Song Covers Aren't All That Bad!

You hear songs remade on the radio all the time, or your buddy next to you singing his or her version of some 60's Beatles song.  In the Christian music scene, many artists remake classic hymns, tweaking the lyrics or tune to make it more "contemporary," or to call the hymn more their style.  Some are good, some are bad, in my opinion.

"Morning Has Broken" is a popular hymn first published in 1931 and written by English author Eleanor Farjeon.  Perhaps you've heard Cat Steven's version of the hymn, and you're probably not alone. His cover reached number 6 on the U.S. Billboard Top 100.  I recall Dad's old record collection containing Cat Steven's hit more than I remember singing it in church!

Most recently, however, I've fallen in love with a new cover of this timeless classic hymn.  Grammy awardThird Day, known for their southern rock style and who some would call Christian music's Lynyrd Skynyrd, performs "Morning Has Broken" on their 2012 release Miracle.  With frontman Mac Powell's signature vocals and the band's southern rock swagger, they bring out the keyboard keys for this one, resembling the tune the timeless hymn is known for.

winning band

And don't forget the message of the song, too!  Every day is a day where new things can happen, recycled, if you will, only to create a new opportunity.