Song of the Week - Mighty to Save - Hillsong

Yesterday's review of the new Michael W. Smith album got me thinking about this song. I said that this was one of the best congregational songs of the last couple years, and I meant that. This song is so versitile - it can be played in a variety of ways and still hit home.

The title is based on one of my favorite verses, Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is in your midst, He is Mighty to Save,
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will quiet you with His love
He will rejoice over you with singing.



The song was written in the year prior to the release of Hillsong's record of the same name in 2006, by Marty Sampson and Ben Fielding. I was also on Hillsong United's The I Heart Revolution live CD earlier this year.

The song starts with the now familiar arpeggio - A, B, C#, typically played with heavy delay. (Nigel Hendroff actually uses two separate delays.) This goes over the basic chord structure of the verses - D, A, F#m, E.

Everyone needs compassion, love that's never failing
let mercy fall on me.
Everyone needs forgiveness, the kind that's of a savoir
The hope of nations.

The song steps up in power in the chorus.

Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save, he is mighty to save...

My favorite part of the song is the bridge, which flows with unbridled joy:

Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing, for the glory of the risen king.

Instead of the usual performance video, here is an interesting video by the band, showing how the song is built.