A Million Lights

Album: A Million Lights (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is the title track of A Million Lights, Michael W. Smith's first pop album in over five years. Much of the record was written as a countercultural response to the divisive national sentiment of 2017 and the mean-spirited banter on social media.

    "About half the album was written in response to where we are as a nation," said Smith. "In the age of social media, people have forgotten how to talk with one another, to be civil. Until the world ends, music is the most powerful language there is. It can transform your life on every level, not just the spiritual. It can help people reconnect with why they're here. That's what I'm doing with A Million Lights."
  • Michael W. Smith wrote the song with Kyle Lee, a Texan born songwriter who has also worked with tobyMac, Phillips Craig & Dean, Audrey Assad, and Nicole C. Mullen. He previously hooked up with Smith on his Wonder album, when his contributions included engineering, mixing the record, and writing five of the songs.
  • Smith told NewReleaseToday the story of the track:

    "I wrote the melody for this song, and it was the first song I started writing for this album. It was one of those songs I found that I forgot that I had written. It felt contagious. We sped it up 10 beats per minute, and at first I didn't like that, but as I thought about it I got used to it.

    We talked about what the song made me think of, and I said that it made me think about space. As a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut. I'm still fascinated by space. I take out my binoculars and look at the stars and the craters on the moon. I have a God experience just looking at the sky. It's been that way my whole life. We partnered that thought with 'all the stars are singing' and how God talks about creating the universe and all of space."
  • The song's music clip also has a space theme. Smith said:

    "It was fun to work with my son on the video, and I got to be a make-believe astronaut in the video, which was like a dream come true.

    My job was to record the audio of the stars. I think the theme of the song is pretty universal, and it's bigger than just being written and sung for Christians. It's for people all around the world. We can all look at the stars and be awestruck and inspired by God."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.