At the Cross (Love Ran Red)

Album: Love Ran Red (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The title track of Love Ran Red, the song evokes a vivid picture of the cross. Chris Tomlin penned the tune with Jonas Myrin, who is a worship leader at Hillsong Church London, British worship singer-songwriter Matt Redman and Nashville songwriter and producer Matt Armstrong. It was helmed by Tomlin's regular producer, Ed Cash.
  • This song acts as the anchor for Tomlin's Love Ran Red, project. "This song is the centerpiece of the album," he told Billboard magazine. "When we were writing the song, it was the line, 'Where your love ran red and my sin washed white' -- it just knocked me out. It was such a simple way of sharing the Gospel. It's such a beautiful word picture of what Jesus has done for us. I feel like you can really see it."

    "I've heard it said that songwriting is like a photographer taking a picture of a mountain," Tomlin added. "It's the same mountain that everybody's looking at and taking a picture of, but the great photographers can take pictures of that mountain in a way that you've never seen it before. Songwriting is the same way…Sometimes it can be said in a way that you see things in a new way. That's what I feel this line is, 'where your love ran red and my sin washed white. I owe all to you.' Matt Armstrong wrote on 'At the Cross' and it was his lyric. It was the catalyst for that song. It's just a powerful way of seeing the grace of God in a fresh way. I thought it was such a beautiful title for an album."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Motley Crue

Motley CrueFact or Fiction

Was Dr. Feelgood a dentist? Did the "Crüecifixion" really happen?

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple PilotsSongwriter Interviews

Stone Temple Pilots bass player Robert DeLeo names the songs that have most connected with fans and tells the stories behind tracks from their Tiny Music album.

Peter Lord

Peter LordSongwriter Interviews

You may not recognize his name, but you will certainly recognize Peter Lord's songs. He wrote the bevy of hits from Paula Abdul's second album, Spellbound.