Remembering Rich Mullins

Hi, everyone.  Today we have a guest post from my husband, “Mr. Red”:

Monday marks the 14th anniversary of the death of Christian singer-songwriter Rich Mullins, who died in a car accident at the age of 41.  In his honor, I’d like to share some thoughts on Rich’s music.  I hope this post will motivate some of you to give Rich’s music a fresh listen, and share his music with your children.  In my experience, kids love Rich’s music, and the lyrics can spark great conversations.

I know what many of you are thinking:  “Rich Mullins?  Seriously?!?  Awesome God is so cheesy!  Besides, I can’t stand contemporary Christian music.”

Yes, I know that, despite good intentions, most contemporary Christian music is simply unbearable.  And yes, Rich is no Pavarotti with his singing voice.  And yes, there’s definitely some hokey synthesizers and other special effects going on in some of Rich’s songs.  But that’s no excuse for dismissing Rich’s entire body of work.

First, as far as contemporary Christian music goes, Rich is as good as it gets.  Second, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Tom Petty aren’t exactly the Three Tenors either.  And before you write Rich off for some cheesy synthesizers, remember that 5 of his 11 studio albums were released during the 1980s.  Don’t fault the man for coming of age in such a musically troubled time!  I made this mistake originally.  But when I finally paused to really listen, I heard music that at its core was simply beautiful.  And I haven’t stopped listening since.

Rich explores many different themes in his music.  I’ll focus this brief post on one theme that finds its way into many of his songs – that of death and the yearning for heaven.  There’s something compelling about a guy that can say “Thy Kingdom Come!” and really mean it.

You can hear this theme in one of his first big hits, If I Stand (video, lyrics), whose chorus ends with the plea:

There’s a lot of imagery here, and you’ll need to listen to the entire song to get a full appreciation.  But you can sense from the thunder and the impending rain that, like the wise virgins, he is staying awake, anticipating the hour when his thirst will be quenched, while creation groans for the birth of a new world.And then there’s Land of My Sojourn (video, lyrics), a beautiful song from probably my favorite Rich Mullins album, A Liturgy, A Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band.  In this song he talks about the freedom that still eludes men in this land of sojourn.

And from his last studio album, Brother’s Keeper, there’s Cry the Name (video, lyrics), where we are reminded of the Lord’s coming like a thief in the night:

But don’t take my word for it.  Listen to the music and read the lyrics.If you want to buy some albums to get started, I recommend his first greatest hits album and his last few studio albums, namely:

• Songs – his greatest hits (note that I don’t strongly recommend Songs 2, a second greatest hits album)
• A Liturgy, a Legacy, & a Ragamuffin Band (1993) – beautiful album from start to finish with the exceptions of Hard and How to Grow Up.
• Brother’s Keeper (1995) – his last studio album, includes the popular Let Mercy Lead and the aforementioned Cry the Name
• Canticle of the Plains (1997) – a musical based on the life of St. Francis of Assisi and set in the Old West (note that Rich wrote the music for this album but did not sing on any of the tracks)

Those of you unfamiliar with Rich may be curious about his theology.  Rich was raised a Quaker.  His theology as an adult was Evangelical, though more and more Catholic during the later years of his life. For a time, Rich lived on a Navajo reservation and frequently attended daily Mass.  He also attended RCIA classes and seriously considered being received into the Church.  While Rich never formally converted, rest assured that his songs are definitely influenced by the deposit of faith.

And for those of you who think praise songs like Awesome God are cheesy, you have to admit that they’re pretty cute coming from a 3 year old: