"How You Live (Turn Up The Music)" is a song written by

Cindy Morgan Cindy Morgan (born Cynthia Ann Cichorski; September 29, 1954) is an American actress known for her appearances as Lora/Yori in ''Tron'' and Lacey Underall in ''Caddyshack''. Life and career Morgan was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Polish and ...

for

Point of Grace Point of Grace is an all-female contemporary Christian music vocal group. The current trio consists of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, and Leigh Cappillino. The group started out as a quartet in 1991, with original members Breen and Jones, as wel ...

's seventh studio album ''

How You Live ''How You Live'' is the twelfth album and seventh studio album from contemporary Christian music group Point of Grace. It was released on August 28, 2007 and has achieved critical and commercial success, peaking at #56 on the Billboard 200, ''Bil ...

''. It is the third single from the album and the group's first release in the country music market. It was produced by

Brown Bannister Elliott Brown Bannister III (born August 15, 1951) is an contemporary Christian music (CCM) producer and songwriter. Bannister released one album of his own, ''Talk to One Another'', in 1981 on NewPax Records. It was reissued on the Reunion Recor ...

. The song was later included on the compilation album ''

WOW Hits 2009 ''WOW Hits 2009'' is a two-disc compilation album composed of some of the biggest hits on Christian radio during the previous year. Disc one features more of the adult contemporary hits, while disc two features the CHR–pop and rock hits. The ...

''.

Background

The song's music video debuted in July 2007, but it was only released to radio that fall. In an interview with ''

Christian Music Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evange ...

'', Morgan explained that the song was intended for the secular country market, as the original opening line was "Make love in the sunlight with all the doors open." When Point of Grace expressed interest in the song, she changed the lyric to "Wake up to the sunlight," out of concern that the original lyric "was otgoing to fly with Christian radio."

Music video

"How You Live (Turn Up The Music)" was the first music video shot by the group since 2001's "Begin with Me", and was the first to feature Leigh Cappillino as a member of the group. It was directed by the Erwin Brothers and was shot in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

. The video shows images of each group member savoring special moments with their families, as well as scenes of the

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

in a vast field at sunset, and during a performance at the

Alabama Theatre The Alabama Theatre is a movie palace in Birmingham, Alabama. It was built in 1927 by Paramount's Publix Theatre chain as its flagship theater for the southeastern region of the United States. Seating 2,500 people at the time, it was the larg ...

Awards

In 2008, the song helped the group earn five nominations at the

39th GMA Dove Awards The 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation was held on April 23, 2008 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2007. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee. Nominations were announced on February 14, ...

, including Song of the Year. The song won Country Recorded Song of the Year, while Morgan was named Songwriter of the Year.

Live performance

Heather Payne is the lead vocalist in the song. When the group became a trio due to Payne's retirement, Cappillino took over the lead vocals, with Denise Jones and

Shelley Breen Point of Grace is an all-female contemporary Christian music vocal group. The current trio consists of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, and Leigh Cappillino. The group started out as a quartet in 1991, with original members Breen and Jones, as w ...

providing the harmonies. The song has also been pitched in a slightly lower key, in order to fit Cappillino's range. The group made its debut as a trio at the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

in late June 2008, showcasing their new sound.

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 2007 singles Point of Grace songs 2007 songs Word Records singles Curb Records singles Warner Records singles Song recordings produced by Brown Bannister Songs written by Cindy Morgan (singer)