"Slow Fade"
2008[1]
Zoo Studio in Franklin, Tennessee, My Refuge Studio in McDonough, Georgia, and The Sound Kitchen in Franklin, Tennessee.
4:38
Mark A. Miller
Background and composition[edit]
"Slow Fade" was written in the "light of the well publicised falls from grace of several high profile church leaders".[2] According to lead vocalist Mark Hall: "Nobody falls, it's just a slow fade. It's a series of minor compromises until you're in a place you never thought you'd be, doing things you never thought you'd do and rationalising all of it". He continued by saying that: "As believers, as men, if we're not guarding our relationship with God, we're going down. There's too much going against us. If we're not careful, we're going to crash and burn".[2]
"Slow Fade" is a song with a length of four minutes and 38 seconds.[3] According to the sheet music published by Musicnotes.com, "Slow Fade" is set in common time in the key of D major (though it was recorded in D flat major), with a tempo of 80 beats per minute. Mark Hall's vocal range in the song spans from the low note of A2 to the high note of G4.[4] A ballad,[5] "Slow Fade" is "a cautionary tale urging believers to make the right choices".[6]
Reception[edit]
"Slow Fade" met with mostly positive reception from music critics. Jared Johnson of Allmusic noted it had a "mature rock theme" and "showcased more grunge guitar than could be heard on all of Lifesong".[3] In reviews for Billboard and CCM Magazine, Deborah Evans Price praised the song as "compelling"[5] and an example of Mark Hall's ability to write "stirring anthems" and "achingly vulnerable, introspective songs".[6] Andree Farias of Christianity Today praised the lyrics as "full of great ideas about spiritual apostasy" but said the arrangement "leaves the impression that [Mark] Hall and company are bored or tired".[7]
Chart performance[edit]
"Slow Fade" debuted at number 28 on the Billboard Christian Songs chart for the chart week of August 23, 2008.[8] It advanced to number 19 in its fifth chart week[9] and to number 15 in its sixth.[10] In its 11th chart week "Slow Fade" entered the top 10, moving to number nine.[11] It advanced to its peak position of number five in its 18th chart week, the week of December 20, 2008.[12] In total, "Slow Fade" spent 29 weeks on the Christian Songs chart.[13] It also peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot Christian AC chart,[14] which it spent 30 weeks on,[13] and number 19 on the Radio & Records Christian CHR chart.[15]
"Slow Fade" ranked at number 33 on the 2008 year-end Hot Christian AC chart.[16] It ranked at number 35 on the 2009 year-end Hot Christian AC chart and number 50 on the 2009 year-end Christian Songs chart.[17][18] On the 2000s decade-end Hot Christian AC chart, "Slow Fade" ranked at number 95.[19]
Promotion[edit]
Produced and directed by the Erwin Brothers, the music video for "Slow Fade" was shot in Birmingham, Alabama.[20] The video depicts a deteriorating family slowly fading because of the compromising decisions they have made.[20] It premiered on Yahoo! Music on May 21, 2008, receiving placement of the website's front page.[20] It was included on Casting Crowns' live album The Altar and the Door Live[21] and won the award for Short Form Music Video of the Year at the 40th GMA Dove Awards.[22]
Slow Fade was featured on the soundtrack for the 2008 movie, Fireproof.
Casting Crowns performed a "haunting" rendition of "Slow Fade" at a concert on March 22, 2008 at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.[23] At a concert on February 3, 2010 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, Casting Crowns performed it as the third song on their set list.[24] At a concert on February 28, 2010 in Hershey, Pennsylvania, they performed the song as part of their set list.[25]