Talking to Jesus
| "Talking to Jesus" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Promotional single by Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music featuring Brandon Lake | |
| from the album Old Church Basement | |
| Released | April 9, 2021 |
| Recorded | 2021 |
| Genre | Contemporary worship music |
| Length | 8:29 |
| Label | Elevation Worship |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
| Producer(s) |
|
| Music video | |
| "Talking to Jesus" on YouTube | |
| "Talking to Jesus" (Lyrics) on YouTube | |
"Talking to Jesus" is a song performed by American contemporary worship bands Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music, which features vocals from Brandon Lake. The song was released on April 9, 2021, as a promotional single from their collaborative live album, Old Church Basement (2021).[1] The song was written by Brandon Lake, Chris Brown, and Steven Furtick.[2]
"Talking to Jesus" debuted at No. 9 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart,[3] and at No. 1 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart.[4]
Brandon Lake and Thomas Rhett released a live rendition of "Talking to Jesus" as a standalone single on May 12, 2023.[5] Their rendition peaked at No. 26 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart.[6]
Background
[edit]On April 9, 2021, Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music released "Talking to Jesus" featuring Brandon Lake as the second promotional single from their collaborative album, Old Church Basement (2021).[1] "Talking to Jesus" is the follow-up to the first promotional single from the album, "Jireh". The song also marks Brandon Lake's second appearance on an Elevation Worship project, having co-written and featured on the hit single "Graves into Gardens".[1]
Writing and development
[edit]Chris Brown of Elevation Worship shared the story about how the song came about,[7] saying
That morning Brandon and I were hacking away at a really fast song idea on a $200 bass and a Gretsch guitar when pastor [Steven Furtick] walked in on a mission to share the lyric idea that had come to him in the car on the way over.
Brown further added that he had difficulty explaining how they fell into a two chord trance that lasted several hours, with Furtick telling stories on the microphone, but that is how the song came about.[7]
Composition
[edit]"Talking to Jesus" is composed in the key of B with a tempo of 59 beats per minute, and a musical time signature of 4
4.[8]
Commercial performance
[edit]"Talking to Jesus" debuted at No. 9 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart and at No. 1 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart, both dated April 22, 2021.[9] "Talking to Jesus" attracted 2 million streams and 4,000 downloads in the United States in its first week.[9] "Talking to Jesus" is the second Hot Gospel Songs chart-topper for Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music, while being Brandon Lake's first No. 1 entry on the chart. On Hot Christian Songs, it is the eighth top ten entry for Elevation Worship, and the second for Maverick City Music and Lake.[9]
Music videos
[edit]On April 9, 2021, Elevation Worship released the official music video of "Talking to Jesus" on their YouTube channel.[10] The video shows Brandon Lake leading the song.
On April 30, 2021, Elevation Worship published the lyric video of the song on YouTube.[11]
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[16] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
[edit]| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | April 24, 2021 |
|
Elevation Worship Records | [17] |
Brandon Lake and Thomas Rhett version
[edit]| "Talking to Jesus" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
_-_Brandon_Lake_x_Thomas_Rhett.jpg) | ||||
| Single by Brandon Lake and Thomas Rhett | ||||
| Released | May 12, 2023 | |||
| Recorded | April 16, 2023 | |||
| Venue | Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | |||
| Genre | Contemporary worship music | |||
| Length | 7:30 | |||
| Label | Provident Label Group | |||
| Brandon Lake singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Thomas Rhett singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Talking to Jesus" (Live from The Ryman) on YouTube | ||||
Brandon Lake and Thomas Rhett released a live version of "Talking to Jesus" as a standalone single on May 12, 2023.[18] The track was recorded during the Lake's headlining Miracle Nights Tour on April 16, 2023, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.[19]
Commercial performance
[edit]"Talking to Jesus" debuted at No. 26 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart dated May 27, 2023,[20] concurrently charting at No. 8 on the Christian Digital Song Sales chart.[21]
Music videos
[edit]On May 11, 2023, the audio video of "Too Good to Not Believe" was published on Brandon Lake's YouTube channel,[22] as well as the live performance video of the song alongside Thomas Rhett a day later.[23]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Talking To Jesus" (Live from The Ryman) | 7:30 |
| 2. | "Intro + Talking To Jesus" (Live from The Ryman) | 9:26 |
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Christian Songs (Billboard)[6] | 26 |
Release history
[edit]| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | May 12, 2023 | Provident Label Group |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Longs, Herb (April 9, 2021). "Elevation Worship & Maverick City Team Up For 'Talking To Jesus' – TCB". The Christian Beat. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ "Talking To Jesus | Chords, Lyrics and Sheet Music | SongSelect®". SongSelect. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ a b "Elevation Worship Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- ^ a b "Elevation Worship Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Hot Gospel Songs. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- ^ Longs, Herb (May 12, 2023). "Thomas Rhett Joins Brandon Lake For Live Version of 'Talking To Jesus' [WATCH] - Everything Nash". Everything Nash. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ a b "Brandon Lake Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ a b Yap, Timothy (April 13, 2021). "Elevation Worship and Maverick City Reveal How Grandma was the Inspiration Behind "Talking to Jesus" : News : JubileeCast". JubileeCast. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ "Talking to Jesus by Elevation Worship". MultiTracks. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ a b c Asker, Jim (April 22, 2021). "'Talking To Jesus' Tops Hot Gospel Songs Chart |} Billboard". Billboard. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- ^ "Talking To Jesus | Elevation Worship & Maverick City - YouTube". YouTube. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ "Talking To Jesus | Official Lyric Video | Elevation Worship & Maverick City - YouTube". YouTube. April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- ^ "Elevation Worship Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- ^ "Hot Christian Songs – Billboard". Billboard. Year-End Chart. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ "Hot Gospel Songs – Billboard". Billboard. Year-End Chart. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ "American single certifications – Elevation Worship – Talking To Jesus". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ "Talking To Jesus (feat. Brandon Lake) - Single by Elevation Worship, Maverick City Music | Spotify". Spotify. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ Clarks, Jessie (May 12, 2023). "Brandon Lake & Thomas Rhett Team Up For Powerful Rendition Of "Talking To Jesus" - TCB". The Christian Beat. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Woolum, Brandon (May 12, 2023). "Brandon Lake & Thomas Rhett Team Up For 'Talking To Jesus (Live From Ryman Auditorium)' | CCM Magazine". CCM Magazine. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ "Hot Christian Songs – Billboard". Billboard. May 23, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ "Christian Digital Song Sales Chart | Billboard". Billboard. May 23, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ "Talking To Jesus (Live From The Ryman) - Brandon Lake x Thomas Rhett (Official Audio) - YouTube". YouTube. May 11, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ "Brandon Lake, Thomas Rhett - Talking To Jesus (Live from The Ryman) - YouTube". YouTube. May 12, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ a b "Talking To Jesus (Live from The Ryman) - Single - Album by Brandon Lake & Thomas Rhett - Apple Music". Apple Music. May 12, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
