Smile

There are moments in life that changes our lives forever. Such is when there are the happiest moment and also the saddest moments of our lives. I heard this album when it came out early because as usual it was none other then the renowned Steven Curtis Chapman. After so many years in the Christian Music industry and winning loads of awards, selling millions of albums and tonnes of achievements when it comes to music, you can expect nothing less than an excellent album from him. His specialty is pop music and of course he has his own style. Very guitar based pop sometimes rock like styles. Plenty of amazing acoustic sounding stuff plus a blend of amazing up tempo fast songs and just heart melting ballads.

I must say this in bold. I have never ever been disappointed in buying an album by Steven Curtis Chapman. Never! That speaks a lot of his talent and growth in music. What I admire more is the spiritual growth you can see through each album.

This would not be my favorite album by him because in my heart the album Speechless by him is probably one of the best albums in the world. It is so well done that I think it set a bar soooo high that is quite hard to ever achieve such things all the time.

Still this album is the most moving album in my life. If you don’t know the story behind this album, let me be honored enough to share it with you through my own words. When I heard this album, one song stuck out like magic. I was literally dancing the first time I heard it. It was a magical song. I was literally living my dream as a father at that very moment. It was so powerful. It was a song speaking of how we should spend each moment with our loved ones (in particular his daughter hence the title Cinderella) because we never know when the clock will strike midnight and they’ll be gone. I am sooooooooo emotional as I type this.

Then it happened….the clock struck and she was gone….Steven Curtis Chapman’s daughter was killed in an accident not too long after this album was out. The song immediately found a greater sense of meaning for both his family and for families around the world. Hence the change of the albums name from This Moment to Cinderella (special edition). It was so moving. Not only because of the story but because of the message itself that came out from a beautifully written and produced song.

That overshadowed the rest of the album which in my opinion was superb in itself. Many other wonderful songs are contained in this album. The special edition comes with some extra bonuses like acoustic versions of the Cinderella song. But it don’t matter, I was in love with the album before that. I’m more in love with it now. Come to think about it, I think I realize that even the post before this was about Lea Salonga in Cinderella. I think this is no coincidence.

To help you understand why I say so, I have decided to stream the song for you. Please click and pause until it loads completely….then sit down, relax, put on good headphones, earphones, or speakers. Make sure you don’t get distracted for just 5 mins. Click on the play button again and close your eyes. After hearing it, you can comment whether I’m mistaken to give this album a full rating.

Album : 10/10

Cinderella – Steven Curtis Chapman

She spins and she sways to whatever song plays,
Without a care in the world.
And I’m sittin’ here wearin’ the weight of the world on my shoulders.
It’s been a long day and there’s still work to do,
She’s pulling at me saying “Dad I need you!
There’s a ball at the castle and I’ve been invited and I need to practice my dancin’”
“Oh please, daddy, please!”

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don’t wanna miss even one song,
Cuz all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone

She says he’s a nice guy and I’d be impressed
She wants to know if I approve of the dress
She says “Dad, the prom is just one week away,
And I need to practice my dancin’”
“Oh please, daddy, please!”

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Ohh-oh ohh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don’t wanna miss even one song,
Cuz all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone
She will be gone.

Well, she came home today
With a ring on her hand
Just glowin’ and tellin’ us all they had planned
She says “Dad, the wedding’s still six months away
but I need to practice my dancin’”
“Oh please, daddy please!”

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Ohh-oh ohh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don’t wanna miss even one song,
(even one song)
Cuz all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone

Cinderella plus inspiration of the song

The family and the tragedy

Tags: album