Cimorelli – Hope For It

We’re back with another review for the six-piece band Cimorelli, this time for their song Hope For It.  I reviewed My God is Here about a year ago, earning a slightly above average rating.

They have been busy these past 12 months.  Cimorelli covered many artists, Christian or not, including Taylor Swift, Pink, For King and Country, Jonas Brothers, and of course, Christmas classics!  They released I Love You or Whatever last year and wrote a book: Believe in You: Big Sister Stories and Advice on Living Your Best Life.

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Cimorelli-hope-for-it-lyrics.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

Overall, the message is positive. Cimorelli expresses their hope and desire that God will save them from their own personal demons.  They are clear on the identity of God and describe some of His attributes, such as His goodness, omnipresence, and ability to defeat darkness.

The beginning of the song is hazy, dull, unclear, and watered down.  It is not until I got to Verse 2 that I began to piece together their intended meaning in the light of Scripture, including the identity of “You” found in Post-Chorus 2.  It also tends to focus too much on self and emotions rather than God and His truth.

Score: 6/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

I found Biblical support for all lines within this song.

[Verse 1]

Lines 1-3: Metaphorical usage of rescue, perhaps inspired by the events of Jonah, who was swallowed by a large fish, prayed, and was spat upon the Ninevite shoreline (Jonah 2:1-10).

Lines 4-6: Metaphorically describes an unspecific personal trial.

[Pre-Chorus 1]

Line 1 and 2: The Pharisees and Herod demanded for a sign to test Jesus, out of their wickedness (Matthew 12:38-39, Matthew 16:1-4, Mark 8:11-12, Luke 11:14-16, Luke 23:8-11), while Gideon requested it to ensure that he found favor in God’s sight (Judges 6:17-24) and twice more for assurance that God will deliver on His promises (Judges 6:36-40).  The difference is attitude and intent.  Cimorelli asked for a sign so that they can survive another night.

Lines 3: Whose voice?  Pre-Chorus 2 identifies the “maker of the stars” as its identity, which is God.

Line 4: Something more?  What is that?  This is not addressed until Verse 2.

[Chorus]

Lines 1-5: Hope for what? Verse 2 tells us that it is deliverance from demonic oppression.  Scriptures tell us not to be afraid, because God rescues (Genesis 15:1, Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:6, 1 Chronicles 28:20, Psalm 23:4, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 34:4, Psalm 56:3-4, Psalm 94:19, Psalm 115:11, Psalm 118:6, Isaiah 35:4, Isaiah 41:10-13, Isaiah 43:1, Isaiah 54:4, John 14:25-27, Romans 8:15, Romans 8:38-39, 2 Timothy 1:7, Hebrews 13:5-6, 1 Peter 3:13-14, 1 Peter 5:6-7, and 1 John 4:18).

As for God’s goodness, that can be found in 1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 23:6, Psalm 27:13, Psalm 31:19-20, Psalm 34:8, Psalm 86:5, Psalm 100:5, Psalm 106:1, Psalm 119:68, Psalm 135:3, Psalm 136:1, Psalm 145:9, Lamentations 3:25, Nahum 1:7, Matthew 19:17, Mark 10:18, and Luke 18:19.

[Verse 2]

Lines 1-3: One of the hallmarks of demonic thoughts is that we should give up.  This comes from Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44).

[Pre-Chorus 2]

Line 1: That is, the light of God that defeats darkness (Psalm 107:10-16, Luke 1:79, John 1:1-13, John 12:46, Ephesians 5:8, Colossians 1:13, and 1 Peter 2:9).

Line 2: God created the entire universe, including the stars (Genesis 1:1, Nehemiah 9:6, Psalm 8:3-8, Psalm 33:6, Psalm 96:5, Proverbs 3:19, Isaiah 37:16, Isaiah 42:5, Isaiah 45:18, Isaiah 66:1-2, John 1:1-3, Ephesians 3:9, Colossians 1:16, and Revelation 4:11), and fights our battles for us (Exodus 14:14, Deuteronomy 3:22, Deuteronomy 20:4, Joshua 1:9, Joshua 23:10, Psalms 44:5, and Romans 8:31).

Lines 3 and 4: God’s sheep hear His voice (John 10:27-28) and come to Him with their weariness and burdens to find rest (Matthew 11:28-30).

[Bridge]

Lines 1 and 2: That is, God is present in every situation for all believers.  This is so because God is omnipresent (1 Kings 8:27, Psalm 139:7-12, Proverbs 15:3, Jeremiah 23:23-24, Colossians 1:17, and Hebrews 4:13).

Lines 3-8: Repeats lines 1 and 2.

[Outro]

Lines 1-8: Repeats entire Bridge.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

I am torn on this one.  On the one hand, there is a positive, uplifting message, that believers may find deliverance from Satan’s lies.  On the other, it may lead to the wrongful conclusion that God will always rescue us from all trials.  The Scriptures do not bear this out, especially Romans 5:3-5, Hebrews 12:4-11, and James 1:2-4, to which God uses tribulation to build our character.

Of course, this latter conclusion only finds strength if Verse 2 is missed or ignored, which sets the context for the entire song, adding weight to the first as more reasonable.  It really depends on how much unbelievers pay attention to it; However, the somewhat focus on me and my feelings also adds weight to the second conclusion.

I’ll go halfway on this one.

Score: 5/10

4. What does this song glorify?

I believe it does glorify God, but the first half blunts its impact, blurring His glory.

Score: 7/10

Closing Comments

Cimorelli’s Hope For It is an average song.  Though I found it to agree with God’s inspired Word, its positive take on God’s rescue efforts are dulled by its uninspiring first half, which may give a false sense of hope towards unbelievers.  Still, those of us who understand it will find it uplifting, speaking against demonic oppression, with God as the source of light to vanquish Satan’s activity.  This brings God glory.

I cannot recommend this song for congregational worship, especially since it spotlights the individual, with a sprinkling of God in the mix.

Final Score: 7.5/10

Artist Info

Track: Hope For It (listen to the song)

Artist: Cimorelli

Album: Alive

Genre: Pop

Release Year: 2017

Duration: 4:09

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

03/23/2021 – Updated per repetition announcement.