Like the famous songwriting duos of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, or even Wayne Kirkpatrick and Michael W. Smith, some of the most memorable songs are often penned in pairs. While the songwriters behind the infectious worship anthem and Song of the Year Dove nominee "God of Wonders"—from the community-oriented City on a Hill album (Essential)—may not possess the same name-recognition, the sentiment that "two are better than one" remains the same.

Marc Byrd (Common Children) and City on a Hill producer Steve Hindalong (The Choir) collaborated their musical talents and topped Christian radio charts last fall. "God of Wonders" has already made its way into Sunday morning worship repertoires with congregations across America singing, "God of wonders beyond our galaxy/You are holy, holy/The universe declares Your majesty/You are holy, holy/Lord of heaven and earth."

Unlike many stories behind popular hymns from centuries ago, "God of Wonders" wasn’t born out of tragedy but reflects "the strong characteristics of God," according to Byrd. No strangers to writing music together, it was Byrd who initially brought the chord progressions of "God of Wonders" to Hindalong.

"He’s my favorite guy to write with," Hindalong says. "He’s almost a brother to me… so we’ve got a really good rapport and a lot of mutual respect for each other." After hearing what Byrd had written, Hindalong decided the score needed lyrics that were "really broad, really big and vast."

Utilizing The Book of Common Prayer for a portion of the song’s verses, Hindalong crafted lyrics that sparkle with simplicity. "It’s just one of those things where a lot of us who write songs all the time know you’d write something like that every day if you could, but you just can’t… I will probably never write another ‘God of Wonders’ because it’s just one of those [moments]."

After completing the song over the phone with guitars in hand, Hindalong was left to decide who would contribute the vocals. Mac Powell, Danielle Young, Cliff Young and Leigh Nash all contributed to the cut. Powell has even added the tune to Third Day’s concert repertoire. "It’s a great praise & worship song… It’s one of those where it’s very simple in its message and music also, but it’s something that captures you with its simplicity," Powell says. "Everywhere I go people are talking about the song." Powell says the opportunity to work with Hindalong on "God of Wonders" was a great surprise for him. "We went into the studio with Steve, and I’m a huge fan of The Choir anyway... I [recorded the song] not knowing how much of me they’d use on it, thinking maybe they’d just use a line or two." Much to Powell’s surprise his vocals permeated the final cut of the song.

Hindalong believes the unusual vocal blends helped propel the album’s unique flavor and intentional community spirit. Continuing in the vein of interactivity among a variety of artists, another diverse palate of worship collaborations is in the works. Hindalong says a second installment of the City on a Hill series began production in February, with the project tentatively set to release later this year. The new album will feature Jars of Clay and Caedmon’s Call again, along with a yet-to-be-determined roster of artists.

--todayschristianmusic.com