Mercy Me's Best Albums and Singles

With the recent release of Mercy Me’s new album, Lifer, I thought it was time to make my lists of the best Mercy Me albums and singles of all time! Do you agree or disagree? Sound off in the comments section below!


Mercy Me Albums Ranked Best to Worst:

1. Coming Up to Breathe (2006)

The first true artistic statement of Mercy Me’s career and where they jumped from being an AC-pop worship band to legitimate superstars. It was clear they worked very hard on their musicianship to make this album the triumph it was.

2. Welcome to the New (2014)

There is a freedom and joy found on this album only rivaled by Lifer but the lyrics on Welcome just have a little more depth and potency and there are simply some classic songs on this record.

3. Lifer (2017)

Time will tell whether Lifer rises or falls in this overall list but MM’s newest record is a testament of joy, growth and risk with only one traditional radio ballad (“Even If”) to be found on the 10-song album and more BPMs than all of MM’s previous albums combined. A true modern triumph for an established CCM band.

4. The Hurt and the Healer (2012)

Overall a very consistent and solid album with classic singles (You Are I Am, The Hurt and The Healer) and some barn burner deep album cuts (“Take the Time”, “The First Time”) that were a foretaste of the glories to come in their next two albums.

5. The Generous Mr. Lovewell (2010)

MM’s shot at a concept album was, for the most part, good. This album includes some of the bands best songs (“Move”, “All of Creation”, “This So Called Love”, “This Life”) but they didn’t seem committed to going all out with the concept album idea as there were several middle of the road tracks that seemed to just be either filler or potential radio tracks (“Beautiful”, “Only You Remain”, “Free”).

6. The Christmas Sessions (2005)

This Christmas album served as a bridge between the AC-focused Undone and the progressive rock feel of Coming Up to Breathe. The symphonic rock of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” was worth the price of the album alone but, despite several attempts to move their sound forward, much of the album was your typical AC/worship sound that dominated their past non-holiday releases.

7. Mercy Me, It's Christmas! (2015)

Not a bad Christmas release at all but certainly unnecessary as their Welcome to the New singles were still in full force on radio and there were several other high profile Christmas albums released that same year that overshadowed any songs released from this project.

8. Undone (2004)

The best album of MercyMe Phase 1 which featured a big budget and a confidence not found on their first two releases. While there was plenty of filler in the second half, the ballads on this album are stuff all other CCM artists dream they could make.

9. Spoken For (2002)

I have a personal affinity towards this album as it was my dad’s favorite CD for about 10 years but this album holds the singles that continue to define MM’s radio releases: “Word of God Speak”- the stripped down ballads, “Spoken For” the massive power ballad and “The Change Inside of Me”: The fun, upbeat and positive pop/rock song. Also, their version of “The Love of God” is the best!

10. All That is Within Me (2007)

After the triumph that was Coming Up to Breathe, this album seemed like a major step back, even though there were some solid rockers mixed in with the AC ballads and worship songs. Something about this particular album seemed forced. It was almost as if they knew they needed to quickly follow up their last record with something a little more familiar. It worked as both “God with Us” and “You Reign” were career-sized hits but it still feels like a bit of a step back in their discography.

11. The Worship Sessions (2011)

Bart Millard’s voice is so perfectly sculpted to sing hymns and praise songs and it made sense for them to put out a throwaway record of him singing them. Even if it was unnecessary and far inferior to their original material it was still a fun novelty record.

12. Almost There (2001)

Mega-hit “I Can Only Imagine” is the centerpiece of this record and that’s all you need to know about it. The rest of the songs found here are just feel like the b-side to that massive hit. This was originally recorded and produced independently and you can tell. While this album would be a career record for most P&W bands, Mercy Me has only gone up from here and that’s a good thing.

Mercy Me Singles Ranked Worst to Best (A Critic’s Opinion)

With the radio release of “Even If,” the carrier single for their most recent album, Lifer, MercyMe celebrated their 25th non-holiday single to be released to CCM radio. In honor of this special occasion, I have ranked each of their singles from worst to best. The standards for this listing includes the timeliness of its release in regards to MercyMe’s career, the CCM music scene at the time and the song’s relevance and/or influence on the CCM industry as well as each single’s actual success at radio and of course my personal like/dislike of the track. Sound off your opinions and comments below!


25. No More No Less

While not a bad album track by any means, this was a head-scratcher when INO (now FairTrade) released this as the band’s final CHR single from Coming Up to Breathe. There are simply better pop/rock potential singles from that album. This one was not the right pick and radio agreed. It didn’t even make the top 20 on the CHR charts.


24. Bless Me Indeed

The forgotten debut single! Inspired by the incredibly popular (in 2001) Prayer of Jabez this single had the makings of a hit but was quickly overshadowed by the mammoth that was and is “I Can Only Imagine.” It never charted.


23. The Change Inside Of Me

Released as a CHR-only single from the Spoken For album, it made the top 10 on the CHR charts but quickly fell into oblivion with the resurgence of “I Can Only Imagine” on CCM CHR radio after it became a mainstream hit. At the time it was a nice change of pace from the three previous ballads MercyMe had released but they have since released far superior upbeat songs and unfortunately this song has been long forgotten.


22. Beautiful

Musically, lyrically and melodically, this is CCM at its most generic and banal. Despite the fact that it was a big #1 hit for the group, this single did nothing at all for MercyMe’s career and its easily the least exciting single in their discography.


21. You Reign

Another generic CCM single from MercyMe. It ranks a little higher than “Beautiful” because it was the 2nd most played song of 2008 and it at least had a catchy hook.


20. Finally Home

A bookend of sorts to the “I Can Only Imagine” and “Homesick” storylines regarding Bart’s father’s death, this final single from All That Is Within Me was a sweet downtempo acoustic song but has since fallen out of memory and favor with radio programmers in favor of better acoustic tracks from the band.


19. Dear Younger Me

In many ways “Dear Younger Me” replaced “Finally Home” on the recurrent charts and in MercyMe’s setlists as they are both similar in style and tempo. DYM is a little more upbeat and new so it still gets airplay but in a few years this one too shall fade in favor of better MM singles.


18. Homesick

Bart Millard did not want this song released as a single as it dealt with he and his band’s mourning the loss of several close to them over the past few years. However, it was so popular and tested so well that INO released it anyway, it was a massive hit (on both the CCM and mainstream AC charts) and MM was compelled to play it live for some time. It ranks so low because MM now refuses to play it live as it brings back many painful memories. In many ways it probably would have been better to release another song that would have been more enduring and less difficult for the band.


17. Bring The Rain

A massive hit for MM at the time, (2nd most played song of 2007) this is probably one of their more forgotten major hits. At the time it was the perfect single choice but it has long since dropped in relevance for the band.


16. In The Blink Of An Eye

The first upbeat song by the band to go #1, this was MM’s concert opener for some time. Now it has been pushed further down the setlist (and radio playlists) for far superior upbeat MM tracks that we will find further up this countdown.


15. Spoken For

A perfect follow up single to “I Can Only Imagine”. It had enough doctrinal depth to remind everyone that MM was a Christian band but was a massive enough ballad in its own right to also prove that they weren’t just one hit wonders. It has long been forgotten and disappeared from the radio but we cannot forget how crucial of a single this was for MM’s longevity and legacy.


14. Even If

A great song in and of itself but the melody just doesn’t pack the same level of punch that previous MM ballads have. In the context of Lifer it really stands out as a highlight (since it is the only true power ballad of the batch) but compared to other singles in MM’s discography, one can’t help but be a little let down. It will be a missive hit for them though J


13. Hurt and The Healer

An excellent carrier single, from the album of the same name, that really impacted many listeners. Upon the release of “You Are I Am” (the second single from the album) many forgot about TH&TH but it really was an excellent single in every way.


12. Shake

A truly shocking single upon its release! While MM had dabbled in the upbeat before, this single took upbeat to a whole new level. “Shake” has more in common with an Elvis song than a Mercy Me track and that was such a refreshing thing. While it barely made the top 10 on the charts it added a much needed jolt of caffeine into CCM radio that has had some lasting effects on other mainstay artists’ single choices.


11. Hold Fast

Up until the release of this single MM hadn’t really shown off their musicianship at all, but drummer Robby Shaffer really stepped up his game on this one and gave us a truly show-stopping performance. This could also be one of the best vocal performances of Bart Millard as well. If I had to pick a personal favorite single of Mercy Me’s career, this would be it. It hasn’t become a radio staple but its still a great song.


10. Flawless

There was just something personal and special about this single. It wasn’t the most unique sounding or lyrically deep track of MM’s career but it simply held before us a simple truth that we all needed to hear in a way that we could receive it. Oh and it was a pretty massive radio hit too.


9. God With Us

A sneakingly powerful song that just builds and builds until you can’t help but raise your hands in worship…. Even for a conservative brother like me ;) This is truly a template for how to make a radio hit if I ever heard one! After a somewhat experimental album like Coming Up to Breathe, this was the perfect single for MM to release.


8. Here With Me

Probably the only single of MM’s career that was massive enough to stand in line with “I Can Only Imagine” and “Word of God Speak”. It ranks so low though because I just personally didn’t like it. I found its structure and melody to be boring and generic. Everyone else liked it though (it was even a top 10 hit on mainstream AC) and it was a very important single in MM’s career, establishing them as a force within the industry.


7. Move

This is, in my opinion, the best upbeat single of Mercy Me’s career. It doesn’t sound forced and the melody is spot on. It was also a major hit for the band and continues to be a popular recurrent.


6. So Long Self

While “Move” would rank as MM’s best upbeat song, “So Long Self” is their most popular one. Upon its release it was quite a shock to the ballad-heavy AC setlists (both CCM and Mainstream) and brought a swag to the charts that no one thought Mercy Me had in them.


5. All of Creation

This would be a career single for any other CCM artist period (yes even Casting Crowns or Jeremy Camp). It was the most played song of 2010 and remains a heavy recurrent to this day. Its just a really well written song with a good amount of spiritual depth and singability to make it a classic.


4. You Are I Am

When I first heard this song while I was reviewing The Hurt and The Healer album, I knew it was going to be a massive hit. And massive it was! It stayed in the top 10 on the CCM AC charts for over a year and made the top 10 on the year end charts for TWO years! A simply great song. What’s crazy is that a massive song like this doesn’t even make the top 3 Mercy Me songs of all time!


3. Greater

Every so often MM would reinvent their sound to make themselves more current and relevant and this particular single did all of that and more. It was the song that no one got tired of even though radio played it non-stop for about three years. I’m still not sick of it and it still is selling on iTunes and now many churches are adding it to their Sunday morning setlists. Expect this song to join the ranks of the two before it as classic CCM!


2. Word of God Speak

Just a simple piano and vocal set to heartfelt lyrics… Who would have thought that it would break the record for the longest stay at #1 on the CCM AC radio charts (20 weeks!) and become the most played song of the decade! And like “Greater,” which would come over a decade later, people are STILL not sick of this song! Bart wrote a winner here and there isn’t any real reason to explain why. This song simply impacts people.


1. I Can Only Imagine

This song is a song that defined a generation. It changed the sound and landscape of CCM forever and will probably go down as the most popular Christian song of all time. Initially a traditional #1 single by a new artist (it spend two weeks at #1 and was the 15th most played song of 2001) it continued to gain momentum and popularity, first as a recurrent that would not go away and then as a CCM CHR hit and then in a surprise turn as a mainstream radio hit that not only charted on the US Adult Contemporary Billboard charts (#5) but also on the Billboard US Adult Top 40 (#27), US Hot Country Songs (#52), US Mainstream Top 40 (#33) and even the US Billboard Hot 100 (#71)! The single and its parent album Almost There have both been certified Double Platinum by the RIAA (it was the only single from the album to chart) and continued to remain active on a Billboard music chart from 2001 to 2004! Even now, if the single is put on sale at the iTunes store it will regularly go #1. Just this past February Mercy Me sang it at the Presidential Prayer Breakfast. There really isn’t another song like “I Can Only Imagine” out there right now and it is easily Mercy Me’s defining song!