Washed by the Water

"Washed by the Water"
Single by Needtobreathe
from the album The Heat
ReleasedLate 2007
GenreChristian rock
Length3:29
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart
Producer(s)Ed Roland, Rick Beato
Needtobreathe singles chronology
"More Time"
(2007) 		"Washed by the Water"
(2007) 		"Streets of Gold"
(2008)

"Washed by the Water" is a 2007 song by the Christian rock band Needtobreathe from their second studio album The Heat. It was released as a radio single at the end of 2007, becoming a No. 1 hit in the spring of 2008. It was the sixth most-played song on R&R's Christian CHR chart for 2008.[1]

Background

The song was written by the Rinehart brothers about their father who was a pastor. Lead singer Bear Rinehart said, "It's a song about my dad. He's a pastor ... There was some stuff that got said at our church that actually turned out to not be true when it all came out. I just thought it was a cool thing that my dad kept his integrity throughout that whole situation."[2]

Composition

The song is a piano-based rock ballad.[3] It takes influence from a southern style of music and has been labeled as "gospel-tinged".[4]

Release

The song reached No. 1 on R&R's CHR chart at the end of May 2008. By June 6, "Washed by the Water" had stayed at the No. 1 position for three consecutive weeks.[5]

Reception

The song was generally well received by music critics. Jesus Freak Hideout editor John DiBiase said that it is "another one of the album's true gems, a piano-driven southern delight ... [It is] new territory that will no doubt spread a smile across the listener's face."[3] Christa Banister of Christianity Today was also positive towards "Washed by the Water", saying that it "[packs] more emotional punch while Bear Rinehart's gravelly vocal rises to the top".[4]

In February 2009, the song won the "Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year" award at the 2009 GMA Dove Awards.[6] The song was also featured as About.com's Christian Music Song of the Week on October 15, 2007; editor Kim Jones labeled it as a "bluesy" and "awesome tune".[7]

Music video

In the week of February 11–16, 2008, a music video was filmed for "Washed by the Water".[8] The video premiered on April 5, 2008, airing on JCTV's monthly Top Ten music video countdown.[9]

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[10] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "2008 Year End Charts: Top Christian CHR songs". R&R. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
  2. ^ "Needtobreathe Interview". musicfaith.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
  3. ^ a b John DiBiase (July 16, 2007). "Needtobreathe, "The Heat" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  4. ^ a b Christa Banister. "Needtobreathe - The Heat". Christian Music Today. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  5. ^ "Christian CHR National Airplay". R&R. June 6, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
  6. ^ "40th Annual Dove Awards Nominees - Songs of the Year". About.com. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  7. ^ Kim Jones (October 13, 2007). "Song of the Week - needtobreathe is Cleaning Up With "Washed by the Water"". About.com. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  8. ^ "NEEDTOBREATHE Shoot Music Video For "Washed by the Water"". Jesus Freak Hideout. February 16, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
  9. ^ "NEEDTOBREATHE Celebrates 'Washed by the Water' Video Debut". CCM Magazine. April 4, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
  10. ^ "American single certifications – NEEDTOBREATHE – Washed by the Water". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 4, 2020.