songs Archives - Keith Shields

The Singer and You

Key of Zed, the duo of Mike Charko and Keith Shields, has just released a new original single. For fans of Blue Rodeo and a few other bands, you will recognize the references to a few other songs in the lyrics. See how many you can catch. (At a later date I will release an annotated…

Can’t Erase It

Jars of Clay, the band from Greenville, Illinois, has a song entitled “Can’t Erase It” on the If I Left the Zoo album. The lyrics are written below. It is a song that captures the angst of trying to be one thing when we know we should be something else. Read the lyrics, listen to…

Miracle Girl

In my family, I have developed a tradition. With the arrival of each grandchild, I write a song. Whitney arrived nearly five months ago in November. So, I am a little behind on getting her song written. Her parents, Lauren and Dean, have been very patient. So, I give you “Miracle Girl.” Miracle Girl A…

Five Minutes

Gretchen Peters writes songs that tell stories and offer insight into the human condition. “Five Minutes” is an example of a song that tells the story of a broken and flawed woman. Five Minutes (words and music by Gretchen Peters) (From the album Hello Cruel World) (Listen to it here) I’ve got five minutes to…

Hello Cruel World

I just discovered the Essentials album by Gretchen Peters. She has written songs for Bryan Adams, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, and many others. “Hello Cruel World” is one of my favourite songs on the album. It is full of angst and tensions of good and evil. It makes one think about the struggles of this world and…

The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman (2017) (Directed by Michael Gracey; written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon) (Spoiler alert: if you want to be completely surprised by the themes contained in this film, see the movie before reading this blog.) Those who regularly read this blog will not be surprised to hear that I enjoyed another musical. The…

Tin Man

A well-written song will always work on my emotions. Miranda Lambert’s song “Tin Man” is one of those. It is a great concept and a simple structure with no real chorus except the ooohs. She speaks of being broken-hearted and wishing she didn’t even have a heart. Then, the final verse expresses her desire to…

Two Weeks

The band known as The East Pointers just released an album called What We Leave Behind. On that album is a song to which many will be able to relate. It is called “Two Weeks” and deals with the emotions of leaving home to work at a job in a far-off province for “two weeks…

Everything You Put In

Yesterday’s blog was about the journey of faith of one of my heroes, TobyMac. I believe that he deserves encouragement for his strong faith and consistent ability to speak the truth of the Gospel in ways that have been heard throughout his 30 plus years in the Christian Music industry. I do not use the…

TobyMac

TobyMac, one of the founders of the Christian rock band, DC Talk, has written and recorded songs that have changed the course of Christian music (think “Jesus Freak,” “Luv is a Verb,” and “Colored People”). He created his own record label (Gotee Records) and produced the albums of such bands as Reliant K and Out…