Track 1 – Remind Me Who I Am

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And so begins the “listening party” for my new record! Thanks for tuning in–I’m grateful for you and for the attention you’re giving my work. The day a record releases is a special day, the culmination of a lot of work over many months–even years. I am always grateful for the Rabbit Room community and am glad I get to share this day with you.

So here we go…

The record kicks off with a song about identity–where we get it, why it matters. It’s meant to set the terms of the conversation that follows throughout the rest of the songs.  We begin with belovedness.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, much of this song grew from my conversations with our own Ron Block, master of true identities!

But another source of inspiration came from a South African man named John Sheasby who spoke at an artist retreat that Andrew and I attended last year. He wrote a humble little book called Birthright in which he explores the believer’s identity as either a son or a servant. He draws from that story of stories, the parable of the lost son in Luke.

Sheasby proposes that your understanding of yourself – either solely as a servant of the Master or a child of the Father – will profoundly shape your life, defined either by performance and insecurity or by love and belonging.

Sheasby himself is a walking burst of joy and to be in his presence is to be infected with his delight. Peace, joy, and the love of God emanate from him. He makes you want what he has, and his book chronicles the journey that brought him to where he is now. It’s a kind little book.

Someone recently wrote to me after watching the video for “Remind Me Who I Am.” about how much she desperately wants to believe that she’s beloved but just can’t. She related sad stories of her parent’s appalling failures. I recommended John’s book to her and she wrote back recently about how life-changing it’s been for her. I am happy to recommend the book here to you, as well (available at Amazon).

A word about the production of the song:

When I initially met with my producer, Jason Ingram, I proposed that we forego the acoustic guitar completely and make the record more synth and program driven (like Vampire Weekend or Derek Webb’s last record). He said, “That’s funny, because I was thinking we should really embrace your acoustic playing on this record and make it all about that.”

We went back to his studio and wrote this song, which is really acoustic guitar driven, but also has that fun synth part that makes it feel a little like Mumford & Sons meets Owl City. I like how those two worlds came together in this track.

This song represents another chapter in my further adventures in trying to write a song that might work for radio but that still feels true to me and carries in it the kind of idea that I imagine would be meaningful for a radio listening audience to hear. At the very least, I know that I need to hear it. (One of the most generous compliments I’ve received in the past few years was from Chris Hauser, a radio promoter who worked on both my last record and Andrew Peterson’s and made the case to radio programmers that “Christian radio is better when it plays Jason Gray and Andrew Peterson.”  Hauser may be being too charitable when it comes to me, but regardless it’s a meaningful goal to aim toward–to bring beauty to your field of influence and hopefully leave it in some way better than you found it.)

Enough of my rambling reflections. I hope you like the song.

Here are the song diary and music videos for “Remind Me Who I Am.”  Thanks for listening!

Song Diary – Remind Me Who I Am

Remind Me Who I Am music video

Remind Me Who I Am
(Jason Gray / Jason Ingram)

When I lose my way
And I forget my name
Remind me who I am
In the mirror all I see
Is who I don’t want to be
Remind me who I am
In the loneliest places
When I can’t remember what grace is

Tell me once again
Who I am to you, who I am to you
Tell me lest I forget
Who I am to you, that I belong to you

When my heart is like a stone
And I’m running far from home
Remind me who I am
When I can’t receive your love
Afraid I’ll never be enough
Remind me who I am
If I’m your beloved
Can you help me believe it?

I’m the one you love
I’m the one you love
And that will be enough
I’m the one you love

Jason Gray is a recording artist with Centricity Records. His latest single, out now, is "When I Say Yes".


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14 Comments

  1. brandon marley

    I really enjoy your music Jason and it was an honor to meet you in Winston-Salem NC when you did the concert at Hanes Mall. When I listen to your songs they remind me that God’s grace is sufficient and is amazing both at the same time. may God continue to keep and bless you.

  2. Richard Okimoto

    One of the surprising (to me, anyways) impacts this song has on me is how it makes me ponder how I relate to my children. I have to be reminded that God loves me, and every time I listen to this song I am reminded how I need to tell my children how important they are to me, and how unrelenting my love for them is.

  3. Andy

    Is there any more fundamental effect of the gospel on my life than the truths this song underscores? Every day, sometimes hour by hour, I have to preach the good news of Jesus life, death and resurrection to myself to be reminded of who I am. Who he has made me to be. I adore this song, Jason! The whole CD is fantastic!

  4. Crispy

    I became a fan while listening to, “I Am New” for the first time. Then I was blessed to see you in concert, in Springfield Ohio and was blown away. I remember thinking, during that concert, I hope he comes out with an album that shows off this acoustic sound! And you did with the song, “Remind Me Who I Am”. It is an awesome song and makes me excited to add your new album to my Jason Gray collection. 🙂 PS – If I just had to choose a favorite song of yours, it is “Jesus, Use Me, I’m Yours”!

  5. Donna

    Thank you. The booklet with the deluxe edition moved me to tears.

    “In the loneliest places
    When I can’t remember what grace is”

    An anthem for my hardest moments.

  6. Jim Crotty

    I Can’t thank you enough Jason, for writing and producing this song. It has made a profound difference in how I view my life and my place in the world. It lifts my heart.

  9. Jason

    Jason Ingram is flat out brilliant. I still mourn the day I lost my JiB disc in an apartment fire. 🙂 You + Him had to mean great stuff like this track!

  10. Tricia Tiller

    This song is so touching. When we can see ourselves the way God sees us, that is what allows us to really live as He intended. It reminds me of my relationship with my own 12 year old son. I tell him often how special he is and it breaks my heart at times when he doubts himself. I’m sure that God feels that way about us sometimes, too. Great song!

  11. Debbie

    Jason, I have seen the video and listened to the song before today, but TODAY it really spoke to my heart. For whatever reason, the past couple of days I felt isolated and alone. This song reminded me, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” S of S 6:3 I’m looking forward to sharing parts of this song with my FB friends to remind them who they are!

  13. Gina

    This song is my ANTHEM! It’s helped me work through some tough questions… your entire album seems to be the soundtrack of this stage of my life (I’m grateful for the guidance/reminders!) I had “Remind Me Who I Am” on repeat for most of today… while I adore the lyrics, it is the acoustic that pulled me in! (So glad you didn’t abandon it completely – the guitar is my favorite part!)

    Great job, brother. So grateful for you and your tunes.

  14. Chris

    Jason – A week and a half ago, I had the privilege of speaking at my church’s annual retreat for high school girls. I used this song to open and close the two talks I gave. (The lessons were built on the books of Romans and 1 John.) Oh Jason, God used your music for His glory! The response was a beautiful sight. As we sang, some girls smiled with gratitude, contemplating that they ARE Jesus’ beloved; some cried in despair as they silently confessed their secret life. Thank you for nurturing the talent God gave you. You might not get many opportunities to see how God uses what you produce. Be blessed, Jason. Your music is making a difference here in North Carolina!

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