"Thy Will" is a Christian country song recorded by American singer and songwriter Hillary Scott for her collaborative album with the Scott Family, '' Love Remains'' (2016). Scott co-wrote the faith-affirming song with Bernie Herms and Emily Weisband. It was released April 22, 2016 as the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

from the record and impacted Christian and country radio formats. Commercially, "Thy Will" was a moderate

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...

hit; it reached the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot Christian Songs chart in July 2016 and also reached 27 on the magazine's

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart. Scott had previously experienced success in the

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

genre as a member of the popular trio

Lady A Lady A, known until 2020 as Lady Antebellum, is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar ...

. It won Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song at the

59th Annual Grammy Awards The 59th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 12, 2017. The CBS network broadcast the show live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year ...

Composition

"Thy Will" was produced by

Ricky Skaggs Rickie Lee Skaggs (born July 18, 1954), known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, ma ...

with assistance from Bernie Herms and lasts for three minutes and fifty-seven seconds. The

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

is built on a piano melody and an

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

l arrangement that draws on elements of

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

. As the song progresses, the backing instrumental builds to "keep up with her emotions," until it reaches its "swell" at the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

. According to the sheet music published by Alfred Publishing Company, "Thy Will" is set in compound duple time () with a "gentle" tempo of approximately 55 BPM. It is composed in the key of

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 ...

and follows a

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...

of Cm–B–Gm–A, with Scott's vocals ranging from the note of E to C. Lyrically, "Thy Will" is a plea for explanation from

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

about difficulties facing the narrator. Written by Scott after experiencing a

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can fetal viability, survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks ...

in 2015, the song finds her learning to accept her circumstances and move forward knowing that God has a plan. The

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

, "thy will be done," was derived from Scott's own prayers around the time of her loss.

Reception

Critical

The staff of country music blog, ''

Taste of Country Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

'', wrote that "it's the arrangement that truly sets this song apart from anything on the radio or in country music right now," while praising Scott's vulnerability and the song's spiritual message.

Commercial

"Thy Will" entered the ''Billboard''

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 at No. 6 on the chart date May 14, 2016. It debuted at No. 2 and No. 31 on the Christian Digital Songs and

Christian Airplay Christian Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since June 21, 2003. This chart lists the 50 most-listened-to records played on multiple Christian radio stations across the country as monitored by Ni ...

component charts, respectively. The song reached the top spot on the Hot Christian Songs chart dated July 30, 2016. It also reached No. 1 on Christian Airplay, on the chart dated September 24, 2016. On the country music charts, "Thy Will" entered the

at No. 33 on the chart date May 14, 2016. It debuted at No. 22 on the Country Digital Songs component chart, with 11,000 units sold. "Thy Will" has since reached a peak position of No. 27 on the Country Songs chart dated October 1, 2016. The song has not entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 but did debut and peak at No. 12 on the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

extension chart. "Thy Will" has sold 248,000 copies in the United States as of January 2017.

Music video

An accompanying

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

was directed by

Shane Drake Shane C. Drake is an American music video director and producer originally from Redding, California. He has directed videos for many artists, including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Avril Lavigne, Trivium, Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Panic! at th ...

and premiered June 20, 2016. The video sees Scott isolated in the woods, where she comes across a knotted rope in a stream. Flashes of thorns, as well as the knots in the rope, are interpreted by Jon Freeman of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' to be symbolic of the struggles Scott's character faces, with her eventual disentanglement representing her rising above the tragedy. The music video has reached over 20 million views as of October 2020.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year end charts

Decade-end charts

References

{{Lady Antebellum 2016 songs 2016 singles Universal Music Group singles Capitol Records Nashville singles Songs written by Hillary Scott Songs written by Bernie Herms Song recordings produced by Ricky Skaggs Songs written by Emily Weisband Hillary Scott songs