One of Christian music’s top-selling rock bands, GRAMMY®-nominated Skillet, returns with its latest recording capturing the raw energy and multi-textured sonic landscape for which they have become known. A mixture of dissonant chords, anthemic builds and memorable vocal interpretation combine to form a progressive, yet classic rock-influenced sound that’s all their own. Skillet’s straightforward message and innovative sound has garnered the band seven #1 songs and an avid fan base.

Pounding, classically influenced rock with a progressive edge, colored by dissonant chords, and gutsy vocals are all found on Skillet’s latest release, Awake. Relevant, innovative and unforgettable, Skillet continues its tradition of a straightforward, in-your-face gospel message of hope.

I recently spoke with John Cooper about his song “Believe,” my favorite song from Awake. You can listen to our entire conversation here.

Please tell me the personal story behind writing this song?

"Believe" was the last song we decided to add to the record. It barely made it on to Awake. The song didn’t make it on the pre-release copy. What people liked about it was the fact that it is a love song that doesn’t sound like a love song. It sounds more real. It’s a really honest love song. It’s about believing in the relationship and not giving up even though there are hard times. Sometimes you might be fighting and say dumb stuff, and you know you can work it out but what we really need to know is that our significant other still believes in us.

That married couple picture for me fits the picture of Christ and The Church with us being the one that says and does the dumb stuff and then asks for Christ to still believe in us.

Please tell me about any scripture verses that you used to write the song? Any life verse?

Romans 8:38-39: 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV)

Here are the lyrics to “Believe”

I'm still trying to figure out how to tell you I was wrong
I can't fill the emptiness inside since you've been gone
So is it you or is it me?
I know I said things that I didn't mean
But you should've known me by now
You should've known me

Chorus
If you believed
When I said
I'd be better off without you
Then you never really knew me at all
If you believed
When I said
That I wouldn't be thinking about you
You thought you knew the truth but you're wrong
You're all that I need
Just tell me that you still believe

I can't undo the things that led us to this place
But I know there's something more to us than our mistakes
So is it you or is it me
I know I'm so blind when we don't agree
But you should've known me by now
You should've known me

Cuz you're all that I want
Don't you even know me at all
You're all that I need
Just tell me that you still believe

I love singing along to this love song and the bottom line of “just tell me that you still believe”. That passion for me is the takeaway message: having that attitude of still believing in each other even after we’ve done wrong. That parallel applies to our relationships with loved ones and in our relationship with Jesus. Display forgiveness and still believe in each other. As is says in Romans 8:39: “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

You can listen to the song here.