The other day doing my show a Newsboys song played and I had the profound realization that there are a ton of Newsboys songs that I really enjoy. *See their full discography here*. I then thought… ‘It would be swell to be able to find a list of the ten greatest songs they ever did.’ So I looked… and I didn’t really find anything like that out there on the interwebs. I decided to make such a list myself and share it with you. Instead of a ‘ten greatest” though, I went with ’9.65 greatest’ because that seems to go with our frequency.

So here, from 9.65 to 1, are the greatest Newsboys songs of all time (according to my completely biased opinion)! This is bound to produce widespread, passionate disagreements so feel free to comment like crazy below…

#9.65 – In the Hands of God

From “In the Hands of God” (2009)

Reasoning - Catchy, Inspirational stuff with a fresh sound. Great reminder that we’re not in control of our own lives, and that it’s a very good thing.

#9 – Elle G

From “Going Public” (1994)

Reasoning - Contemplative, Poetic, & in the end – full of hope. Did you catch the reference to the aged poem, “The Hound of Heaven”?…

#8 – Breakfast

From “Take Me to Your Leader” (1996)

Reasoning – Truly a classic. The line asking where those without the Lord find their hope is profound – particularly for a song also referencing Captain Crunch…

#7 – Take Me to Your Leader

From “Take Me to Your Leader” (1996)

Reasoning - Cmon… the spacey video alone deserves inclusion on any list ever created…

#6 – Shine

From “Going Public” (1994)

Reasoning – Any song that can be played for 16 consecutive years on radio stations all over the fruited plane and still be loved is pretty impressive. Also, did you notice that Peter Furler (drum maestro to this point) has hair at this juncture?!

#5 – Lost the Plot

From “Take Me to Your Leader” (1996)

Reasoning - Great, convicting message with rocking musical trappings.

#4 – Entertaining Angels

From “Step up to the Microphone” (1998)

Reasoning – There is a pudgy man & a random family on a couch. But also, the increased Phil Joel presence on vocals actually lent a pretty cool & fresh nature to things after the departure of John James.

#3 – Not Ashamed

From “Not Ashamed” (1992)

Reasoning – This is the song on the record that brought the Boys to prominence in the US. They’d actually been in existence since 1987 (when I was 2). Its’ straightforward, bold message and catchy tune are still one of the best efforts the band has put out there.

#2 – Always

From “Step up to the Microphone” (1998)

Reasoning - You maybe aren’t as familiar with this song as some of the others. It was kinda buried on a release that perhaps didn’t rank as one of their most popular, but it’s a fantastic song. Thoughtful, genuine, and soul searching.

#1 – Stay Strong

From “The Greatest Hits” (November 2007)

Reasoning – The perfect combination of the meaningful writing of their early days as a band and the energetic, encouraging songs they started churning out in their later life.

Notes…

• Only 2 of the 10 songs on the list were released after Y2K. The ’90s truly were the golden age of the Newsboys.
• There’s been a ton of chatter (and no small amount of angst) that the Boys are being diluted by the departure of Peter Furler as lead singer and his replacement with former DC Talker Michael Tait. But by my count – only 4 of their 10 best songs feature Furler on lead vocals. 6 of those songs were recorded with John James singing lead.
• There may be those of you wondering why ‘Love, Liberty, Disco’ doesn’t make an appearance here. I suppose I should share with you that I liked that song so little it caused me to stop listening to the Newsboys new material for approximately 5 years. It was emotional.