I Just Need U

Album: The Elements (2018)
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Songfacts®:

  • TobyMac penned this tune about finding God rather than relying on his own strength with regular collaborator Bryan Fowler and Finding Favour's Blake NeeSmith. He said:

    "'I Just Need U' is where I land time and time again after my futile attempts to handle life on my own. I am a born defector learning every day that the sweetest place and the only right place for me is turning back and falling into the arms of a loving God."
  • This debuted at #1 on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart dated January 20, 2018. It was tobyMac's first song to enter at the tally's peak position and his sixth total leader on the listing.
  • TobyMac told Billboard the story of the song:

    "['I Just Need U'] started in a session writing for the band Finding Favour, but they said it wasn't for them. I thought about [it] and began plowing through my feelings. The world tricks us into thinking certain things will fulfill us, [but] time and again I end up hungry. But when I look to my faith, I begin to find a permanent fulfillment. There's depth and there's soul, which is what you would expect from a seasoned artist."

    "We sat on it, but it took a while to find the verses. I think we had 25 versions of the song to get to this point. But we've worked together for a while now and know how to pull the best out of each other. We got into a cool head space and did something we loved. [But] I don't think either of us assumed it was going to be a single."

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