An Anointed Song Gets So Many Responses
An interview with singer-evangelist Jonathan McClintock
October 7, 1999
Jonathan McClintock, 25, has been singing in gospel circles for over a
decade now. Following the normal ladder of Apostolic voice training
(children’s musicals and choirs), McClintock soon blossomed into solo parts at
his home church and beyond. Passionate about sharing his burden through song, it
was only in the last few years that he began writing some of his own material -
a craft, he admits, he still hasn’t mastered.
It has served him well nonetheless. Having grown up in the suburbs of St.
Louis under the tutelage of his grandfather, the Reverend E.J. McClintock, he
felt the call to preach as a teen. He attended Christian Life College, where he
graduated with an Associate’s of Arts in Theology, then returned home to
graduate from Saint Louis University with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology.
After evangelizing part-time, he married and took that large step of
faith to became a full-time evangelist. He and his wife, Rebecca, have now been
on that road for nine months. During this period, they decided to broaden their
opportunities to minister and recorded his first CD, entitled
Where
Would I Be?
Long pegged as a talent to watch, McClintock is now beginning to live his
potential. ninetyandnine.com decided to talk to him about the ministry of song
while he was evangelizing throughout the Deep South. This interview took place
in September, 1999.
You've been singing
since you were a child. What's your first memory of singing in public?
(My) first memory of singing in public was as
"Twinkle" the little star in the Christmas musical at church by the
same name. (I was) 10 years old.
Can you give us a
few highlights of your musical background?
Beyond the children's choir at church/adult choir, I sang
for two years in the concert choir and chorale at Pattonville High School. Sang
in district competition my senior year. Qualified
for state competition, but didn't finish in the finals. Had a lead in our school
musical Little Abner, as the woman
crazed billionaire who was trying to buy out a poor, helpless hillbilly from his
home-grown miracle tonic. What a plot, huh?
I have never taken any voice lessons, but did further my involvement in
Choir and Choral at Christian Life College in Stockton, California.
So, why did you
create a CD?
It's always been a dream of mine. To actually have my voice recorded professionally.
Beyond that, it was to get the songs people like to hear me sing in their
hands, to listen to, enjoy, and having better quality than those old blue tapes
our church used to use¾where
the singing sounded like music coming from a tape deck without charged
batteries. Dragging!
Beyond that, I knew it would also help subsidize expenses Rebecca and I
have while traveling. Many reasons
were behind the creation of this project.
I’d like to delve
into this musical passion of yours. How long have you been writing songs?
I guess I have been trying
to create songs for over eight years now, but I finally got serious about it in
the last three years. Although my
first real song I would have to say is
"Still Sweet River." It
is on this album and I wrote it while in Bible School during my first year there
(1992-93).
How long does it
take you to write a song?
Some take longer than others obviously.
For an example, "Never Gonna Give the Rocks a Chance"
took about 20 minutes. While
"He Understands" took about 4 months to finish. It all depends on how quickly the thought line of the song
develops in your mind. And if the
tune you hear in your mind flows with the words.
I try most of the time with a tune in mind and add the words.
What clicked
with "Never" that didn't with "He Understands"?
I think there were a few things that came into play with
these. "Never...." was
written under pressure. I had to
get it done quickly because I was recording only a few weeks from then.
Also, the tune came to mind quicker and words just started coming.
It's also like some of my best sermons, seemed to just fall in my lap.
The thought came and anointing kicked in and there it is!
With "He Understands" it was a more emotional song.
Written around the sickness and subsequent death of my grandfather.
It bore much of my burden and grief and just took longer to come about.
Also, I seemed to work on a worthwhile tune forever.
I put more thought into that song.
How can you tell a
good tune from a bad tune? How do you know a tune is worth keeping instead of
dumping?
Well, one of the hardest things for me is a tune will come
and it will sound familiar. I'll
ask Rebecca, "Does this remind
you of a song?" Also, you want
the words and music to match. For
instance, the first line of the chorus of "He Understands" is those
words, but I wanted to start off with a positive feel.
So you allow the notes of the tune to ascend, not descend which would be
a negative feel. It's all about
feel. But it is also about your
style too. There really is no good
or bad tune. It's how you feel
about it yourself. Of course, there
are some exceptions; that's why some songwriters never get their songs sung.
That's why you can tell Steven Curtis Chapman’s music right away.
People might say, "All his songs sound the same."
They say that about a lot of songwriters.
It's NOT a bad thing. It's their style and personality intertwined in their
music. It's their feelings, their
experiences and their dreams coming through their music.
How did you know you
could write a song?
I really didn't. I
just got an inspiration to write one, one time. The important part is finding the right people who know music
and ask them what they think. "Still
Sweet River" being the first real
song I had written, I asked a music major at Bible School about it and she loved
it. She then asked Elizabeth
Goodine and she approved of it. Don't
be afraid to let people hear what you are doing and give their opinions.
But the great thing is: Even
if your songs never get recorded, they are still an outlet for your experiences
and feeling. Just like poetry. But
if you do want to explore the possibilities of getting your songs published,
there are many books you can read and people you can talk to.
Is songwriting
something anyone can do?
To some extent. But
it does take a certain understanding of how music works to at least have a song
that makes musical sense. It just
depends on what your purpose of writing is.
Record? Publish?
Sing? Just an emotional
outlet?
Is there anyone's
songwriting ability you especially admire?
I admire Tom Trimble, because he's not only creative, but
they are simple thoughts yet very profound.
He's the first that came to my mind.
Who are some of your
favorite Christian singers/groups?
I have always liked Michael English.
Although my respect for him suffered tremendously through his struggle.
I just enjoy his talent and unbelievable control of his voice. With his
void in singing, I found another artist that I like even as much now.
His name is Michael O'Brien. He
sings so heartfelt and pours himself into it.
I identify with that style. I have really enjoyed 4Him.
Mostly because of the opportunity I had to meet them and get a picture
taken with them out in California. I really think Phillips, Craig and Dean have
unbelievable blend in their voices. There are not many female voices I enjoy
hearing. Except for Cede Winans and
the 2 females in the group "Anointed." I mostly enjoy those groups or
individual artists whose music I can sing in
church. I am always looking for
another song to learn.
Is there any
significant moment or experience where you began to understand the power of a
strong gospel song?
Probably the way I saw people react when a great choir song
was done. How Bro. Roemig would
take off from the platform and run. How
seemingly quiet ladies would step out of the ordinary and begin to dance.
An anointed song seemed to get so many responses.
From dancing to crying to a jubilant ovation.
Why do you want to
minister through song? What can singing do that preaching can't?|
Singing can break the ice and settle people in and prepare
them for the preaching. Obviously,
God didn't choose singing to save, he chose preaching. But I love to sing before I preach, because it tends to
settle people into wanting to listen to what I have to say in the preached word.
How do you cultivate
this ministry of song so that it's always to God's glory?
You just try to make sure that the song points to Him.
It has a message that coincides with the word of God and ultimately gives
glory to Him. I never want to abuse
this gift by taking any glory away from Him.
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