JJ Heller is back with a great new song called “I Get To Be The One.” It has a catchy melody and reflects how I feel as a father of three little girls. I love when JJ sincerely sings the chorus: “I get to be the one to hold your hand, I get to be the one, through birthdays and broken bones, I’ll be there to watch you grow, I get to be the one.”
JJ has admitted that she struggled with anxiety issues in the past and parenthood has really shown her how the love she has for her daughters is selfless. Although this is a sweet and loving song from a parent to a child, it is also a profound picture of how God feels about us as His children. Children also love us unconditionally, and God wants us to be a picture of His love back to them. Remember that God loves you and there is nothing that we can do to make Him love us more.
Eighty percent of
Deeper by JJ Heller was recorded in September of 2009. That’s when JJ’s hit song "Your Hands," from her 2008 album
Painted Red started gaining radio airplay. In October 2009, she made the difficult decision to delay the release of
Deeper. JJ and her husband, David, went back into the studio in August of 2010 to re-track several of the songs in a more polished, radio friendly style. That album came to be known as
When I'm With You, one of my top 10 albums of the year with the stand-out song “What Love Really Means.”
JJ always intended to release these songs in their original form. Deeper features five acoustic versions of songs from When I'm With You and seven new tracks. This album focuses more on guitar and vocals than any other project she’s recorded. I’m one of JJ’s newer fans and both
Painted Red and
When I'm With You have been in heavy rotation for me since they released.
Naturally I’ve been interested in hearing her back catalog, which blew me away once I heard how “Love Me” was re-recorded as “What Love Really Means.” This album displays JJ’s signature acoustic folk music style that paved the way for her current success, which is well-deserved.
The opening track “I Get To Be The One” is the perfect opener for
Deeper and is JJ’s song written to her second baby daughter Nora (born Sept. 2, 2011), just like “When I’m With You” was written to her first baby daughter, Lucy. Interestingly, both girls’ names are references to light. Lucy means “bringer of light.” Nora means “light.
I had the great opportunity to interview JJ and Dave Heller about "I Get To Be The One" from her brand new album Deeper just before Nora was born.
Please share the background that led you to write the song "I Get To Be The One."
I started writing the song in March of this year. We had just found out that we were expecting another child. I think just knowing what a privilege it is to be a parent and have a life entrusted to us is both overwhelming and an honor. I wrote the song during my first trimester so I was just at a place that I was really thankful that we were able to conceive another baby. We wanted to grow our family and I know that there are so many women who can’t have babies. I know I was reflecting on how blessed I was to have that experience.
Please tell me about the Bible verses you used in writing the song.
Matthew 18:4-6: “Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
How can listeners apply that message when they listen to the song?
We’ve been teaching our daughter Lucy about God and Jesus, and it’s been so interesting for me to try to explain those truths. We have the Jesus Storybook Bible and we need to paraphrase some of the stories since she’s only 2 1/2. The concepts are pretty abstract but so powerful. It’s been cool for me to see who God is from the perspective of a child. We were explaining to Lucy that when she’s scared, God will protect her. It’s so refreshing to see how she just accepts that as a fact. She just believes.
The Bible talks about have a childlike faith. I’ve seen that in my own daughter and it’s pretty moving for me. The other aspect of teaching our children about the Gospel is modeling it in our lives as best as we can. We also try to communicate that through our music. We don’t just sing about how life should be, but we also explore the depths of both the pain and joy of experiences in life. That’s what inspired the album title
Deeper. Here we are as parents enjoying personal growth, adding to our family, but at the same time walking through valleys of sickness and death of family members. The contrasts of joys and sorrows are distinct. Being able to show that to our children is a priority.
Lyrics:
Well hello, little baby
Your eyes have never seen the sun
You should know, little baby
That I am the lucky one
I get to be the one to hold your hand,
I get to be the one, through birthdays and broken bones,
I’ll be there to watch you grow, I get to be the one
Don’t feel alone now, little baby
Do you hear me singing you a song?
I can’t wait to show you, little baby
How to crawl, how to walk, how to run
I get to be the one to hold your hand,
I get to be the one, through birthdays and broken bones,
I’ll be there to watch you grow, I get to be the one
How does someone so small, hold my heart so tightly?
I don’t even know you, I love you completely
I get to be the one to hold your hand,
I get to be the one, through birthdays and broken bones,
I’ll be there to watch you grow, I get to be the one
IVP’s Bible commentary on Matthew 18:5: “True disciples are ‘little ones who believe in’ Jesus out to make Christ great alone. In Jesus' day parents loved children, but children held little status. Jesus calls us to notice and welcome the ‘nobodies,’ to esteem those without status or social respect.”
Matthew Henry’s commentary on Matthew 18:5: “Whosoever shall receive one such little child in My name, receives Me. Whatever kindnesses are done to such, Christ takes as done to Himself. Whosoever entertains a meek and humble Christian, keeps him in countenance, will not let him lose by his modesty, takes him into his love and friendship, and society and care, and studies to do him a kindness; and does this in Christ’s name, for his sake, because he bears the image of Christ, serves Christ, and because Christ has received him; this shall be accepted and recompensed as an acceptable piece of respect to Christ. Observe, Though it be but one such little child that is received in Christ’s name, it shall be accepted. Note, The tender regard Christ has to His church extends itself to every particular member, even the meanest; not only to the whole family, but to every child of the family; the less they are in themselves, to whom we show kindness, the more there is of good will in it to Christ; the less it is for their sakes, the more it is for his; and He takes it accordingly. If Christ were personally among us, we think we should never do enough to welcome Him; the poor, the poor in spirit, we have always with us, and they are His receivers.”
As a Christian father, I can really relate to JJ’s songs about parenthood, “When I’m With You” and “I Get To Be The One.” As we discussed, being a parent is truly a blessing from God. It’s not a right to be a parent, it’s a privilege. It also requires a selfless attitude and we need to put our children’s welfare ahead of our own desires and interests. JJ and Dave Heller are two of my favorite people in all of Christian music because they write songs that are so emotional, vulnerable and authentic. These songs come right from their hearts and express how many of us feel with their gift of songwriting that in turn blesses us as listeners.
Thank you, JJ and Dave, for continuing to provide gourmet songs that uplift, challenge and move me. I share your sentiment, and like this song proclaims, I am also grateful to God for the gift of parenthood. Congratulations on the birth of baby Nora, she is adorable and a precious addition to your family. God bless you JJ, Dave, Lucy and Nora.
