Speechless
Encyclopedia
Speechless is the ninth studio album from Christian
singer Steven Curtis Chapman
. It was released on June 15, 1999, by Sparrow Records
.
It has been certified Platinum
as of November 27, 2000, by the RIAA. Chapman received the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
and Dove Awards
for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year (for "Dive").
The album also charted more #1 hits (seven) on Christian contemporary radio than any other of Chapman's albums: "The Change," "Fingerprints of God," "The Invitation," "Great Expectations," "Be Still And Know," "Dive," and the title song. The album is considered one of Chapman's greater works by many, and is recognized by many as being one of the best Christian albums of all time.
The concert tour in support of "Speechless" featured longtime friend and co-writer Geoff Moore
.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
singer Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist.After starting his career in the late 1980s as a singer/songwriter of contemporary Christian music, Chapman has since been recognized as one of the most prolific singers in the genre,...
. It was released on June 15, 1999, by Sparrow Records
Sparrow Records
-Background:Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then A&R director at Myrrh Records. Purchased by EMI in 1992, it is now part of the EMI Christian Music Group, and has been named by Billboard Magazine as "America's Best Christian Music Record Label"...
.
It has been certified Platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
as of November 27, 2000, by the RIAA. Chapman received the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
The Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album was awarded from 1991 to 2011. From 1991 to 1993 it was awarded as Best Pop Gospel Album.The award will be discontinued from 2012 in a major overhaul of Grammy categories...
and Dove Awards
GMA Music Awards
The Gospel Music Association Dove Awards are presented annually by the Gospel Music Association for outstanding achievements in the Christian music industry. The awards are usually presented during a ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee, that features performances by a number of the industry's newest...
for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year (for "Dive").
The album also charted more #1 hits (seven) on Christian contemporary radio than any other of Chapman's albums: "The Change," "Fingerprints of God," "The Invitation," "Great Expectations," "Be Still And Know," "Dive," and the title song. The album is considered one of Chapman's greater works by many, and is recognized by many as being one of the best Christian albums of all time.
The concert tour in support of "Speechless" featured longtime friend and co-writer Geoff Moore
Geoff Moore
In 1988, Geoff Moore and the Distance released their first official album together, entitled A Place to Stand. They also recorded Foundations in 1989 for Sparrow Records. After a while, they jumped to Forefront Records and recorded Pure and Simple in 1990.They followed in 1992 with A Friend Like U...
.
Track listing
All songs written by Chapman, except where noted.- "DiveDive (Steven Curtis Chapman song)"Dive" is a song by Contemporary Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman, released as the second single from his 1999 album Speechless. It was enormously popular on Christian radio, reaching no. 1 on many Christian charts. It is widely considered one of the greatest CCM hits of all time...
" – 3:57 - "Speechless"(Chapman, Geoff MooreGeoff MooreIn 1988, Geoff Moore and the Distance released their first official album together, entitled A Place to Stand. They also recorded Foundations in 1989 for Sparrow Records. After a while, they jumped to Forefront Records and recorded Pure and Simple in 1990.They followed in 1992 with A Friend Like U...
) – 5:06 - "The Change"(Chapman, Elliot) – 3:46
- "Great Expectations" – 5:02
- "Next 5 Minutes"(Adam Anders, Chapman) – 4:19
- "Fingerprints of God" – 4:02
- "The Invitation"(Chapman, Moore) – 4:57
- "Whatever" – 4:01
- "I Do Believe" – 4:01
- "What I Really Want to Say" – 4:22
- "With Hope" – 5:12
- "The Journey"(Chapman, J.A.C. Redford) – 3:05
- "Be Still and Know" – 3:19
Track Information
- Chapman dedicated the song "Fingerprints of God" to his daughter Emily who, at the time had turned 13.
- The song "With Hope" was written for a family, the Mullicans (friends of the Chapmans), who lost a child. It was later sung in honor of the victims of the Heath High School shootingHeath High School shootingThe Heath High School shooting occurred at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky, United States, on Monday, December 1, 1997. Fourteen-year-old Michael Carneal opened fire on a group of praying students, killing three and injuring five more....
. The school where the shooting occurred in Paducah, KentuckyPaducah, KentuckyPaducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
was Chapman's alma materAlma materAlma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
. - The song "What I Really Want to Say" is dedicated to Chapman's wife, Mary Beth.
Musicians
- Steven Curtis ChapmanSteven Curtis ChapmanSteven Curtis Chapman is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist.After starting his career in the late 1980s as a singer/songwriter of contemporary Christian music, Chapman has since been recognized as one of the most prolific singers in the genre,...
- electric and acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, dobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
, track arrangement, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, "Papoose" guitar - Randy Pearce - electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Adam Anders - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, programming, track arrangement - Will Denton - drums and drum loops
- Shane Keister - pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Hardy Hemphill - piano on "With Hope"
- Scott Sheriff - B-3 organ on "Fingerprints of God"
- Eric Darken - percussion
- The London Session Orchestra - orchestra
- Gavyn Wright - concertmaster
- J.A.C. Redford - orchestral arrangement
- Carl Marsh - orchestral arrangement on "What I Really Want to Say"
Recording and Producing
- Brown BannisterBrown BannisterBrown Bannister is a CCM producer and songwriter. Bannister released one album of his own, Talk to One Another, in 1981 on NewPax Records. It was reissued on the Reunion Records Label five years later, featuring a newer recording of the album's final cut, "Create In Me A Clean Heart"...
and Steven Curtis Chapman - Producers - Peter York and Dan Raines - Executive Producers
- Traci Sterling Bishir - Production Manager
- Bill Baumgart - A&R Coordinator
- Recorded and Mixed by Steve Bishir at Sound Kitchen (Franklin, TennesseeFranklin, TennesseeFranklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 62,487 as of the 2010 census Franklin is located approximately south of downtown Nashville.-History:...
) - Assisted by Hank Nirider, Jedd Hackett and Melissa Mattoy
- Hank Nirider - Mix Assistant
- Aaron Swihart, Hank Nirider, Shane Wilson, Gary Paczosa, jb, Patrick Kelly - Additional Engineering
- Orchestra Recorded by Mark Tucker at Abbey Road Studio (LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) - Assisted by Andrew Dudman
- Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound (New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
)