Need You Now by Plumb is my favorite album this year. From the compelling lead single, "Need You Now (How Many Times), to the stirring "I Don't Deserve You" and personal message of "Beautiful," it has been a privilege to savor the messages and hooks of this album, all featuring lead singer Tiffany Arbuckle Lee's mesmerizing vocals. 

 

Along with the staff of NewReleaseTuesday.com, I had the great opportunity to attend a performance by Plumb at Creation Festival Northeast where Tiffany sang some of her most beloved songs, including "Stranded" and "Here With Me," along with her new powerhouse songs, "Invisible," "I Want You Here" and "Need You Now." She introduced the audience to her follow-up single, "One Drop," which is yet another catchy song with a great message, once again featuring transparent and redemptive lyrics. I had the chance to speak with Tiffany about her song.

 

Please tell me about the background message behind the song.
 

In short, this song is about how it takes a little bit of good to do a whole lot of great. That's my public service announcement version of describing the message of this song. My producer Matt Bronleewe and I wrote the song together.

We were told that Coca-Cola was looking for a song that would work in conjunction with their water campaign. Being songwriters, in addition to being an artist I'm always up for the challenge of writing a song, whether or not I sing it. That night we were very mindful of this song sounding like something that would work for the album, because we were writing for the album, but if it sounded like it worked for an advertising commercial opportunity, that was fine as well. They ended up not even doing the campaign, because the Olympics conflicted with the timing of that campaign. That's what we were thinking about that day.

I don't write a song well unless I have a story to tell. I don't write about the mundane. I'm more inspired by the extreme emotions of joy and sadness, and pain and sorrow. I wrapped my mind around something hopeful. I had a relationship element going through my mind. I was thinking about the marital relationship of how you are better together than apart. Also, I was thinking about the community of the Church and how when we work together, all of us doing a little bit of good, it is an exponential amount of great. Imagine if we were all doing an incredible amount of great?

 

Ephesians 5:31-33 (The Voice): "And this is the reason a man leaves his father and his mother and is united with his wife; the two come together as one flesh." There is a great mystery reflected in this Scripture, and I say that it has to do with the marriage of the Anointed One and the church. Nevertheless, each husband is to love and protect his own wife as if she were his very heart, and each wife is to respect her own husband.

 

1 Corinthians 9:26 (The Voice): "So I don't run aimlessly. I don't let my eyes drift off the finish line. When I box, I don't throw punches in the air."

 

What's the takeaway message for listeners about the song? 
 

It's a perfect fit for Blood:Water Mission. The song is about wanting to be a light, and wanting to be hope and wanting to be Jesus, and helping those less fortunate. In other words, the song is about being the Church, and being a source of refuge and help. Also, from my perspective, from the relationship side of the song, I don't know of a single song featuring a ukulele that's sad; it's such a happy instrument. Matt had just gotten his uke, and wanted to try writing a song with it. He was excited. It seemed perfect.

He started playing and I was picturing my husband in my mind. That marital relationship is supposed to be representative of Christ and His Church. Marriage is about how we need each other. Left alone, we'll never be who we could be. It just takes a drop of hope to create a floodgate of hope. A little sliver of positivity can create something that can grow into something huge.

 

It's also a great song for summer, with a roll-your-windows-down-and-smile-and-take-it-in kind of song. I tend to write about a lot of hard things, and dark things, and the elephant-in-the-room kind of subjects. I've addressed subjects that aren't always comfortable for people. As a Christian, you may have a great relationship with God, but as a community of believers, you can do something really great by working together. There really is an ocean overflowing for the taking. You can metaphorically take that idea down a lot of different avenues. I'm really excited about the potential of this song. Whatever was happening before you were listening to this song, take a minute and think about what you could do with just one drop. 

 

 

I am in a similar stage of life as Tiffany, and today I'm celebrating our anniversary of being married to my best friend, Jennifer, for 19 years, and we also have three children. Maybe that's especially why Plumb's songs tug at my heartstrings. I can perfectly relate to every single word she tenderly and gorgeously sings. The unity message of this song is also my prayer for my marriage—for God to be at its center. This song is an offering and submission to the God's supernatural ability to keep together what would otherwise fall apart. Christians in marriages need to stand up and pray, "I need you, And you need me, Left alone, We will never be, Who we could be, So take my hand, And don't forget, That we can do anything together." 

 

Being a Christian isn't just keeping Jesus to ourselves; it's also about keeping our "eyes fixed on the prize" to finish the race that God has set out for each of us in our walks. Look at injustice in the world through God's eyes and you can't help but be moved to act like Paul and Silas. As Tiffany and I discussed, whatever cause you support, be passionate about it and speak into the cause consistently. 

 

The music video provides a moving depiction of the work of Blood:Water Mission, which benefits our brothers and sisters needing clean water by building them wells in Africa. Supporting their great cause is one way we can stay close to the groaning and suffering of this world and be reminded that one day God will make all things new. Tiffany perfectly captures missional living in this song, "just one drop of your love, a single ray of sun, just one thing to change the world, it's just you and me, starting with a dream, and giving it all we've got, only takes one drop." Amen to that!

 

(You can watch the music video here.)