Hillsong UNITED, “Good Grace”

Hillsong UNITED’s “Good Grace”: The Power of Form in Worship

by Talia Hunter | March 17, 2021

Sacred music performed live is often a unique and transcendent experience. While much of the experience relates to the atmosphere, the performers, and the individual audience members, there are certain characteristics that are written into the music itself that have the power to contribute to the divine experience of a live performance. In his article “Analyzing Gospel,” scholar, minister, and church musician Braxton Shelley discusses several unique elements of gospel music in performance. Notably, he describes the gospel vamp, a section of a gospel song in which repetition and intensification are used to facilitate a communal, transcendental, and physical experience among the listeners, referred to as congregants. Shelley also discusses the importance of participation in this genre of music; the congregants listening to gospel music are as much a part of the performance as the musicians on stage. In these ways, gospel music offers a special experience as compared to other musical genres.

I believe that these concepts of repetition, intensification, and the encouragement of audience participation are demonstrated in the music of Hillsong UNITED, an Australian worship band with origins in the Hillsong Church. (Note: I acknowledge the criticisms levelled at the Hillsong Church. I am writing about this music for analytical reasons and am not associated with this church.) Hillsong UNITED’s YouTube channel has posted many recordings of their live performances, in which they engage with their congregants and attempt to provide a holy experience. In performances of songs such as “Echoes (Till We See The Other Side)” and “As You Find Me,” the performers repeat key sections of their songs, adding further musical layers with each iteration and calling for the audience to sing along. This repetition is typically found in the bridges of their songs, and it demonstrates a knowledge of form and its intentional use to provide a divine experience to the audience. I would like to consider how the composition of a religious song can facilitate such experiences on a structural level, assisting the musicians in the moment of performance. In order to undertake this exploration, I will analyze Hillsong UNITED’s “Good Grace” performance from the Hillsong Worship & Creative Conference in Sydney, a video of which was released on YouTube in 2018.

This performance brings up several questions in relation to Shelley’s description of the gospel vamp. In a musical setting without the support of a choir, is repetition and intensification as effective? Is repetition of larger segments of text as effective as repetition of shorter segments? How do performers encourage participation in a stadium concert context? Finally, does this particular performance offer a transcendental experience to a religious audience? I believe that the answers to each of these questions can be found in part in the formal construction of this song.

“Good Grace” is constructed in a loose A-B-A-C-A format. The song also contains an introduction and several interludes which are musically quite similar to each other. Although A is the most frequently used musical material, the main instance of repetition—or the potential “vamp” of this song—is the C section, which I refer to as the bridge (begins at 2:57 in the video). In the above performance of “Good Grace,” the performers repeat the bridge four times, with an interlude between the third and fourth repetitions. The repeated text is as follows:

Swing wide, all you heavens
Let the praise go up, as the walls come down
All creation, everything with breath repeat the sound.
All His children, clean hands, pure hearts, good grace, good God;
His Name is Jesus.

The repetition is facilitated by the harmonic structure of the bridge. The chord progression—D-Em-C-G, or V-vi-IV-I—is cycled through four times within the section. However, though the cycle begins on the dominant, as D major is the first chord to appear with the text “swing wide,” the songwriter has structured the music so that the end of each line of text corresponds with a statement of D major. He does so by making the first line of the text half the length of the others, allowing it to occupy only two chords of the cycle. As a result, the second line begins on C major (the third chord of the cycle), and ends on D major. The result of this shift is that dominant harmony becomes associated with the end of a line, and its natural instability encourages the song to continue in order to find resolution. A complete statement of the bridge concludes on G major, which is played by the instruments after another shortened line of text (“His Name is Jesus”). The ear expects a concluding D major chord, as it has become accustomed to each line of text ending on dominant harmony; thus, the necessary conclusion for the final lyric is present in the next repetition of the bridge, which begins on D. In this way, repetition is encouraged by the construction of the bridge. Additionally, the chord that follows the dominant is E minor, or vi, which creates a traditional deceptive progression. This progression similarly encourages the momentum of the song, as the ear continues to long for tonic resolution to the dominant. This pull is especially obvious when vi corresponds with end of the text in the final line, avoiding a harmonic conclusion to match the textual one. In these ways, the composed structure of the song supports what could theoretically be endless repetition in a live performance.

How, then, is each repetition intensified, if each iteration leads so cleanly into the next? In Shelley’s paper, he discusses how gospel musicians use the choir to intensify repetitions through register and texture. Hillsong UNITED, however, does not perform with a choir in the traditional sense. They perform with a varying number of solo singers who also provide harmonies for each other (in the case of this performance, there are six vocalists). However, they still make clever use of their performing forces to intensify the repetitions. In the first iteration of the bridge, the vocalists all sing in unison; it is noteworthy that the only female vocalist—whose voice will stand out and add pitch intensification due to its naturally higher sound—does not sing in this first instance. In the second repetition of the bridge (begins at 3:37), the main singer drops out, but a backup vocalist continues singing the melody. The female singer also joins the chorus in this verse, singing in unison with the melody. By the third repetition (begins at 4:04), upper harmonies are added. After the interlude, the fourth iteration of the bridge (begins at 4:58) is sung with more harmonies. Interestingly, in this statement of the bridge the female vocalist’s line increases in volume and is present throughout the statement, as opposed to its more sporadic presence in the previous repetition. Furthermore, her harmony rises during this repetition to the highest pitch of this performance. This pitch accumulation allows the fourth iteration of the bridge to be the most intense repetition. It is interesting to note that, unlike Shelley’s gospel examples, this song never utilizes polyphony to intensify its repetitions. Nevertheless, by adding more voices and higher harmonies with each statement of the bridge, the vocalists are still able to intensify their repetitions without a traditional choir.

However, I argue that the strongest device for intensification in the bridge of “Good Grace” is the instrumental accompaniment. To begin the first statement of the bridge, the heavy bass and electric guitar, which are prominent in the preceding A section, both drop out of the texture. The suddenness of this decrease in density emphasizes the new, lighter sound and allows for a stronger intensification effect through instrumental building in the subsequent repetitions. This first iteration of the bridge is accompanied by a simple synthesized melody, a quiet quarter-note bass line, and a drumbeat that punctuates only the downbeat of each measure. This relatively thin accompaniment texture provides a good place to start for an intensification process, as there are many elements that can now be added or increased. In the second repetition of the bridge, more drumbeats are added, filling out each measure, and the bass line increases in volume. Acoustic guitar is also added, and the synthesized line speeds up with shorter and faster note durations in the second half of this repetition. With the beginning of the third statement, electric guitar returns to the texture, which creates a dynamic intensification. The drumbeats are now incessant, attacking each sixteenth note in the measure. By this time, almost the entire band is playing together, and the overall volume has increased dramatically in comparison to the first repetition. Next, the interlude, which roughly follows the musical structure of section A, is used to bring back the full instrumentation of A, which preceded the bridge. The loud bass returns, and the electric guitar increases in volume. The formal choice to interrupt the repetitions with this interlude is powerful; as this musical material is already association with full instrumentation, its presence is a simple way to bring back the textural intensity of the A section. The fourth and final iteration of the bridge maintains the full texture from the interlude, which is the most intense instrumentation thus far in the bridge. This repetition contains the largest number of instruments and the busiest texture, with various instruments being used to create attacks on nearly every subdivision of the bar. Overall, instrumentation is a powerful force in the intensification of each repetition, as it is used to create both textural and volume accumulation throughout the bridge.

Throughout my description of the intensification created by Hillsong UNITED throughout the bridge, I mentioned instances in which layers are added partway through certain repetitions of the text. When considering this song, I wondered how effective the repetition and intensification could be when the repeated text segment is as long as five lines; however, the compositional structure of the bridge contains smaller-scale repetitions within these larger segments, allowing for structured building within the large-scale repetitions. The large-scale repetition of the entire C section is based on smaller harmonic loops, as mentioned in the first section of this analysis (D-Em-C-G). These four-chord loops divide the bridge into shorter repeated segments, each of which can be subtly intensified on its own, supporting the larger section. Thus, the repetition of a larger segment of text is effective because it is built on smaller harmonic repetitions. An example of such support is present in the second statement of the bridge text, during which the synthesized countermelody increases in speed, volume, and intensity in the second half of the text, or after two iterations of the smaller harmonic loop. The use of repetition within repetition unifies the section, and assists a listener in keeping track of the larger repetitions. Additionally, the various levels of repetition working together—the lyrics, chords, melodies, and texture, which repeat at different levels—all intensify in their own right, creating a strong overall effect that contributes to the transcendent experience of this live music.

The next question that I would like to consider regarding this performance of “Good Grace” is the technique through which the performers encourage participation from the audience, or the congregants. Shelley emphasizes the fact that gospel music is an experience for the listener due to its participatory nature. I think that the bridge of this song offers a good example of the way that performers of religious music can use musical devices to facilitate audience participation in the music and thus in the religious experience. Most obviously, the performers of Hillsong UNITED directly call out to the audience to sing with them during the bridge of this song. Before the first statement of the bridge, Joel Houston (the lead vocalist) calls out “I’ve got a feeling it’s gonna get rowdy” (3:05), implicitly stating that the audience will be participating in the music of the bridge. After the first statement, Houston then yells: “Alright your turn, swing wide” (3:35). In this moment, Houston is explicitly asking the audience to participate, also cuing which lyrics they should sing.

However, aside from this obvious invocation of audience participation, the performers also use subtler musical and performative choices to make possible this collaboration with the audience. After Houston calls out for the audience to join the chorus of singers, he stops singing and steps out of the way for the audience. However, the backup vocalists continue to sing the melody in unison with the congregation. In this way, the performers are giving the audience what they need to participate effectively: the first unison statement of the bridge introduces the tune, and the dropping-out of the lead vocalist (while the backup vocalists maintain the melody) gives the congregants a chance to hear themselves and feel important in creating this soundscape. Finally, when all the vocalists come back in on the third repetition, with the addition of harmony, a thicker texture inspires further participation, and a sense of connection and community is cemented between the audience and the performers, who are now working together to praise God. Another similar example of performer support for the audience is present at the end of the interlude, at which point Houston sings, “swing wide, swing wide, swing wide” (4:56), the first words of the bridge. Houston fits these words into the harmonies of the interlude, which are not the same as in the bridge; however, by singing these words, Houston lets the audience know what is coming next, allowing them to continue to feel part of the performance. In this way, Houston does not interrupt the flow, momentum, or intensification of the music, yet he ensures that the congregants are not left behind. Coupled with the general repetitive nature of this section, such cues ensure audience comfort for participation; it is likely that any observer, even one unfamiliar with Hillsong UNITED’s music, could join the performance after a couple of repetitions. In these ways, Hillsong UNITED use a combination of performative and compositional techniques to foster participation and create a sense of community between themselves and their audience.

With all this analysis of music and performance done, what does it mean for the divine experience that I described at the beginning of this analysis? Shelley describes throughout his article how the gospel vamp facilitates religious experience. He states that gospel music becomes a way for listeners to engage with each other and the world, and that in this context “musical sound grants intimacy with the divine.” One instance of this transcendence in the song “Good Grace” is the way in which the music of the bridge allows the audience to feel part of the religious action that they are singing about. Multiple lines in the bridge’s text refer to a coming-together of beings from across the world to praise God: “let the praise go up,” and “everything with breath repeat the sound,” for example. These lines are sung in a stadium by multiple performers, the audience is encouraged to participate, and each repetition of the text facilitates and increase in volume, thus making it easy to imagine how the congregants could feel as though they are participating in the action described by the text. This feeling of engagement is a strong way in which a listener could feel divine connection. Furthermore, if an audience members

already feel involved in the community praise aspect of the text, it is possible for them to also extend that feeling of involvement to other lines of the text, furthering the transcendental experience. For example, as the congregants and performers together “repeat the sound” of praise, they might also feel the heavens swinging wide (“swing wide, all you heavens”).

Shelley also talks about the importance of the physical body in encountering the transcendental experience of gospel music. Throughout the video of Hillsong UNITED’s performance, the camera focuses on audience members who are participating physically in some way; from waving their hands, to swaying to the music, to closing their eyes and touching their hearts, the congregants are physically involved in the music, much like the performers themselves. According to Shelley, “intensified physicality actually loosens the believer’s relation to the material world, enhancing his or her connection to what is often called ‘the spiritual realm.’” If such physicality facilitates a spiritual experience, and the physicality itself is caused by the musical experience, then it is the music that causes this transcendence. As can be seen in the performance video, listeners’ physical involvement, and thus their spiritual experience, intensifies with the music. In this way, the form of the music in its repetition and intensification is integral to the holy experience in this concert setting.

Overall, this performance of “Good Grace” demonstrates how the use of musical form is effective for creating a desirable atmosphere for worship music. Although the devices analyzed here are not all present in the recorded version of the song, they are structured into the composed form of the music, and can therefore be activated during live performance to create the desired religious effect; thus, the construction and use of a song are both crucial to its effect. It is interesting to note that these forms work in part due to the expectations of a given space and soundscape. Members of a congregation such as the audience at a Hillsong UNITED concert have likely internalized the way that these forms work, and what they mean spiritually. However, these forms are also founded on practices that extend beyond worship; stadium rock bands use similar techniques to encourage participation and activate excitement in their audiences. Clearly, there is an element of similarity between communal religious and secular concert experiences, making a study of context crucial to understanding the unique experience of worship music in a concert setting—but this is a conversation to be undertaken in further writing.