Who Sang I Can Only Imagine in the Movie
When Christian rocker Bart Millard was first approached with the idea of turning his life story into a movie, he never imagined information technology would go on to become a box function hitting.
Based off of his popular song of the aforementioned proper noun, I Can Only Imagine tells the true story of Millard's complicated relationship with his abusive father, played in the film by Dennis Quaid. The low-budget movie has made over $xl million since coming out in mid-March and continues to practice stiff business.
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Millard's song, which he performs with his band MercyMe, became a cross-over success nearly 20 years agone, and is still the bestselling Christian unmarried of all time. While the vocaliser often speaks almost the song's backstory at his concerts, the thought of sharing the intimate details of his difficult childhood on the big screen was nerve-racking at fist.
"I remember being nervous more than anything, because even though I had said yes to the movie, the thought of digging upwards stuff I've been trying to coffin virtually of my life and then putting information technology upward on a big screen — I wasn't sure I was prepare," he tells PEOPLE.
Fortunately, it took nearly 8 years for the picture show to develop, giving Millard, 45, enough time to psychologically set himself. Seeing a grief counselor after a death in the family unit also helped him come to terms with his childhood trauma. "If this had come out v years ago I don't know if I would have been able to go through it," he said. "I'm in a great place now only I never thought in a million years it would actually happen."
(L-R) Forepart Row: Charlie (eleven), Miles (6), Sophie (9), and Shannon Millard. (L-R) Back Row: Sam (16), Gracie (13), and Bart Millard.
| Credit: The Media Collective
Millard's life changed forever at the age of 3 later on his parents got divorced. When his mom remarried and relocated a few years later on, his family decided it would be best if he and his brother stayed with their dad, Arthur.
"I don't think anyone realized how abusive he was going to become," Millard says. "I ended upward living in fright for most of my childhood."
While his male parent didn't beverage or have substance abuse bug, he did have a short temper and grew accustomed to taking out his frustrations on his son. "If he got embarrassed or cut off in traffic or whatever, he would take a swing at me," Millard recalls. "I was like his punching handbag."
His life underwent another dramatic alter when, during his freshman year of loftier school, his dad was diagnosed with cancer. His father's affliction eventually brought them closer together, and helped Millard run into first paw how dramatically his dad had changed after finding faith.
"I got a front row seat to see this guy go from being a monster to falling desperately in beloved with Jesus," Millard says. "By the time he passed away when I was a freshman in college, not only was he my best friend, he was like the Godliest man I'd ever known. And it's literally changed the trajectory of my life."
Bart Millard (R) and his male parent.
| Credit: The Media Collective
His dad's transformation helped him detect his own faith. "I'd e'er been into music, merely now I'grand into ministry because I'd never seen a person alter similar that before and I've rarely seen it since. I guess I grew up thinking that if the Gospel could change that guy, it could change everyone. There was no denying it."
For years while his dad went through treatment, Millard became like his nurse. The two would spend hours talking every dark while Millard administered his medicine. "That's when things really changed, because it went from us really not having much contact to talking for two or three hours every night until nosotros fell asleep," he says.
"The just time I ever got mad at God was non during the abusive, only when he died," Millard adds. "I finally got the dad I always wanted and then he left. At eighteen, 19 years old, I was actually upset and had to piece of work through that."
At his father's funeral, Millard's grandmother made an off-hand comment. "She said, 'I can simply imagine what your dad's seeing now,' and I became obsessed with that phrase," he says. "Equally a xix-year-onetime, it was easier to think of my dad being in a better place."
For years, Millard would write the phrase "I can merely imagine" on annihilation he could become his easily on. "Information technology was more O.C.D. than religious."
When information technology came fourth dimension to tape MercyMe's first album, Millard sat downwards with his notebook to commencement writing lyrics, but couldn't detect a page in whatsoever of his journals that wasn't covered with his grandmother's phrase. Eventually, he came to see it every bit a sign.
WATHC: "I Can Only Imagine (The Moving picture Session)" from the Newly Released Album I Can Merely Imagine – The Very All-time Of MercyMe.
"So I wrote the song, which was incredibly personal and special to me, only I had no idea the impact it was going to have," he says. "I didn't care what other people would think about it when I wrote it, it was almost like therapy to me."
"I Can Only Imagine" was an instant hit on organized religion-based radio stations, only it wasn't until MercyMe had started promoting their 2nd album that the song became a surprise cross-over success on Peak 40 stations across the country.
Asked why he believes the vocal has resonated with and so many people, Millard says he thinks its universal bulletin has helped. "There's no agenda, in that location'southward null dogmatic well-nigh it," he says. "I wasn't trying to shove annihilation downward anybody's pharynx. I think everyone, specially afterwards the passing of a loved 1, starts to hope that perchance at that place will be something better on the other side."
The same, he thinks, is truthful of the theatrical version. "This comes down to being a father-son story that anyone can related with," Millard says. "Whether you accept an calumniating father or the most amazing dad ever, every son is trying to find their mode out from under the shadow of their dad. Peradventure it's as simple as that."
Millard now lives exterior of Nashville with his babyhood sweetheart, and married woman of twenty years, Shannon, and their v children: Sam, 16, Gracie, 13, Charlie, 11, Sophie, 9, and Miles, half dozen.
For the singer, showing the picture show to his children was a no-brainer: "I think this redemption story is a great message to pass on to my kids."
I Can Only Imagine is in theaters at present.
Source: https://people.com/movies/bart-millard-faith-based-movie-true-story/
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