Skyscraper
ALBUM DESCRIPTION
The songs on the Skyscraper album were nearly 30 years in the making. I started writing them in the late ’90s but was never able to take them much further than an acoustic guitar and my mediocre voice. I was in a band in college (the "famed" Bandolhoot), and we performed a couple of these songs, but after graduation, we went our separate ways. The songs collected dust, but my dream of taking them further never went away.
With the advent of Suno (an AI music production app), I’ve finally been able to revisit these songs and breathe new life into them. Some are philosophical and thoughtful, others are joyful worship tunes, and six of them are written for my family members. All of them are deep expressions of my heart.
Though some people may turn their noses up at AI productions, I want to be clear: these are my songs. I used Suno to help transform them into polished versions, but they’re all original. Some folks may not like the AI vocals—I get that. But again, I’m not a singer, and I can’t afford one. So Suno’s vocals are a really good option for someone like me. Honestly, I’m surprised at how great they sound.
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TRACK DESCRIPTIONS
1. Skyscraper
This song is a meditation on human pride, the instinct to build higher and stronger as if we could reach the divine by our own ingenuity. Written years before the towers of lower Manhattan etched themselves into our cultural memory, it now feels almost prophetic. It is a musical picture of the Babel complex: unify the people, stack the bricks, climb the sky, and pretend that God can be outbuilt. Of course, the tower always falls. Genesis 11:4 reminds us of the first skyscraper: “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens.” The result then, and now, is the same.
2. Happy Utopia Day
With a playful melody and a biting edge, this track takes aim at the false gospel of progress without God. It imagines a world where people stop to celebrate “Utopia Day,” a holiday for a man-made paradise that is more hollow than hopeful. The satire points out what our world longs to believe, that heaven can be built brick by brick with science, reason, or politics. But the reality is clear: perfection will never arrive through human invention. True paradise comes only through the cross of Christ.
3. Captivated
After two tracks that wrestle with pride and delusion, this song turns personal. It is a prayer, plain and unpolished, asking Christ to capture the heart and make Him the treasure above all else. The song was born during a season when I was steeped in the writings of John Piper and learning what it means to truly desire God. “Captivated” is about clearing the altar of the heart from its clutter and finding joy in beauty that cannot be bought.
4. Created to Smile
Probably the most cheerful tune on the record, this one has a playful, toe-tapping energy. But underneath the grin is a reminder that material things never last. Houses rot, cars break down, and treasures eventually fade. This song shrugs at the false promises of stuff and celebrates the lasting joy of knowing God. We were not made to hoard or to hustle for recognition. We were made to smile because we belong to Him.
5. Find Me
Here is a playful but serious reflection on the radical gap between us and God. Trying to find Him on our own is like an ant waving at an elephant, hoping to be noticed. The song admits that communion with God is impossible if left to human effort. The good news is that He is not hiding. By grace, He reaches down for the glory of His name.
6. The Poet
This song was written for those who live most of their lives in their own heads. That can be a lonely place, but it can also be beautiful. Poetic people often see creation in unique ways and can turn that vision into words that carry both weight and beauty. Their poems are like a river, giving space for emotion to flow. This song is for them.
7. Cows Come Home
The first of six family songs, this one belongs to my oldest son, Noah. Page helped write it when she came up with the line “I want to laugh until the cows come home.” It is a joyful celebration of early parenthood, when life was full of toddler giggles, train rides, puzzles, and simple delights. This song carries the weight of memory, a reminder of just how much joy God gave us in those early days of marriage and parenting. Psalm 127:3 says it simply: “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.”
8. Sugar and Spice
Anna’s song captures her energy and joy. As a baby she was famous for her loud, happy screams, and as she grew, she carried that same exuberance into every room she entered. Today she is a smart, beautiful young woman whose life radiates light. This song celebrates her uncontainable joy and the way God made her to brighten the world.
9. Think About These Things
Written for our daughter Mary Selah, this song is as thoughtful as her name suggests. Being the middle child gave her a unique role, and she embraced it with creativity and reflection. The title is a reference to Philippians 4:8, which urges us to think on what is true, lovely, and commendable. Mary has always had that reflective bent, and this song is both a celebration of her joy and creativity and an encouragement to keep thinking deeply.
10. Hey I’m on the Scene
This song is for Isaac, our second son, whose life has been full of music and creativity from an early age. It feels prophetic now because everywhere he goes, he really is “on the scene.” Isaac is both a thinker and an entertainer, moving easily between quiet reflection and bold performance. His musical gifts keep surprising us. This song is a tribute to the life and creativity he brings into every space.
11. Paradise
Written for our youngest daughter, Eden Rae, whose very name means paradise. She is a ray of light in our family, full of charm, personality, and talent. She loves to sing and dance, so it was only fitting that her track carried a K-pop influence, which is her favorite style right now. It may be the most danceable song on the record. “Paradise” is as much about her personality as it is about the promise that God’s presence is the true paradise for His people.
12. You Make Me Forget
This love song for Page was first written while we were dating in the late 1990s. The second verse was lost for years, but two decades later I wrote a new one to complete it. The song reflects the early days of discovering love, but also the ongoing story of a marriage that has endured both joy and hardship. It is not a song that pretends everything is perfect. Instead, it is a reminder that love grows deeper through real life together.
13. At the Cross
This arrangement of a beloved hymn carries both reverence and joy. The verses are ambient and reflective, while the choruses rise into celebration. The final chorus pays homage to the Southern Gospel style I grew up with. The whole piece is a tribute to the Savior who died for sinners. Romans 5:8 captures it best: “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
14. Skyscraper in Bluegrass
The closing track takes the weighty themes of “Skyscraper” and dresses them in banjo, fiddle, and the fun of bluegrass. It is a reminder of the joy of reimagining old songs in new ways, and a fitting bookend for the album. It leaves the listener smiling, even after the heavy reflections that came before.