Faith Hill: Fireflies
Once more, I dive into the country scene, but some will say it’s not real country! Faith Hill’s latest, Fireflies, is her typical fare—you can expect some upbeat songs, some aging melodrama, some religious allusions, and more. Love it or hate it, Hill and Tim McGraw have provided some entertaining songs and some middle age soul-searching. This album has little flow to it, from one song to another, but the different snapshots or “fireflies� are worth examining.
“Sunshine and Summertime� is a radio-friendly party song, with an invitation to party, celebrate and meet new friends. “Mississippi Girl� is much more passionate—it’s a defiant response to the unspoken accusations of others that fame has changed her. Hill sings that she remembers where she’s from, what her dreams used to be: “And some people seem to think/That I’ve changed/That I’m different than I was back then/But in my soul I know that I’m/The same way/That I’ve really always been.� Part of who we become is worth remembering where we’re from and allowing ourselves to grow from that without leaving it completely behind. From a faith perspective, it would be about who made us and for what purpose—those things define us.
In the middle batch of songs, Hill sings about relationships between men and women. In “Dearly Beloved,� she mocks the marriage ceremony of two friends who are only getting married until they find someone else—not much by the way of til death do us part! She sings that the “side-effects/of sex and alcohol� result in the woman being pregnant (shotgun wedding of sorts?) and asks the listeners to join in prayer for this short-lived marriage. How much sarcasm is involved? Does Hill mock marriage or the results that leave to a temporary relationship? Based on the public and stable depiction we have of the Hill-McGraw relationship, it seems that she does hold marriage, and therefore, relationships in high, almost sanctified, regard.
“I Ain’t Gonna Take It Anymore� is the bitter resolve to fight off her oppressor, and then “Stealing Kisses� and “Fireflies� moves into the growing older retrospective. The title track contains lyrics worth noting: “I believe in fairy tales and dreamers dream/like bed sheet sails/And I believe in Peter Pan and miracles/Anything I can to get by.� Hill’s illustration of faith in the spiritual continues later as she converses with an angel, as she used to “bless myself in your name and/pat you on your wings/Before I grew up I heard you/whisper so loud.� Does the aging process cancel out Hill’s belief in the angel? Possibly, but I’m not completely sold on that.
Hill has three rather bland songs before busting out with “If You Ask,� a wonderful depiction of forgiveness for one who has not shown much love. “If you ask for my forgiveness/If you call my name I will come/If you ask for my love I will give you some.� Her further observation points toward the inevitable recognition by the man involved that he was wrecking his life (and the subsequent changes he would make), but the focus is on the love that she will provide now. These strike me as similar to Christian-influenced attitudes of forgiveness, with a twist—but we never have to ask for God’s love. While to be saved we must turn toward Him, He is always facing us. Like God though, Hill says she would prefer to be a lover, not a policeman.
Hill makes some socio-political statements in “We’ve Got Nothing But Love To Prove.� She asks, “What if no one would kill for/their religion/What if no one ever had to go to war/What if the children of the world made/world decisions.� Her spiritual attitude comes through later with “It’s like everything and nothing/leads to wisdom. While we fight for peace and/die for our freedom/I guess we’ll leave it to our children to/find a better way.� She has some moralistic views that hinge on peace, and religion is one of the factors in the problem she sees. Unfortunately, Christianity has been the excuse for terrible atrocities over the centuries—the worst examples for Christ are often Christians.
The close (short of the ‘secret’ track “Paris�) of the album is hopeful in “Wish For You,� a ballad of happiness and hope for Hill’s children. Filled with images of peace, experience and the opportunity for growth, she hopes that others might have “The faith of knowing deep inside your heart/That heaven holds more than just some stars/Someone’s up there watching over you/That’s the kind of day I wish for you.� Hill’s hope for the future doesn’t hold any clear spiritual decisiveness, but she holds on to hope…and faith.
While there is still room for questions and exploration, the album’s sweet melodies and forward-looking faith works for me. Listening to the album, that’s the kind of hour that I would wish for you.
“Sunshine and Summertime� is a radio-friendly party song, with an invitation to party, celebrate and meet new friends. “Mississippi Girl� is much more passionate—it’s a defiant response to the unspoken accusations of others that fame has changed her. Hill sings that she remembers where she’s from, what her dreams used to be: “And some people seem to think/That I’ve changed/That I’m different than I was back then/But in my soul I know that I’m/The same way/That I’ve really always been.� Part of who we become is worth remembering where we’re from and allowing ourselves to grow from that without leaving it completely behind. From a faith perspective, it would be about who made us and for what purpose—those things define us.
In the middle batch of songs, Hill sings about relationships between men and women. In “Dearly Beloved,� she mocks the marriage ceremony of two friends who are only getting married until they find someone else—not much by the way of til death do us part! She sings that the “side-effects/of sex and alcohol� result in the woman being pregnant (shotgun wedding of sorts?) and asks the listeners to join in prayer for this short-lived marriage. How much sarcasm is involved? Does Hill mock marriage or the results that leave to a temporary relationship? Based on the public and stable depiction we have of the Hill-McGraw relationship, it seems that she does hold marriage, and therefore, relationships in high, almost sanctified, regard.
“I Ain’t Gonna Take It Anymore� is the bitter resolve to fight off her oppressor, and then “Stealing Kisses� and “Fireflies� moves into the growing older retrospective. The title track contains lyrics worth noting: “I believe in fairy tales and dreamers dream/like bed sheet sails/And I believe in Peter Pan and miracles/Anything I can to get by.� Hill’s illustration of faith in the spiritual continues later as she converses with an angel, as she used to “bless myself in your name and/pat you on your wings/Before I grew up I heard you/whisper so loud.� Does the aging process cancel out Hill’s belief in the angel? Possibly, but I’m not completely sold on that.
Hill has three rather bland songs before busting out with “If You Ask,� a wonderful depiction of forgiveness for one who has not shown much love. “If you ask for my forgiveness/If you call my name I will come/If you ask for my love I will give you some.� Her further observation points toward the inevitable recognition by the man involved that he was wrecking his life (and the subsequent changes he would make), but the focus is on the love that she will provide now. These strike me as similar to Christian-influenced attitudes of forgiveness, with a twist—but we never have to ask for God’s love. While to be saved we must turn toward Him, He is always facing us. Like God though, Hill says she would prefer to be a lover, not a policeman.
Hill makes some socio-political statements in “We’ve Got Nothing But Love To Prove.� She asks, “What if no one would kill for/their religion/What if no one ever had to go to war/What if the children of the world made/world decisions.� Her spiritual attitude comes through later with “It’s like everything and nothing/leads to wisdom. While we fight for peace and/die for our freedom/I guess we’ll leave it to our children to/find a better way.� She has some moralistic views that hinge on peace, and religion is one of the factors in the problem she sees. Unfortunately, Christianity has been the excuse for terrible atrocities over the centuries—the worst examples for Christ are often Christians.
The close (short of the ‘secret’ track “Paris�) of the album is hopeful in “Wish For You,� a ballad of happiness and hope for Hill’s children. Filled with images of peace, experience and the opportunity for growth, she hopes that others might have “The faith of knowing deep inside your heart/That heaven holds more than just some stars/Someone’s up there watching over you/That’s the kind of day I wish for you.� Hill’s hope for the future doesn’t hold any clear spiritual decisiveness, but she holds on to hope…and faith.
While there is still room for questions and exploration, the album’s sweet melodies and forward-looking faith works for me. Listening to the album, that’s the kind of hour that I would wish for you.
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