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The sheep take
time to speak ...
dc talk
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THE TRIO: Kevin Max, Toby
McKeehan and Michael Tait
THE TRACKS: "Supernatural," fall 1998; "Welcome to the Freak
Show," 1997; "Jesus Freak" (Platinum), 1995; "Free
At Last" (Platinum), 1992; "Nu Thang" (Gold); and dc Talk, 1989.
THE VIDEOS: "My Friend (So Long)"; "Welcome to the
Freak Show" (long-form video, Gold); "Colored People"; "Just Between
You and Me"; "Jesus Freak"; "Narrow is the Road" (long-form
video, Gold); "The Hard Way"; "Jesus is Still Alright"; and
"Walls."
APPLAUSE: dc Talk’s Toby McKeehan alone received 11 Dove Award
nominations last month. The band was nominated for best group, artist, pop-contemporary
album, rock recorded song and short-form music video. They also received two other
nominations for their participation on the albums "Exodus" and "Ten."
In the past, dc Talk has brought home numerous Dove Awards and three Grammy Awards.
Kevin Max, Toby
McKeehan and Michael Tait
THE TRACKS: "Supernatural," fall 1998; "Welcome to the Freak
Show," 1997; "Jesus Freak" (Platinum), 1995; "Free
At Last" (Platinum), 1992; "Nu Thang" (Gold); and dc Talk, 1989.
THE VIDEOS: "My Friend (So Long)"; "Welcome to the
Freak Show" (long-form video, Gold); "Colored People"; "Just Between
You and Me"; "Jesus Freak"; "Narrow is the Road" (long-form
video, Gold); "The Hard Way"; "Jesus is Still Alright"; and
"Walls."
APPLAUSE: dc Talk’s Toby McKeehan alone received 11 Dove Award
nominations last month. The band was nominated for best group, artist, pop-contemporary
album, rock recorded song and short-form music video. They also received two other
nominations for their participation on the albums "Exodus" and "Ten."
In the past, dc Talk has brought home numerous Dove Awards and three Grammy Awards.
Kevin
Max on "Supernatural"
"It’s Killing Me"
"Basically, it’s pretty much about a relationship with somebody that
isn’t healthy and in some ways is dragging you down. I actually came up with that
hook to that song. I had written a song previously called "Killing Me" with a
different melody. Toby actually changed the melody of it. I wrote that song originally
with the thought of it being a messed up romantic relationship, but what it came to be
when the three of us started writing was really about relationships period, with people
that bring us down, and friendships with people that are going wayward. And instead of
going along with them having to put your hand up and say, ‘Enough is enough. I love
you, but I can’t go this way.’ It’s kind of like a tough love thing.
"Dive"
"… a song written basically about taking a leap of faith; written from more
of a spiritual standpoint. A lot of things that we do as people, as human beings, revolved
around faith, whether you believe it or not. When you wake up in the morning, just to put
your feet on the ground there’s faith there. That’s just the way we live. And
so, we tried to write a song that people could relate to on that level of having to live
in a realistic setting in the supernatural, having to rely on somebody that you can’t
see. I think that you can read that two different ways, too, I think you can read that as
a leap of faith into a relationship. I had to take a dive when I got married. In some
ways, you’re like shutting the door to all of the fun of being single and just doing
whatever you want to do.
"Wanna Be Loved"
"That’s the one song on the record I’m not real passionate about. To me,
I like the song; (but) it’s not my bag, baby, you know. It touches on something that
everybody can relate to, because all of us at one time during our lives need somebody. I
think if we are all honest with each other, we’re a lot more insecure than we let on
to be as people. I think it’s a song about being vulnerable.
"Whose bag is it?" he’s asked, and Max laughs.
"I don’t really want to get anybody in trouble. I think really that song was
Mark Heimermann and Toby McKeehan. It musically came from them more than Mike (Tait) and
I, I think. … I remember working melody-wise on the verses and certainly lyric-wise
on the verses, but the chorus, I think, had already been done by Mark melody-wise and Toby
kind of worked on it. It’s a little too sweet for me, a little too pop."
"Into Jesus"
"… a well-written song. Without getting into trouble, we actually had an
original title to that song that we were going to use that somebody felt that we were
taking an idea from their song – and it was a friend of ours. So, we had to change
the title to "Into Jesus." … That song was really a collaborative and I
think that’s a really good example of dc Talk, the three of us writing together (and)
what would come out of it. I think that’s song pretty much speaks for itself.
It’s another anthem like, ‘Hey, I’m a believer, and what are you going to
do about it?’
The Rev. Frank "Buzz" Trexler is managing editor at The
Daily Times and pastor of Green Meadow United Methodist Church, www.themeadow.org. You can e-mail him at PastorBuzz@nxs.net.
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