"Count 'Em" is a song by
Brandon Lake
Michael Brandon Lake (born June 21, 1990) is an American contemporary worship music, Christian worship singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He writes songs at Seacoast Church in Charleston, South Carolina and he is a former member of Bethel Music ...
. The song was released on August 4, 2023, as the second single from his fourth studio album, ''
Coat of Many Colors
In the Hebrew Bible, the coat of many colors or () is the name for the garment that the Bible, Biblical Joseph (Genesis), Joseph owned; it was given to him by his father Jacob in Vayeshev (Book of Genesis, Genesis 37).
Biblical narrative
Jose ...
'' (2023). Lake co-wrote the song with Hank Bentley and Jacob Sooter.
Jacob Sooter and Hank Bentley worked on the production of the single.
The song peaked at number 19 on the US
Hot Christian Songs
Hot Christian Songs is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It ranks the popularity of Christian songs using the same methodology developed for the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the magazine's flagship songs c ...
chart published by ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''.
Background
On July 31, 2023, Lake announced that he will embark on the Coat of Many Colors Tour in the fall of 2023, and that "Count 'Em" will be released on August 4, 2023. "Count 'Em" was released as the second single from the album, along with its accompanying music video, on August 4, 2023.
Writing and development
Lake shared the story behind the song in an interview with ''
American Songwriter
''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
History
The ''American Songwri ...
'', saying:
Composition
"Count 'Em" is a
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
song containing hip-hop influence and gospel choir background vocals.
The song is composed in the key of
C or
C minor
C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major.
The C natural minor scale is:
Cha ...
with a tempo of 70 beats per minute and a musical time signature of .
Reception
Critical response
Writing for
Air1
Air1 is an American Christian radio network owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), a non-profit Christian ministry. It primarily broadcasts contemporary worship music, and is a sister to the EMF's K-Love network.
History
On July 15, ...
, Lindsay Williams opined on the song: "With dark undertones of synth-heavy pop and a rapid-fire, hip-hop inflected delivery, "Count 'Em" is a lyrically rich single that doesn't fit the typical worship mold, yet holds a high reverence for the fear of God."
Reviewing for Jesus Freak Hideout, Matthew Spiker said ""Count 'Em" is easily the heaviest song on the album and has one of the best hooks."
Lindsay Williams in her
K-Love
K-Love (stylized as K-LOVE) is an American Christian radio network. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), a non-profit Christian ministry, it primarily broadcasts contemporary Christian music.
As of June 2019, the network's progr ...
review wrote: "The fiery track is full of dark, moody production and a spitfire spoken-word delivery, swiftly proving Lake's music can't be categorized, nor can it be pegged as anything other than unpredictable. But that's precisely what makes him so compelling as an artist."
In a NewReleaseToday review, Jasmin Patterson said of the song: "The grit and edge in this one fit the subject matter of how powerful and victorious God is. "
Awards and nominations
Commercial performance
"Count 'Em" debuted at number 27 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart dated August 19, 2023, concurrently charting at number six on the Christian Digital Song Sales chart, and number 21 on the Rock Digital Song Sales chart. The song peaked at number 19 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart dated December 16, 2023,
Music videos
Brandon Lake released the official music video of "Count 'Em" through their YouTube channel on August 4, 2023. Lake also released the lyric video for the song via YouTube on the same day. On January 19, 2024, Lake released the live performance video of the song recorded during the
Summer Worship Nights Tour on YouTube.
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Release history
References
External links
* on PraiseCharts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Count 'Em
2023 songs
2023 singles
Brandon Lake songs
Songs written by Brandon Lake