What a Beautiful Name

"What a Beautiful Name"
Single by Hillsong Worship
from the album Let There Be Light
Released6 January 2017 (2017-01-06)
GenreContemporary worship music
Length3:58
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Hillsong Worship singles chronology
"O Praise the Name (Anástasis)"
(2016)
"What a Beautiful Name"
(2017)
"Seasons"
(2017)
Music video
"What a Beautiful Name" on YouTube

"What a Beautiful Name" is a song by Australian praise and worship group Hillsong Worship. Written by bandmates Brooke Ligertwood and Ben Fielding,[1][2] the song refers to the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ as represented by His Holy Name. The "genre-smashing single" contributed to Hillsong being named Billboard's Top Christian Artist of 2017.[3] "What a Beautiful Name" won two Dove Awards for Song of the Year and Worship Song of the Year in 2017.[4] It won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.[5] "What a Beautiful Name" was released on 6 January 2017, as the lead single from their 25th live album, Let There Be Light (2016).[6]

Background

"What a Beautiful Name" was composed in December 2015 in Sydney, Australia, for the upcoming Hillsong Conference, the annual church gathering. The scriptural foundation of the song can be found in Hebrews 1:1–1:4, Colossians 1:15–1:20 and Colossians 1:26–1:27.[7]

Composition

According to sheet music published at Sheetmusicdirect.com by Hillsong Publishing, "What a Beautiful Name" is a slow ballad that consists of 68 beats per minute. Written in common time, the song is in the key of D major. Brooke Ligertwood's vocal range spans from A3 to B4 during the song.[8]

Music video

A video for the song was recorded at the Hillsong Conference in Sydney and was released on 30 September 2016. The YouTube video has more than 548 million views as of 16 May 2024.[9]

Reception

Music critic Matt Collar praised Hillsong Worship for their "passionate, faith-based sound" and wrote that fans of the group "will surely appreciate this emotive, uplifting Christian pop."[10]

Jake Gosselin attributes the popularity of the song in the Christian community to a number of factors. He writes that "What a Beautiful Name" is "singable." In practice this refers to the "small vocal range" of the song which is "one note over an octave." This translates to a song that is easy to sing and which does not strain the voice with notes that are too high or too low. He also comments that the song is written in the key of D which is "the optimal key for both men and women."[11]

Chart performance

"What a Beautiful Name" had its worldwide digital release on 6 January 2017, and topped Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart on 25 February. The single has held the top position for 37 weeks making it the third-longest-leading No. 1 in the 14-year history of the Hot Christian chart. The song which claims the distinction as the longest-leading No. 1 is "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" and was released by another Hillsong unit, Hillsong United. "Oceans" led the Hot Christian chart for 61 weeks.[3] The song has stayed on the chart for 77 weeks, making it the third longest running song on the chart.

"What a Beautiful Name" is ranked as the No. 1 song of the year for 2017 on the Christian Digital Sales chart, No. 3 on Christian Streaming Songs, and is also the No. 3 song on Christian Airplay. The song spent nine weeks as No. 1 on Christian Airplay and was Hillsong Worship's first No. 1 on the chart. What a Beautiful Name also leads the CCLI, the international licensing service for 250,000 churches.[3][12]

"What a Beautiful Name" is a track from Hillsong Worship's 25th live album, Let There Be Light. The album was released on 14 October 2016, and debuted as No. 1 on the Top Christian Albums chart. For 2017, Let There be Light was ranked the No. 9 of the year.[3]

Awards and accolades

Hillsong Worship was named Billboard's Top Christian Artist of 2017, as well as Top Christian Duo/Group. "What a Beautiful Name" earned two Dove awards, Song of the Year and Worship Song of the Year. "What a Beautiful Name" won the award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song at the 60th Grammy Awards, the first for Hillsong Worship.[3][12]

Criticism of lyric

Theologian and pastor John Piper criticized the song, in particular the lyric ‘You didn’t want heaven without us / So Jesus, you brought heaven down’:

I don’t favor the lyric... It fits too easily into a theology of a God who created because he was lonely, and then saved people for the same reason. He just can’t be happy without us.[13]

— John Piper

Another pastor, Sam Storms also acknowledged criticisms of the lyric.

It’s the statement: “You didn’t want heaven without us.” Some have argued that this line suggests that Jesus is needy, that he is, in himself, somehow deficient and less than complete and only we, his people can fill up what he lacks... But we know from numerous biblical texts that God needs nothing... he is altogether self-sufficient and independent.[14]

— Sam Storms

Hillsong responded to the criticisms of the song with a blog by singer Ben Fielding. Fielding cited John 17:24 and other verses to defend the scriptural inspiration behind the criticized lyric.

In verse 2, we wanted to describe the love of God, who, though in need of nothing, so loved the world that He chose to send His one and only Son, so that we may not perish but have eternal life with Him.[15]

— Ben Fielding

Live performances

The song was recorded at a live performance at the annual Hillsong Conference in 2016.[1] Hillsong performed the song at the 48th Annual Dove Awards held at Allen Arena in Nashville. The performance was well received and "had audience members on their feet with their hands in the air."[16]

When asked about performing the song in an interview with Billboard's Jim Asker, Ligertwood said about the audience:

"Because the audience is part of the church and we sing these songs in church regularly, most of the people in attendance were already familiar with the tracks. As an audience, they are just super gracious and welcoming. Our mission is that the music will resonate with them. We're not really performing—we're simply vessels.[1]

Finally, she said about performing the song:

"I guess that when I am leading the song, my voice is me, but it's also my prayer first, that I am there to serve people and link with them in the presence of God. When you connect with people, you can feel their spirits being lifted. It's really the beauty of singing something about the wonder and power of Jesus. When people connect, it's freeing for them and breaks chains and creates faith."[1]

Other versions

In July 2017, the Voices of Lee, the "elite"[17] a cappella singing group, posted a video of the song to their Facebook page. The cover was an instant hit and reached the so-called viral threshold of 5 million views in two days. As of October 2017, it had amassed 33 million views. The group represents Lee University in Tennessee; the video was filmed in the school's chapel.[17][18]

Track listing

Digital download[6]
No.TitleLength
1."What a Beautiful Name"3:58
Digital download – EP[19]
No.TitleLength
1."What a Beautiful Name"4:00
2."What a Beautiful Name" (Live)5:43
3."What a Beautiful Name" (Alternate Acoustic)3:45
4."What a Beautiful Name" (Orchestral Selah)3:30
5."What a Beautiful Name" (Gospel Version)4:44
6."What a Beautiful Name" (Y&F Remix)3:58

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (2016–17) Peak
position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[20] 7
US Christian Songs (Billboard)[21] 1
Year-end charts
Chart (2017) Position
US Christian Songs (Billboard)[22] 1
US Christian Airplay (Billboard)[23] 3
US Christian AC (Billboard)[24] 4
Chart (2018) Position
US Christian Songs (Billboard)[25] 10

Decade-end charts

Chart (2010s) Position
US Christian Songs (Billboard)[26] 3

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[28] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Worldwide 6 January 2017 Digital download [6]
31 March 2017 Digital download
(EP)
  • Hillsong Australia
  • Sparrow
[19]

Further reading

  • Fielding, Ben (16 May 2017). "Scriptural Inspiration Behind the Lyrics of 'What a Beautiful Name'". Hillsong.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Jim Asker (14 April 2017). "Hillsong Worship Songwriter Brooke Ligertwood Talks What Sets Christian Music Apart". Billboard. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  2. ^ "What a Beautiful Name – Hillsong, Hillsong Worship – Song Info – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e Asker, Jim (11 December 2017). "The Year in Christian & Gospel Charts: Hillsong Worship & Tamela Mann Lead Lists". Billboard. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Hillsong "What a Beautiful Name" awarded Song of the Year and Worship Song of the Year at the Dove Awards". Heartsong Live. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  5. ^ Lynch, Joe (28 November 2017). "Grammys 2018: See the Complete List of Nominees". Billboard. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Worldwide digital release of "What a Beautiful Name":
  7. ^ "What A Beautiful Name Song Story". Hillsong. 13 October 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  8. ^ "What a Beautiful Name sheet music by Hillsong Worship (Piano, Vocal & Guitar (Right-Hand Melody) – 179475)". www.sheetmusicdirect.com. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  9. ^ "What A Beautiful Name – Hillsong Worship". YouTube. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  10. ^ Collar, Matt. "What a Beautiful Name". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  11. ^ Gosselin, Jake (22 February 2017). "Why the song "What a Beautiful Name" by Hillsong Worship is so popular right now". Churchfront. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  12. ^ a b Payne, Kaley (9 January 2018). "The name you lift up reaches new heights". Eternity News. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  13. ^ "When Worship Lyrics Miss the Mark".
  14. ^ "Is the Song "What a Beautiful Name It Is" Heretical?".
  15. ^ "Scriptural Inspiration Behind the Lyrics of 'What a Beautiful Name'".
  16. ^ "48th annual Dove Awards held in Nashville at Allen Arena". WKRN. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  17. ^ a b "Voices of Lee's video goes viral with more than 16M views". Cleveland Daily Banner. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  18. ^ "Lee Univ. singers launch album after viral video". WBIR. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  19. ^ a b Worldwide digital release of "What a Beautiful Name" (EP):
  20. ^ "Hillsong Worship Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  21. ^ "Hillsong Worship – Chart history (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  22. ^ "Hot Christian Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  23. ^ "Christian Airplay – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  24. ^ "Christian AC – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  25. ^ "Hot Christian Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  26. ^ "Hot Christian Songs – Decade-End 2010s". Billboard. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  27. ^ "British single certifications – Hillsong Worship – What a Beautiful Name". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  28. ^ "American single certifications – Hillsong Worship – What a Beautiful Name". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 18 April 2018.

Read other articles:

Los logotipos de algunas de las principales marcas tecnológicas. Una empresa de base tecnológica (EBT) es aquella entidad mercantil que basa su actividad en las aplicaciones de las nuevas tecnologías y/o las ciencias aplicadas para la generación o perfeccionamiento de productos, procesos o servicios.[1]​ En la jerga popular y periodística también se conocen como empresas tecnológicas o sencillamente tecnológicas.[2]​ En el caso de las ciencias aplicadas, muchas veces este ...

 

Gerrit van der Veenlaan kan verwijzen naar: Gerrit van der Veenlaan (Baarn) Gerrit van der Veenlaan 12 (Baarn) Gerrit van der Veenlaan 14 (Baarn) Gerrit van der Veenlaan 16 (Baarn) Gerrit van der Veenlaan 18 (Baarn) Gerrit van der Veenlaan (Den Haag) Bekijk alle artikelen waarvan de titel begint met Gerrit van der Veenlaan of met Gerrit van der Veenlaan in de titel. Dit is een doorverwijspagina, bedoeld om de verschillen in betekenis of gebruik van Gerrit van der Veen...

 

Die Liste der Baudenkmäler in Glurns (italienisch Glorenza) enthält die 90 als Baudenkmäler ausgewiesenen Objekte auf dem Gebiet der Gemeinde Glurns in Südtirol. Basis ist das im Internet einsehbare offizielle Verzeichnis der Baudenkmäler in Südtirol. Dabei kann es sich beispielsweise um Sakralbauten, Wohnhäuser, Bauernhöfe und Adelsansitze handeln. Die Reihenfolge in dieser Liste orientiert sich an der Bezeichnung, alternativ ist sie auch nach der Adresse oder dem Datum der Unterschu...

Марка Союзного військового командування AM-mark (Alliierte Militärbehörde) (нім.) 10 марок, 1944 року. Надпис на аверсі: «Для обігу в Німеччині». З правого боку вгорі позначка F (Forbes). США. Територія обігу Емітент ТРИЗОНІЯ: СШАВелика БританіяФранція РАДЯНСЬКА ЗОНА ОКУПАЦІЇ НІМЕЧЧИНИ: СРСР По...

 

Marie Luise Kaschnitz (1967) Marie Luise Kaschnitz (1901-1974) adalah seorang penulis dan penyair berkebangsaan Jerman, yang lahir pada tahun tanggal 31 Januari 1901, di Karlsruhe, dekat Black Forest, Jerman. Ia terlahir dengan nama Marie Luise von Holzing-Berslett.[1] Marie adalah anak ketiga dari pasangan Max Freiherr von Holzing Berstett dan Elsa von Seldeneck. Ia mempunyai dua kakak perempuan dan satu adik laki-laki. Ayahnya adalah seorang aparat keamanan yang kemudian naik pangka...

 

История, рассказанная после Токийской войны東京战争戦後秘話 / Tōkyō Sensō Sengo Hiwa Жанр драма Режиссёр Нагиса Осима Продюсер Тагути Ямагути Авторысценария Нагиса ОсимаЦутому ТамураМасато ХараМамору Сасаки В главныхролях Кадзуо ГотоЭмико Ивасаки Оператор Тоитиро Нарусима Ко...

William IIWilliam II, dalam Manuskrip StoweRaja InggrisBerkuasa9 September 1087 – 2 Agustus 1100Britania26 September 1087PendahuluWilliam IPenerusHenry IInformasi pribadiKelahiranc. 1056Normandia, PrancisKematian2 Agustus 1100 (aged c. 43–44)New Forest, InggrisPemakamanKatedral WinchesterWangsaNormanAyahWilliam I dari InggrisIbuMatilda dari Flandria William II (Prancis: Guillaume II d'Angleterre; ca. 1056 – 2 Agustus 1100), putra ketiga dari William I dari Inggris, a...

 

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Saint Francis D'Assisi High School – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Private secondary school in Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaSt. Francis D'Assisi High School (SFHS)The iconic St. Francis...

 

Outdoor adventure company based in Wales Zip WorldThe company's zip wire at Penrhyn QuarryTypePrivate limitedIndustryOutdoor amusement parksPredecessorTree Top AdventureFounded2013HeadquartersDenbigh Street, Llanrwst, Wales, LL26 0LL[1]Number of locations4 (2022)Area servedUnited KingdomKey peopleSean Taylor (owner)Websitezipworld.co.uk Zip World is a Welsh[2] outdoor adventure activity company based in Llanrwst, Wales, United Kingdom. The company operates four sites in W...

Type of firearm Springfield Model 1861 rifle musket Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle musket A rifled musket, rifle musket, or rifle-musket is a type of firearm made in the mid-19th century. Originally the term referred only to muskets that had been produced as a smoothbore weapon and later had their barrels replaced with rifled barrels. The term later included rifles that directly replaced, and were of the same design overall as, a particular model of smoothbore musket. History and development In t...

 

信州大學信州大学しんしゅうだいがく信州大学正門信州大学正門创办时间1873年1949年(正式设置大学)JIS代码(日语:大学・高等専門学校コード)0040学校类型国立校址 日本長野縣松本市旭3-1-1校區松本(長野縣松本市)長野(教育)(長野縣長野市)長野(工学)(長野縣長野市)南箕輪(長野縣南箕輪村)上田(長野縣上田市)教学机构 学部: 人文學部經濟學部...

 

This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Anthara Santhe – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Village cluster in Karnataka, IndiaAnthara Santhevillage clusterAntharasanthe villageCoordinates: 12°01′06″N 76°17′57″E / 12.0...

2015 Indian action thriller film directed by Kabir Khan Not to be mistaken for Phantom Films. PhantomTheatrical release posterDirected byKabir KhanWritten byKabir KhanKausar MunirScreenplay byKabir KhanParveez ShaikhStory byKabir KhanParveez ShaikhBased onMumbai Avengersby Hussain ZaidiProduced bySajid NadiadwalaSiddharth Roy KapurStarringSaif Ali KhanKatrina KaifCinematographyAseem MishraEdited byAarif SheikhMusic bySongs:PritamBackground Score:Julius PackiamProductioncompaniesUTV Motion Pic...

 

American botanist (1867–1946) Willis Linn JepsonJepson in 1911Born(1867-08-19)August 19, 1867Vacaville, California, U.S.DiedNovember 7, 1946(1946-11-07) (aged 79)Berkeley, California, U.S.Alma materUniversity of California, BerkeleyOccupation(s)Botanist, conservationistNotable workA Flora of California (1909) Willis Linn Jepson (August 19, 1867 – November 7, 1946) was an early California botanist, conservationist, and writer. Career Born at Little Oak Ranch near Vacaville, ...

 

A epidemia de varíola japonesa de 735-737 (天平 の 疫病 大 流行, Epidemia da era Tenpyō ) foi uma grande epidemia de varíola que atingiu grande parte do Japão . Matando aproximadamente 1/3 de toda a população japonesa, a epidemia teve repercussões sociais, econômicas e religiosas significativas em todo o país. Origens Algumas décadas antes do surto, funcionários do tribunal japonês haviam adotado a política chinesa de relatar surtos de doenças entre a população em gera...

First edition Roman Laughter: The Comedy of Plautus is a book by Erich Segal, published by the Harvard University Press in 1968. It is a scholarly study of the work of the ancient Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus whose twenty complete comedies constitute the largest extant corpus of classical dramatic literature (p. 1) This article about a non-fiction book on literature or literary criticism is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.vte

 

Jafar Umar ThalibBorn(1961-12-29)December 29, 1961Malang, IndonesiaDiedAugust 25, 2019(2019-08-25) (aged 57)[1]Jakarta, Indonesia[1]Resting placeYogyakartaOccupationIslamic clericKnown forLaskar Jihad Islamic organizationSpouseVenia Said FuhaidChildren9 Jafar Umar Thalib (pronunciationⓘ; Arabic: جَعْفَر عُمَر طَالِب; Arabic pronunciation: [dʒaʕfar ʕumar tˤaːlib]; December 29, 1961 – August 25, 2019) was an Indonesian Islamist cleric...

 

Television channel TVP PoloniaCountryPolandBroadcast areaInternationalPolandProgrammingLanguage(s)PolishEnglishPicture format16:9 (1080i, HDTV)16:9 (1080p50, HDTV) (only on terrestrial DVB-T2 test in Poland)OwnershipOwnerTelewizja PolskaSister channelsTVP WorldHistoryLaunched24 October 1992; 31 years ago (1992-10-24) (trial)31 March 1993; 30 years ago (1993-03-31) (regularly)Former namesTV Polonia (1992-2003)LinksWebsitewww.tvp.pl/tvppoloniaAvailabilityTerr...

Jan Troell Troell en 2009Información personalNombre de nacimiento Jan Gustaf TroellNacimiento 23 de julio de 1931 (92 años)Limhamn, Malmö, SueciaNacionalidad SuecaInformación profesionalOcupación CineastaAños activo desde 1966Distinciones  (1967)Oso de oro (1968)Guldbaggen för kreativa insatser (1989)Oso de Plata a la mejor dirección (1992)Medalla de Letras y Arte (Suecia) (2005) [editar datos en Wikidata] Jan Gustaf Troell (23 de julio de 1931)...

 

Voce principale: Associazione Calcio Femminile Gorgonzola. A.C.F. Gorgonzola ItalinoxStagione 1977Sport calcio SquadraAssociazione Calcio Femminile Gorgonzola Allenatore Rino Mussi Presidente Paola e Livio Bolis Serie A10º posto. Coppa Italia???. StadioStadio Comunale 1976 1978 Si invita a seguire il modello di voce Questa voce raccoglie le informazioni riguardanti l'Associazione Calcio Femminile Gorgonzola Italinox nelle competizioni ufficiali della stagione 1977. Indice 1 Stagione 2 Rosa 3...

 

Strategi Solo vs Squad di Free Fire: Cara Menang Mudah!