Check out our interview with Rev. Peter Unger about his uplifting single, “Fall Away.”
Why did you select this song as your current single?
In our current, often hectic harried culture we often carry around emotional burdens. Sometimes we get so used to bearing these burdens we don’t realize that there might be a way to let them go. I wrote the song “Fall Away” to say that there is a way, to let them fall away, or at least be eased.
How does this single relate the rest of the Album, EP, or Mix Tape?
In our often cynical, materialistic culture it can be hard to even imagine there might be a greater reality than the one were in, much less that it could offer any spiritual antidotes for our problems. The countless people who have had their lives transformed by such remedies know better. Given also that the longer a religious institution is around the more likely it is to replace the force of faith with the forms of religion, many have had any spiritual journey they might be on questioned and undermined by narrow and outgrown traditional beliefs. The songs are intentionally written with no one Christian tradition in mind, but I try to lift up the Grace filled timeless truths of the faith. The song “Fall Away” fits in with this greater vision I have for my songs.
What was the writing process for the song?
I often try to replace the rote Sunday morning sermon format with something I call “Story and Song”. “Fall Away” was written as part of the preparation for this alternative Sunday morning message.
What does this song’s lyric mean to you?
When I think of letting a burden fall away I always think back to a hiking trip I took in graduate school. My wife had packed everything but the kitchen sink in my back pack which felt like it weighed a ton. At one point on the hike I stopped to rest and sat down on a guard rail. As I leaned back to wipe my brow the weight of the back pack carried me over backwards and I rolled down the hill on the other side of the guardrail. To my wife and friends who had seen me sit down I seemed to have vanished into thin air. When they thought to look over the guard rail and saw the swath I had cleared down the hill they knew what had happened. They found me laying at the bottom flailing around like a turtle on its back. Once rescued and back up to the road I let the back pack fall off. I immediately felt weightless, and that I might float away.
What would it be like to see you in person performing this song?
I play songs regularly in worship settings. The feedback I get suggests that people appreciate the message as much as the song; something I attribute to a higher power.
Could your fans summarize who you are as an artist by this song?
I am often not all that confident about the songs, but hope that my passion for the message shines through. If it does this will tell them more about me than anything else.
Is there a video planned and or completed and if so, what was the idea behind the video?
A friend is in the process of creating a video for this song which we will then load up on YouTube. Lisa does a wonderful job with the videos. My hope is that the video together with the song will enhance Its message.
One last question, what is the motivation behind your music?
Music has wonderful ability to reach people’s hearts as well as their heads. Consistent with much that I’ve written above it is my hope that the message of these songs will be experienced more holistically.
Social Media:
https://www.reverbnation.com/revpeterunger