Bart Millard Looks Back at MercyMe's Last 10 Years

Ten years ago Bart Millard, then the lead singer for a successful worship band, sat down and wrote a little song inspired by the death of his father. He called it "I Can Only Imagine." Today his band, MercyMe, is one of the most successful Christian groups in the world, and his "little" song has become a massive crossover hit, having sold nearly 3 million units. Last month MercyMe released a greatest hits CD-DVD celebrating the 10th anniversary of "I Can Only Imagine." We talked with Millard about his last decade—everything from his family to his friends to his father.

New Man: How does it feel to be releasing a greatest hits album?

Millard: We were actually kind of against it at first. You know, it kind of seems like it's the end of your career when you release one, and we don't think we're anywhere near being finished yet. But what got us interested is that it was the 10th anniversary of "Imagine." We like the idea of focusing on the songs more than the artist, so we were OK with that concept. And then when we started putting it all together, it was cool to look at what all of us had done over the last few years.

New Man: Is there a memory that sticks out most to you over the last 10 years?

Millard: Well, the whole "Imagine" thing going mainstream was surreal. There's a lot of things that have taken place in our career that we never thought possible—but that was just so random and surreal that the song would blow up the way it did. You literally get called from doing church shows and retreats to doing Leno the next day. And the fact that it reached such a wide audience and we didn't have to change the message was really amazing, too. There were many nights when we were like "How did we get here?" I think, for many artists, that they might have an idea of where they're going before they get there. But with this, it was above and beyond anything we thought possible.

New Man: What was it like hearing the London Symphony record a new version of "I Can Only Imagine" for the project?

Millard: It was pretty amazing. They had just finished recording part of the Harry Potter soundtrack for the movie this summer. And then the next day there's this 80-piece orchestra playing this song that I wrote. It was pretty emotional, to say the least. And to be in Abbey Road [studios], where The Beatles recorded their music. It's like a big gymnasium—and to hear the whole room fill up with this song I wrote was unbelievable.

New Man: Why do you think "Imagine" had such a powerful impact on so many people?

Millard: I think that the timing had a lot to do with it. The fact that we had gone through 9/11 and the war was starting to take place. All these things were going on in the nation, and I think the song coming out right then was God's timing. All of a sudden there was this song that people could just wrap their arms around—even people who hadn't darkened the door of a church in years.

When a country goes through a tough time, everyone gets more spiritual. We had people calling in to secular radio shows working their faith out on the air. I remember this one guy saying, "You know, I'm not religious or anything, but I realize that there's got to be something out there." I think that, whether you are a Christian or not, most people believe there's something bigger than us.

It's funny, because even though the song is blatantly about Jesus, a lot of times people try to interpret it in their own vague way, unfortunately. They say it could be for any religion, but I want to say, "No, not really." But I think it connects with people. It's not a "shove the gospel down your throat" kind of topic.

Plus, everyone has lost a loved one, no matter who you are.

New Man: What was it like to lose your father at an early age?

Millard: Well, it was tough. I was just about to turn 19. Yeah, it was extremely unbearable to deal with. My relationship with my dad wasn't this ideal image. My parents divorced when I was 3, and like most men, we probably didn't express ourselves like we could have. But through the song, I could express myself and work through a lot of stuff. It's hard to be a songwriter sometimes. We write because it's our way of dealing with things, but sometimes it can feel so trivial when you're writing about such a somber topic and trying to make it rhyme.

It's so funny that I talk about his all the time now because of that song. Maybe that's why a lot of people are drawn to the song, because I was trying to work out how I felt. But I'm not an expert on this stuff at all. I'm just trying my best to be a great dad and a great husband.

New Man: What do you do to remain a good father and husband when you're on the road a lot? We have a lot of readers who have to travel as well.

Millard: We've been blessed to get to a point where we can say no. A lot of bands have to do a million dates. Fortunately things fell into place so that once most of the guys in the group were getting married and having kids, we could say no to certain gigs and events. You have to go to great lengths to know to let your family know that whatever you do, they are more important.

We do about 110 dates every year—every weekend or so. We take December and January off to be with our families. We take most of May off. It's worked out wonderfully, but it's always a struggle. The one positive for us is that we realized it was going to be a struggle even before we got married, so it's always been at the front of our minds. It's when you get comfortable with it and stop talking about it, that's when the issue comes about. We're not perfect by any means, but we're going to do everything we can to let our families know we'd rather be with them than anywhere else. And my wife is wonderful about this. She's very understanding; but if I ever step out of line or lose my focus, she lets me know. I jut have to keep listening to her to make sure I'm on the right track.

New Man: What's it like to be a part of a band in which all the guys are Christians and have known one another for years?

Millard: We're like family. We're talking to each other off the road. Our wives know each other. Our kids play together. You can't play together for 15 years and not be close. I know there's such a huge sense of accountability with the six of us—plus the crew. I can't imagine what it would be like to go it alone or make all the decisions by myself. I just couldn't do it without the other five guys. We're always keeping each other in check

The group has been a huge part of my life. Sometimes I call them my "security blanket." We've gone through enough difficult times in our lives to where we literally are closer than brothers. I've had a lot of opportunities in the past where labels say, "If you separate from the band, you could make a lot more money." But it was never even an issue. You can't put a price tag on that. Yeah we're super close. I think it was Bono who said that being in a band is like being in the Mafia—the only way you get out is if you die.

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