Carrying a name that evokes substance and a sense of purpose, for KING & COUNTRY make their debut with music that more than lives up to their clever moniker. Enveloping their insightful lyrics in a sea of ear-grabbing melodies, brothers Joel and Luke have forged a distinctive sound that has earned them an enthusiastic fan base as well as the respect of industry professionals who keep tapping their music for use in high profile TV shows. Together, Joel and Luke ignite each other’s individual passions to form a unique, distinctive voice that blends into simmering sibling harmony, unrivaled by any other collaborative group to date. Born in Sydney, Australia and relocating with their family to Nashville, TN, Joel and Luke remember music being a constant presence in their life. Growing up in a large family of seven kids, the siblings began their creative experimentation early on, soaking up life experiences that would influence their musical future.

 

The group’s strengths are showcased not only through their voices, but their name as well. The name, "for KING & COUNTRY," was decided on after several attempts to find a name that appropriately encompasses who they are as musicians as well as their passionate personalities. “While working on our debut record, I came up with the idea of calling us ‘All the Kings Men,’ but it just didn’t fit exactly with what we were looking for,” said Luke. “We were in the studio with our producer and he said, ‘what about for king and country?’ The history of that phrase is that back in the olden days, the British would go into battle shouting, chanting, ‘For King and Country,’ sort of as an anthem of fighting for something that they believed wholeheartedly in. We all looked at each other in the studio and we just knew that was it.”

 

for KING & COUNTRY’s debut album, Crave, is a vibrant collection of songs, marked by emotional honesty and a riveting transparency. The first single, “Busted Heart (Hold On to Me)” is among the duo’s newer compositions and was inspired from a conversation on the brokenness that every person feels at some point in their life. I had the great opportunity to interview Joel and Luke in person at WinterJam in Reading, PA about their hit song “Busted Heart.” 

 

Thanks for joining me today guys. Please share the message behind writing the song “Busted Heart.” 
 

Joel: The heartbeat of the song is really a universal cry of humanity for something greater than ourselves. I sort of liken it to a five year old pompous kid who just got the training wheels off of his bicycle and he can ride for the first time and thinks he doesn’t need his Dad anymore. He has things all sorted out. And, after a little while he falls and crashes into a thorn bush and skins his knees and it’s that moment of realizing he can’t do it. He’s hurt and he’s damaged. All of the self-sufficiency comes down to a simple cry for Dad. Hold onto me, don’t let me lose my way. There is a bridge we cross as adults where we play the same games as kids. We think we’ve got it all sorted out and life will deal you those blows. This song is that cry saying, God, Father, hold onto me, don’t let me lose my way.

 

Please tell me about the Bible verses you used in writing the song. Any life verse?
 

Matthew 11:29-30: Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

 

What's the take-away message for listeners?
 

Luke: When we were writing this song, that Matthew 11 passage came to mind. When we go through life it’s so hectic and get beaten down and we go through so many trials. The truth is that we have a Father who is waiting to hold onto us. He’s someone we can rest in and He gives us that perfect peace. That’s what I love about the song, the verses are talking about real life. The chorus is just crying out to God. There comes those defining moments in each of our lives where we so severely need someone to hold on to us. It seems we are all, in different ways, shapes and forms, busted to some degree. This song is an honest confession: I can’t do this thing called life on my own. I need something, or more specifically, someone greater than myself to hold on to me. 

 

Joel: Life is always full of seasons isn’t it? There’s the highs and lows, the mountaintops and the deep valleys. The song is sort of built lyrically that way as well. The verses are the realization and confessional “busted heart” moments, “I’ve lost it, I need help.” The chorus is the SOS cry, “hold on to me.” The chorus is the action point. You mentioned the lyrics “chasing the wind” in the song and that’s a great point. It’s so intangible and literally if you reach out and try to grab it, you can’t do it. It will go where it goes, and you’ve got no hope if that’s your goal. The premise is that I have to hold on to something tangible. Worldly pursuits aren’t worth it. There’s something and someone more powerful, and that’s God.

 

 

Matthew Henry’s commentary: “Let them come to Christ, and they shall be made easy; He came to free His church from this yoke, to cancel the imposition of those carnal ordinances, and to introduce a purer and more spiritual way of worship; but it is rather to be understood of the burden of sin, both the guilt and the power of it. Note, All those, and those only, are invited to rest in Christ, that are sensible of sin as a burden, and groan under it; that are not only convinced of the evil of sin, of their own sin, but are contrite in soul for it; that are really sick of their sins, weary of the service of the world and of the flesh; that see their state sad and dangerous by reason of sin, and are in pain and fear about it. It is the duty and interest of weary and heavy laden sinners to come to Jesus Christ.” 

 

I really love the message and melody of this great song. In the lyrics “I keep chasing the wind instead of chasing Your love” I think of Solomon in Ecclesiastes. He had it all, wealth, prosperity, fame, power and wisdom but he recognized that material accomplishments meant nothing without God. A lot of the world today is striving for those same “meaningless” things which Solomon compared to “chasing the wind” nine times in Ecclesiastes.

 

God promises us in Matthew 11:29-30 that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. God comes and claims us in our darkest place. When we are in communion with God, it is joyful and not a burden. God has not forgotten you, He is closer than you could ever imagine, He is still the same today as yesterday, and His ultimate goal is “that you might have life, and life abundantly.” God doesn’t make bad things happen to us. He came to give us life and to live with Him eternally by trusting in Jesus alone for our salvation.  Know “that all things work together for good to them that love God.” If you’ve put all of your hope and trust in Jesus to save you from yourself, know it as a matter of fact. I love how this song incorporates the truth that as Christians we can all have complete faith in God in any circumstance and we can come to Jesus with our cry for grace and ask Him to “hold on to me, don’t let me lose my way” and He’ll meet you right where you are. Amen.

 

Don't hesitate to buy for KING & COUNTRY’s great debut album Crave or catch their set on WinterJam 2012. You can read my full review of WinterJam here.

Click here to watch the music video for "Busted Heart."