"Courageous" was received positively by critics, many of whom praised the song as one of the best off of Come to the Well. It peaked at number one on the BillboardHot Christian Songs and Christian AC Indicator charts and also peaked inside the top five on the Hot Christian Songs, Christian CHR, and Soft AC/Inspirational charts. It peaked at number four on the BillboardBubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, which measures the top twenty-five singles that have not entered the Billboard Hot 100, and number sixteen on the Heatseekers Songs chart.
According to lead vocalist Mark Hall, the inspiration for "Courageous" came at the National Day of Prayer breakfast in 2008.[1] Casting Crowns was performing at the event and Hall met with Alex Kendrick, who was also a part of the event. The two started talking about various topics until Hall told Kendrick about his church's Bible study program for fathers. Hall said that "our hearts just sort of joined on this passion to see men rise up and be the godly men of the house that God has called us to be".[1] Kendrick mentioned that he wanted a song to be at the end credits of a movie and that "lit [Hall] up".[1]
"Courageous" is a song with a length of three minutes and fifty-nine seconds.[3] According to the sheet music published by Musicnotes.com, it is set common time in the key of F♯ minor and has a tempo of 82 beats per minute. Mark Hall's vocal range in the song spans from the low note of A3 to the high note of F♯5.[4] A rock,[5]pop rock,[6] and soft rock song,[7] "Courageous" features "jangling" guitars[8] and a "muscular" guitar riff.[6] Lyrically, it calls fathers to be better spiritual leaders;[7] the song's bridge quotes the Book of Micah, calling the listener to "live justly and love mercy and walk humbly with your God".[6]
Critical receptionedit
"Courageous" was received positively by music critics. James Christopher Monger of Allmusic selected it as a 'Track pick' and felt it contributed to a strong opening for Come to the Well.[3] Grace S. Aspinwall of CCM Magazine felt "Courageous" was one of the best tracks on the album.[9] Tom Lennie of Cross Rhythms was less positive, calling the song "one of the least melodic tunes on offer on [Come to the Well].[8] Lindsay Williams of Gospel Music Channel felt the song demonstrated how Matthew West's songwriting on Come to the Well made the album better.[10] Alex "Tincan" Caldwell of Jesus Freak Hideout felt the song was an "apt challenge to men of God in this world who maintain spectator lifestyles and live vicariously through television shows and sports teams" and said the bridge made the song "thought-provoking".[6]
Release and chart performanceedit
"Courageous" was released as a digital download on July 19, 2011[11] and to Christian AC, Christian CHR, and Soft AC/Inspirational radio on August 13, 2011.[12][13][14] It debuted at number thirty-eight on the BillboardHot Christian Songs chart for the chart week of August 27, 2011.[15] It advanced to number eighteen in its second chart week[16] and to number fifteen in its sixth week.[17] In its eight chart week, it jumped from number eleven to number four.[18] In its eleventh chart week, "Courageous" advanced to the number one position, which it held for a total of four consecutive weeks.[19][20][21][22] It dropped to the number two position in its fifteenth chart week[23] but returned to the number one position the following week.[24] In total, "Courageous" spent twenty-seven weeks on the Hot Christian Songs chart.[25]
It also peaked at number one on the Christian AC Indicator chart,[26] number two on the Hot Christian AC chart,[27] number three on the Soft AC/Inspirational and Christian CHR charts.[28][29] It peaked at number four on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart,[30] which ranks the top twenty-five songs that have not reached the Billboard Hot 100,[31] and at number sixteen on the Heatseekers Songs chart, which measures the top songs by artists who have never reached the top fifty on the Billboard Hot 100.[32] "Courageous" was the twenty-ninth best-selling Christian song of 2011,[33] also ranking on the 2011 year-end Hot Christian Songs and Hot Christian AC charts at number thirty-one and thirty-three, respectively.[34][35]
^ abc"Casting Crowns' Mark Hall Relates Inspiration for New Single, 'Courageous'". GodTube. Salem Web Network. July 2011. from the original on September 21, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
^ abMonger, James Christopher. "Come to the Well - Casting Crowns". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. from the original on December 25, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^Casting Crowns – Courageous Digital Sheet Music (Digital Download), Musicnotes.com EMI Christian Music Group, MN0096787
^Davis, Kevin (October 11, 2011). "Come to the Well by Casting Crowns". New Release Tuesday. from the original on January 5, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^ abcdCaldwell, Alex "Tincan" (October 17, 2011). "Casting Crowns, 'Come to the Well' Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^ abCardinal, Ed (October 18, 2011). "Casting Crowns' Well Draws from the Word". Crosswalk.com. Salem Web Network. from the original on June 26, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^ abLennie, Tom (August 18, 2011). "Casting Crowns - Come To The Well". Cross Rhythms. from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^Aspinwall, Grace S. (October 2011). . CCM Magazine. Salem Publishing. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^Williams, Lindsay (October 18, 2011). . Gospel Music Channel. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^ ab"Casting Crowns - Courageous MP3 Music Download". CD Universe. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^ ab. Radio & Records. VNU Media. August 13, 2011. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^ ab. Radio & Records. VNU Media. August 13, 2011. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^ ab. Radio & Records. VNU Media. August 13, 2011. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^"Christian Songs (September 3, 2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^"Christian Songs (October 1, 2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^"Christian Songs (October 15, 2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^"Christian Songs (November 5, 2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^"Christian Songs (November 12, 2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^"Christian Songs (November 19, 2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^"Christian Songs (November 26, 2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^"Christian Songs (December 3, 2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^"Christian Songs (December 10, 2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^"Singles Charts Archive Search". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2012. Note: User must manually input the correct search information to obtain the sourced information. Type in Casting Crowns in the Artist category and Courageous in the Single Title category. Select the desired chart and click on 'All weeks' in the Date category. Then, press 'Submit'.
^ ab"Christian AC (November 19, 2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.[permanent dead link]
^ ab"Hot Christian AC (November 5, 2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^ ab"Soft AC/Inspirational (November 19, 2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.[permanent dead link]
^ ab"Christian CHR (December 24, 2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.[permanent dead link]
^"Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (November 5, 2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.[permanent dead link]
^"Charts Legend". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
^ ab"Heatseekers Songs (November 5, 2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^ ab"Christian Digital Songs Year-end (2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^ ab"Hot Christian Songs Year-end (2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^ ab"Hot Christian AC Year-end (2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^"Casting Crowns Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
^"Casting Crowns Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
courageous, song, courageous, song, contemporary, christian, music, band, casting, crowns, released, beach, street, records, reunion, records, provident, label, group, written, mark, hall, matthew, west, produced, mark, miller, released, july, 2011, first, sin. Courageous is a song by contemporary Christian music band Casting Crowns released by Beach Street Records Reunion Records and Provident Label Group Written by Mark Hall and Matthew West and produced by Mark A Miller it was released on July 19 2011 as the first single from the band s 2011 album Come to the Well Hall has said the inspiration for the song was at the National Day of Prayer breakfast in 2008 A rock pop rock and soft rock song it calls fathers to be better spiritual leaders Courageous Single by Casting Crownsfrom the album Come to the WellReleasedJuly 19 2011StudioZoo Studio Franklin TN GenreContemporary Christian musicLength3 59LabelBeach Street Reunion PLGSongwriter s Mark Hall Matthew WestProducer s Mark A MillerCasting Crowns singles chronology Glorious Day Living He Loved Me 2011 Courageous 2011 Jesus Friend of Sinners 2012 Courageous was received positively by critics many of whom praised the song as one of the best off of Come to the Well It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs and Christian AC Indicator charts and also peaked inside the top five on the Hot Christian Songs Christian CHR and Soft AC Inspirational charts It peaked at number four on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart which measures the top twenty five singles that have not entered the Billboard Hot 100 and number sixteen on the Heatseekers Songs chart Contents 1 Background and recording 2 Composition 3 Critical reception 4 Release and chart performance 5 Credits and personnel 6 Charts 6 1 Weekly charts 6 2 Year end charts 7 Certifications 8 Release and radio history 9 References 10 External linksBackground and recording editAccording to lead vocalist Mark Hall the inspiration for Courageous came at the National Day of Prayer breakfast in 2008 1 Casting Crowns was performing at the event and Hall met with Alex Kendrick who was also a part of the event The two started talking about various topics until Hall told Kendrick about his church s Bible study program for fathers Hall said that our hearts just sort of joined on this passion to see men rise up and be the godly men of the house that God has called us to be 1 Kendrick mentioned that he wanted a song to be at the end credits of a movie and that lit Hall up 1 Courageous was written by Mark Hall and Matthew West and produced by Mark A Miller It was recorded and mixed by Sam Hewitt at Zoo Studio in Franklin Tennessee with additional vocals recorded at Eagle s Landing Studio in McDonough Georgia The song was mastered by Andrew Mendelson 2 Composition edit nbsp Courageous source source A 23 second audio sample of the second verse of the song which features a muscular guitar riff Problems playing this file See media help Courageous is a song with a length of three minutes and fifty nine seconds 3 According to the sheet music published by Musicnotes com it is set common time in the key of F minor and has a tempo of 82 beats per minute Mark Hall s vocal range in the song spans from the low note of A3 to the high note of F 5 4 A rock 5 pop rock 6 and soft rock song 7 Courageous features jangling guitars 8 and a muscular guitar riff 6 Lyrically it calls fathers to be better spiritual leaders 7 the song s bridge quotes the Book of Micah calling the listener to live justly and love mercy and walk humbly with your God 6 Critical reception edit Courageous was received positively by music critics James Christopher Monger of Allmusic selected it as a Track pick and felt it contributed to a strong opening for Come to the Well 3 Grace S Aspinwall of CCM Magazine felt Courageous was one of the best tracks on the album 9 Tom Lennie of Cross Rhythms was less positive calling the song one of the least melodic tunes on offer on Come to the Well 8 Lindsay Williams of Gospel Music Channel felt the song demonstrated how Matthew West s songwriting on Come to the Well made the album better 10 Alex Tincan Caldwell of Jesus Freak Hideout felt the song was an apt challenge to men of God in this world who maintain spectator lifestyles and live vicariously through television shows and sports teams and said the bridge made the song thought provoking 6 Release and chart performance edit Courageous was released as a digital download on July 19 2011 11 and to Christian AC Christian CHR and Soft AC Inspirational radio on August 13 2011 12 13 14 It debuted at number thirty eight on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart for the chart week of August 27 2011 15 It advanced to number eighteen in its second chart week 16 and to number fifteen in its sixth week 17 In its eight chart week it jumped from number eleven to number four 18 In its eleventh chart week Courageous advanced to the number one position which it held for a total of four consecutive weeks 19 20 21 22 It dropped to the number two position in its fifteenth chart week 23 but returned to the number one position the following week 24 In total Courageous spent twenty seven weeks on the Hot Christian Songs chart 25 It also peaked at number one on the Christian AC Indicator chart 26 number two on the Hot Christian AC chart 27 number three on the Soft AC Inspirational and Christian CHR charts 28 29 It peaked at number four on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart 30 which ranks the top twenty five songs that have not reached the Billboard Hot 100 31 and at number sixteen on the Heatseekers Songs chart which measures the top songs by artists who have never reached the top fifty on the Billboard Hot 100 32 Courageous was the twenty ninth best selling Christian song of 2011 33 also ranking on the 2011 year end Hot Christian Songs and Hot Christian AC charts at number thirty one and thirty three respectively 34 35 Credits and personnel editCredits adapted from the digital booklet for Come to the Well 2 Casting Crowns Hector Cervantes electric guitar Juan DeVevo acoustic guitar electric guitar Melodee DeVevo violin background vocals Megan Garrett piano keyboard background vocals Mark Hall vocals Chris Huffman bass guitar Brian Scoggin drumsProduction Recorded at Zoo Studio in Franklin Tennessee Additional vocals recorded at Eagle s Landing Studio in McDonough Georgia Submixed at ShinShack Studio in Nashville Tennessee Technical Natthaphol Abhigantaphand mastering Shelley Anderson mastering Daniel Bacigalupi vocal recording David Davidson string arrangements Michael France vocal recording Eric Jackson vocal recording Terry Hemmings executive producer Michael Hewitt recording digital editing Sam Hewitt recording mixing Billy Lord vocal recording Jason McArthur A amp R Mark A Miller producer Andrew Mendelson mastering Matt Naylor recording digital editingCharts editWeekly charts edit Chart 2011 Peak positionUS Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Billboard 36 4US Christian AC Indicator Billboard 26 1US Christian CHR Billboard 29 3US Heatseekers Songs Billboard 32 16US Hot Christian AC Billboard 27 2US Christian Songs Billboard 37 1US Soft AC Inspirational Billboard 28 3 Year end charts edit Chart 2011 PeakpositionUS Christian Digital Songs Billboard 33 29US Christian AC Billboard 35 33US Christian Songs Billboard 34 31Certifications editRegion Certification Certified units salesUnited States RIAA 38 Gold 500 000 Sales streaming figures based on certification alone Release and radio history editDate Format LabelJuly 19 2011 Digital download 11 Reunion RecordsAugust 13 2011 Christian AC radio 12 Beach Street Reunion PLGChristian CHR radio 13 Soft AC Inspirational radio 14 References edit a b c Casting Crowns Mark Hall Relates Inspiration for New Single Courageous GodTube Salem Web Network July 2011 Archived from the original on September 21 2011 Retrieved June 28 2012 a b Come to the Well Digital booklet Casting Crowns Beach Street Reunion 2011 p 2 5 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link a b Monger James Christopher Come to the Well Casting Crowns Allmusic Rovi Corporation Archived from the original on December 25 2011 Retrieved June 26 2012 Casting Crowns Courageous Digital Sheet Music Digital Download Musicnotes com EMI Christian Music Group MN0096787 Davis Kevin October 11 2011 Come to the Well by Casting Crowns New Release Tuesday Archived from the original on January 5 2012 Retrieved June 26 2012 a b c d Caldwell Alex Tincan October 17 2011 Casting Crowns Come to the Well Review Jesus Freak Hideout Archived from the original on June 29 2012 Retrieved June 26 2012 a b Cardinal Ed October 18 2011 Casting Crowns Well Draws from the Word Crosswalk com Salem Web Network Archived from the original on June 26 2012 Retrieved June 26 2012 a b Lennie Tom August 18 2011 Casting Crowns Come To The Well Cross Rhythms Archived from the original on November 3 2012 Retrieved June 26 2012 Aspinwall Grace S October 2011 Casting Crowns Come to the Well CCM Magazine Salem Publishing Archived from the original on February 1 2014 Retrieved June 26 2012 Williams Lindsay October 18 2011 Casting Crowns Come To The Well Gospel Music Channel Archived from the original on May 12 2012 Retrieved June 26 2012 a b Casting Crowns Courageous MP3 Music Download CD Universe Retrieved June 26 2012 a b Going for Adds Christian AC Radio amp Records VNU Media August 13 2011 Archived from the original on January 11 2014 Retrieved June 26 2012 a b Going for Adds Christian CHR Radio amp Records VNU Media August 13 2011 Archived from the original on January 11 2014 Retrieved June 26 2012 a b Going for Adds Soft AC Inspirational Radio amp Records VNU Media August 13 2011 Archived from the original on January 11 2014 Retrieved June 26 2012 Christian Songs August 27 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved June 26 2012 Christian Songs September 3 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved June 26 2012 Christian Songs October 1 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved June 26 2012 Christian Songs October 15 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved June 26 2012 Christian Songs November 5 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved June 26 2012 Christian Songs November 12 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved June 26 2012 Christian Songs November 19 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved June 26 2012 Christian Songs November 26 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved June 26 2012 Christian Songs December 3 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved June 26 2012 Christian Songs December 10 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved June 26 2012 Singles Charts Archive Search Billboard Prometheus Global Media Archived from the original on May 11 2011 Retrieved July 27 2012 Note User must manually input the correct search information to obtain the sourced information Type in Casting Crowns in the Artist category and Courageous in the Single Title category Select the desired chart and click on All weeks in the Date category Then press Submit a b Christian AC November 19 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved June 26 2012 permanent dead link a b Hot Christian AC November 5 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Archived from the original on August 6 2012 Retrieved June 26 2012 a b Soft AC Inspirational November 19 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved June 26 2012 permanent dead link a b Christian CHR December 24 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved June 26 2012 permanent dead link Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles November 5 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved June 26 2012 permanent dead link Charts Legend Billboard Prometheus Global Media Archived from the original on July 9 2012 Retrieved June 27 2012 a b Heatseekers Songs November 5 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved June 26 2012 a b Christian Digital Songs Year end 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Archived from the original on October 14 2012 Retrieved June 26 2012 a b Hot Christian Songs Year end 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Archived from the original on October 7 2012 Retrieved June 26 2012 a b Hot Christian AC Year end 2011 Billboard Prometheus Global Media Archived from the original on October 1 2012 Retrieved June 26 2012 Casting Crowns Chart History Bubbling Under Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved August 29 2022 Casting Crowns Chart History Hot Christian Songs Billboard Retrieved August 29 2022 American single certifications Casting Crowns Courageous Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved August 29 2022 External links edit Courageous Music Video Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Courageous song amp oldid 1122266649, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
