Songfacts®:

• This is the first radio single from American Christian rock band Sanctus Real's fifth studio album.
• Sanctus Real's Matt Hammitt explained the song: "The working-out of forgiveness is so key to our growth and maturity as followers of Jesus. The very idea that we have been forgiven for so much wrong moves, reforms, transforms and heals us. As we were framing 'Forgiven' around this concept, we realized that this was such a fundamental aim for all of us – to forgive and be forgiven."
• Sanctus Real lead guitarist Chris Rohman explained to New Release Tuesday the story behind this song: "It came out of an experience, as a band, where we just needed forgiveness from each other. We had no idea that when we released it to radio that it would have the effect that it did. We started a spot on our website where people could come and share stories about forgiveness. It was flooded by people opening up the deepest things they've struggled with in their lives - things that have effected them personally and also things that they've held against other people. This song has helped them to forgive. We put out a song that was personal to us, but others were able to deal with their own issues after hearing it. People wrote on the website, saying things like they were abused as a child and now they're able to forgive their father. It's deep! I would never have guessed that people would have that kind of connection with a song! It's pretty wild to read the stories people chose to share and, because there were so many, there's not one that really stands out."
• Rohman told NewReleaseTuesday how the band came up with the album title: "Something like that doesn't come easy for us so, this time, we left it up to the fans. Our representative at the label, who is in charge of handing in the record for us, gave us a deadline to meet by 1:00 p.m., by a certain day, because he had to have a title. We put the word out on Twitter, and we were between two names. 'Pieces of a Real Heart' seemed to be the winner, so we just trusted in that and said, 'That's the name.'"