Step DOWN, Volume UP
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Boy, am I glad we found this song in the first place! (Special thanks go to Joe Prunera.) This is a live version of “Step Down” from a 1987 show. Joe messaged me while watching a concert video of this show recently; he was asking what guitar I was playing for this song. I had put it out on our Christmas album, "The Joy", but the volume was pretty low on it. Joe's question gave me the inspiration to finally put up the volume for this and re-release it on RN and Bandcamp. (I intend to correct a lot of our songs and re-release them.) I then created a simple photo video to post it on YouTube. What a treasure!
I was thrilled to discover Mike was playing with us in this show, but unfortunately we can't hear his piano, though his vocal is up front on the chorus. Like any live mix from back then, it wasn’t a perfect recording & there are some flaws, but the energy is great and Greg’s guitar is zinging it out all the way through, isn't it?! I believe this is one of his best ever leads. This reminds me that for a while Greg and I had an electric ‘guitar brothers’ thing going that was so much fun in concert. Also, listen to Dave's bass while I am singing during a lull in the 2nd verse: his unique funkiness is on full display. And what about the two notes Denise sings on the main chorus? just two notes, but oh so powerful & evocative! She gives the song its anthemic power. And what a classic LW vocal blend on the "Take my heart" part, huh!?! It reminds me of the other group vocals on some Christmas songs like "Glory to God" and "Love's Beginning".
Greg gets a ‘writing credit’ for working that great transition midway through and bringing the music side alive. He and I wrote this in the cellar. In concert, we used to say that “Greg and I were fooling around in the cellar” when we wrote this. (I once also ineptly tried to describe our community living arrangement by saying “some of us are married and some of us are living together”. After the laughter died down, I had to explain that we actually believed and practiced the Church’s teachings on marriage!!) As I noted elsewhere, the style and the short lyrical bursts were probably influenced by U2 as in “I Will Go” and some other songs we wrote at this time.
The theme keys off the great kenosis passage in Phillipians, where the Word of God modeled the all-powerful agape love of God by pouring himself out and ‘stepping down’ to be be born, so limited, in order to die, even on a cross, conquering sin & death on our behalf. (This meshes well thematically with "City of Joy", I think.) This is absolutely perfect for the Christmas/Epiphany season: "Born to die". Love commands us all to ‘step down’ in order to live in God's love and love each other. He stepped down to be with us in The Bread of Life. To come to realize that is gloriously freeing! When we learn how to serve like Jesus modeled in everything, we learn true happiness. I think I probably couldn’t find a better LW way to capture that wonderful thought.
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