On 9 April 2008, "Shout to the Lord" was the closing song on Idol Gives Back, sung by the remaining eight contestants of American Idol and a gospel choir. The lyrics of the song were altered, changing the word "Jesus" to "Shepherd" in the first line,[3] without the approval of Zschech or Hillsong Church.[4] At the request of the song's publishers, the song was performed again at the opening of the next show the following night, this time using the original lyrics.[3] The studio version of the performance charted at number 43 in the Billboard Hot 100, based on digital download sales alone.
Background
"Shout to the Lord" by singer-songwriter Darlene Zschech was written during the time she was struggling with financial worries and the stresses of raising a young family.[5]
^Roger E. Van Harn, Walter Brueggemann, Brent A. Strawn Psalms for Preaching and Worship: A Lectionary Commentary 0802863213 2009 "The best place to begin is with the already extant body of Scripture songs based on the Psalms. ... A significant percentage of these songs are based directly on single verses or memorable images from the Psalms (e.g., "As the Deer", "We Bow Down", and "Shout to the Lord"). ... As these songs move from being considered "contemporary" to more traditional, no doubt new compositions will emerge, also ..."
