Townend says that he gets as much response about this song as all the rest of his extensive catalogue put together. The song has had its share of both praise and contention. Just as the verse swells into its second half, we can sing lines like “As he rose in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me” and “No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from his hand.” The strength of the song lies not just in the enduring, powerful melody and lyrics so rich that every phrase has a depth and purpose, but in the way that words and music work together. Initially this irritated him, but now he considers it “a stroke of genius,” and appreciates that Getty has a real sensitivity to lyric writing, even though he is known for his melodies. This meant Townend re-writing the verse, because it spoiled his rhyming scheme. The original first line was “My hope is found in Christ alone,” but Getty suggested switching the halves around to "In Christ alone my hope is found". Getty thought the words were “stunning,” but still made the odd tweak. He told WeAreWorship that he was trying to put into words, “what it means for Christ to have gone through what he went through… and how that completely changes my life.” It drew him to go beyond sketching Jesus’ life to also highlighting its implications for everyone. It may be the most popular hymn in the last half-centuryįor Townend, working on the lyrics was an emotional experience. The gospel story is the heart of this, so Townend’s words thrilled him. His main aim in all the work he and his organisation do in composing modern church music, as he terms it, is to create hymns that help people to understand the faith.
Considering that such a classic, enduring melody deserved a timeless theme to match its stature, he immediately worked on a flow of ideas based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The tune for 'In Christ Alone' was the first one to play and it immediately struck Townend, who has variously described it as “magnificent, haunting” and “brilliant”.
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