Still We Sing, "Broken Glass"

Sep 18

Some songs earn a feature on craft alone. This one earns it on craft and on the size of what it's carrying.

In Arne's words

Arne Overbeek writes as Still We Sing, and his music grows out of wonder, questions, hope, and faith. The lyrics and musical ideas come from his own experiences, from watching the world around him, and from an ongoing effort to work out what it means to live as a Christian in today's world.

Every song starts with him: the lyrics, the musical concept, and the creative vision are his own writing and imagination. Modern tools then help bring those ideas to life, so the focus stays on the story, the message, and the emotion behind the music.

"Broken Glass" was written after Arne learned that one of the kids in his neighborhood, fifteen years old, had taken her own life.

What I heard

This song feels massive. There are layers of vocals running through the whole thing, and a choir section that's beautiful in its own right and earns its place in the arrangement rather than decorating it. The whole track lands as a modern-day 80s hit, and the part that matters is that it doesn't sound dated. It sounds fresh, like something made now that knows exactly where it came from. You can hear the inspiration in it, and the writing and the construction are the strongest parts of the track by a distance.

It's a song built on faith, but it isn't overtly worship music. It's a big adult pop record in the 80s sense, and that's the shelf it belongs on.