmusic reviewer Jared Johnson called the song "as relevant as anything MercyMe have ever done". Roger Gelwicks of Jesus Freak HideoutJesus 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...
described "Move" as "an upbeat rocker complete with an infectious handclap beat". Andy Argyrakis of Today's Christian Music
Today'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....
called the song "foot stomping", and Kevin Davis of Christian Music Review commented that the song "has a fantastic rock-dance arrangement like “This Love” by Maroon 5. Tris McCall of The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
was much more negative in his review, commenting that the song "sounds so much like Maroon 5 that it’s almost embarrassing" and that "In a music industry governed by sanity, the two songwriters
Adam Levine
Adam Noah Levine is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.-Early life:...
of Maroon 5 and Bart Millard of MercyMe
Chart performance
"Move" debuted at No. 41 on the Hot Christian SongsHot Christian Songs
Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States....
chart for the chart week of May 28, 2011, and advanced to No. 30 in its second chart week. "Move" advanced to No. 20 in its fourth chart week, and to No. 9 in its tenth chart week. The song advanced to No. 5 in its twelfth chart week, and spent two more weeks on the chart before advancing to No. 1. As of the chart week of October 29, 2011, "Move" has spent nine weeks atop the Christian Songs chart.
"Move" has also peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Christian AC chart, No. 1 on the Christian AC Indicator chart, No. 6 on the Christian CHR chart, and No. 20 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
chart.
Music video
A music video was released for "Move". The video features the band performing the song in a live concert setting.Charts
| Charts | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Hot Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.... |
1 |
| Billboard Hot Christian AC | 1 |
| Billboard Christian AC Indicator | 1 |
| Billboard Christian CHR | 6 |
| Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100... |
20 |
External links
- The MercyMe "Move" music video on GodtubeGodtubeGodTube is an online video sharing platform which strives to have Christian content. It is owned by Salem Web Network, the Internet division of Salem Communications...
.com