CHUCK GIRARD- Singer, Songwriter, Recording Artist, and Worship Leader
A Pioneer of Contemporary Christian Music, Member and Co-Founder of the CCM group 'LOVE SONG.'
A Pioneer of Contemporary Christian Music, Member and Co-Founder of the CCM group 'LOVE SONG.'
Don't Shoot The Wounded
“Don't Shoot The Wounded” almost didn't make it on the album.
Producer Bob Rose did not like how the bass guitar and the kick pedal of the drum played together. He actually refused to finish the song.
I felt so strongly that, on such a victorious album as this, this particular subject had to be addressed; that not everybody is victorious in their walk, and we need to uphold those who are weaker in faith than ourselves.
I finished up the song myself, which is why it's the only song on the album in which I take specific and complete production credit.
The title came from something quoted to me by Rob Watson my keyboard player at the time. He may have been going through something at the time in his personal life, but he told me, "The Christian army is the only army that shoots it's wounded." I'm sure the statement was not original with him, but it was the first time that I'd heard it, and it resonated with me. I felt it really needed to be made into a song.
This is another song that came lyrics first. I sat down and wrote all the lyrics in one sitting. I struggled for a long time to write the musical part of it. No musical approach I tried seem to enhance the power of the lyric. On the contrary it seemed to diminish it. I tried doing it like a blues song, like a rock song, like medium paced ballad... nothing seemed to work.
And one day I was sitting at the piano and I just began to play what but we call 1-4-5 blues chords. My mind went to the idea of something Bob Dylan does sometimes. He does what is called "talking blues," where he almost recites the lyric over the top of the music. When I did this, everything fell into place. The power of the lyrics seemed to be enhanced by this treatment.
I know I was right about including this song on the album. Over the years I've received tremendous response to the lyrics of this song. It seems to especially resonate when I play to street people or people in shelters. Many I'm sure are not even Christians, but they relate to the sentiment of this song.
Production note: it was really cool to get Irv Cox to do the saxophone solo on this song. He had done the very famous saxophone solo on the song "Miracles" by Jefferson Starship. His and my kids went to some kind of a school function together, and my wife had met Irv through school. She mentioned him to me, and I called him up to see if he would play on my album.
What I coached him to do on the solo was to make the saxophone kind of squeal and cry. Kind of like someone who was wounded.
Chuck
Producer Bob Rose did not like how the bass guitar and the kick pedal of the drum played together. He actually refused to finish the song.
I felt so strongly that, on such a victorious album as this, this particular subject had to be addressed; that not everybody is victorious in their walk, and we need to uphold those who are weaker in faith than ourselves.
I finished up the song myself, which is why it's the only song on the album in which I take specific and complete production credit.
The title came from something quoted to me by Rob Watson my keyboard player at the time. He may have been going through something at the time in his personal life, but he told me, "The Christian army is the only army that shoots it's wounded." I'm sure the statement was not original with him, but it was the first time that I'd heard it, and it resonated with me. I felt it really needed to be made into a song.
This is another song that came lyrics first. I sat down and wrote all the lyrics in one sitting. I struggled for a long time to write the musical part of it. No musical approach I tried seem to enhance the power of the lyric. On the contrary it seemed to diminish it. I tried doing it like a blues song, like a rock song, like medium paced ballad... nothing seemed to work.
And one day I was sitting at the piano and I just began to play what but we call 1-4-5 blues chords. My mind went to the idea of something Bob Dylan does sometimes. He does what is called "talking blues," where he almost recites the lyric over the top of the music. When I did this, everything fell into place. The power of the lyrics seemed to be enhanced by this treatment.
I know I was right about including this song on the album. Over the years I've received tremendous response to the lyrics of this song. It seems to especially resonate when I play to street people or people in shelters. Many I'm sure are not even Christians, but they relate to the sentiment of this song.
Production note: it was really cool to get Irv Cox to do the saxophone solo on this song. He had done the very famous saxophone solo on the song "Miracles" by Jefferson Starship. His and my kids went to some kind of a school function together, and my wife had met Irv through school. She mentioned him to me, and I called him up to see if he would play on my album.
What I coached him to do on the solo was to make the saxophone kind of squeal and cry. Kind of like someone who was wounded.
Chuck
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Chuck Girard's Music
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