It’s been a little while since I highlighted a Christian Creative on this website, and so I figured it was about time for me to return to old habits (That is what the new year is for, right?). Today I’m going to be talking about a personal favorite of mine. He’s a musician that has been able to walk the line between large-scale contemporary Christian music and individualistic creations with relative ease and grace.
So, let’s talk about John Mark McMillan.
Note: This post is one of a series on creativity in Christian music. If you haven’t yet, check out “The Problem with Christian Music,” which started the series, or click here to read about previous artists.
John Mark McMillan (JMM) seems to have, at first glance, two styles of music: large scale Christian Contemporary Music, and rather eclectic, electric, not-CCM styles of music. Which, while it may be partially true, doesn’t do his music justice.
While John Mark McMillan is likely most known for his songs “King of My Heart” and “How He Loves” (“sloppy wet kiss” is a theological hill I am prepared to die on, by the way), which have become mainstays within the Christian community as worship songs, he has also released a steady supply of music that I feel goes unrecognized due to its inability to be used as worship music. So, for the purposes of this post, I’ll be focusing on the music of JMM’s that isn’t used as worship music or something similar.
In order to get a feel for JMM’s musical and lyrical stylings, just take a look at his album Mercury & Lightning. The whole album is amazingly written, while also being technically impressive and illuminates things in our lives that need examination.
An important thing to note is that when writing the music for this album, JMM used the word ‘mercurial’ as a kind of focusing point from which to write – it’s also where JMM got the name for the album. ‘Mercurial’ is a word related to the Greek god Mercury. In the words of JMM, “Mercury is the god of financial gain, commerce, communication, travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery and thieves…If something is hard to catch, understand or lock down, it’s known to be ‘mercurial’ or ‘like Mercury.’ The story of the new record begins with a conversation about all the things we run after, give our lives to – even die for – that often seem so mercurial and mysterious.” (If you want to see the rest of JMM’s thoughts on his album, click here.)
To get a feel for his music, let’s check out his song “Gods of American Success” off of Mercury & Lightning:
Let’s check out the lyrics!
White-faced phantoms in a foggy rain Minnows in the pool, the way they slip away And I go fumbling, go run again to repossess The story of my youth The story of my electric past Are we running after flickering sparks, oh? Are we grappling for diamonds in the dark, oh? The way we chase that mercury The way we chase that mercury
Here in the introduction to the song, McMillan introduces the idea of a mercurial pursuit. How often do we chase something we know we’ll never get? How often do we run after something that we hope will give us satisfaction even though it inevitably won’t? JMM builds, before finally culminating his message in the chorus –
Another pound of flesh Offer it up to the gods of American success But no matter what you are You're only second best And it's all that you can ever hope to be The way you chase that mercury, oh
“Gods of American Success” is the third track on the album, but it mirrors imagery given in the opening track of the album, “Mercury & Lightning”, for which the album is named.
I've been chasing God I've been chasing mercury and lightning And I've been pressing hard I've been coming up short Lately, I've been thinking about What's gonna happen with you and I I need a new religion Or I need a new lie
McMillan has come to a crux – he needs either a revitalized religion, or he needs a new lie to tell to himself to convince himself he is really a Christian. How often do we feel like this? When we feel like we have fallen so far that we are no longer Christian; when we have to lie to ourselves to justify our actions because we don’t want to acknowledge our missteps.
I swear I've heard the echoes of a voice Like a dream that you feel, but you don't remember I've known it ever since I was a boy Like a word on the tip of my tongue
But the chorus reminds us of God beside us. Echoes of a voice, a still small whispers on the top of the mountain. That moral compass within us is still there to guide us back to the Lord.
Aside from his convicting lyrics on our modern society and our tie to consumerism and “American success,” John Mark McMillan is also a poet in a true sense of the word. His song, “Death in His Grave” has recently become a favorite of mine…
[Verse 1] Though the Earth cried out for blood Satisfied her hunger was Her billows calmed on raging seas For the souls of men she craved Sun and moon from balcony Turned their head in disbelief Their precious Love would taste the sting Disfigured and disdained [Chorus] On Friday a thief On Sunday a King Laid down in grief But awoke with keys Of Hell on that day The first born of the slain The Man, Jesus Christ laid death in his grave
You don’t see that type of poetic writing in Christian music all too often.
If all of this has gotten you more interested in finding more music by John Mark McMillan, rest assured, there is plenty to listen to. To get you started, I’ve included a couple of songs below.
John Mark McMillan is a poet first, and a songwriter second. His lyrics are as incredibly poignant as they are incredibly convicting. His haunting and symbolic lyrics are ones that break the mold of Christian music today and, I believe, help create Christians that are willing to think deeply on the issues pertaining to modern Christianity and the deeper questions we are often not willing to think about.
Check out John Mark McMillan’s Spotify, his YouTube channel to find more of his music, or give his website a visit to find updates on his latest releases.
Happy listening, folks!
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