East to West (song)

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"East to West"
Single by Casting Crowns
from the album The Altar and the Door
ReleasedJuly 1, 2007
StudioZoo Studio (Franklin, TN); My Refuge Studio (McDonough, GA)
GenreContemporary Christian
Length4:26
LabelBeach Street
Songwriter(s)Mark Hall, Bernie Herms
Producer(s)Mark A. Miller
Casting Crowns singles chronology
"Does Anybody Hear Her"
(2006) 		"East to West"
(2007) 		"Every Man"
(2008)

"East to West" is a song recorded by

51st Grammy Awards
.

"East to West" received 78 adds in its first week, a record at Christian radio. The song peaked atop five chart formats, as well as at number 25 on the

Hot Christian AC
chart. Additionally, it ranked inside the top 15 on both the 2007 and 2008 year-end Hot Christian Songs and Hot Christian AC charts.

Recording and composition

lead singer of Casting Crowns
and co-writer of "East to West"
"East to West"
A 26-second audio sample of the second verse of the song.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

In the liner notes for

mastered by Richard Dodd. The string section was arranged by Herms and recorded by Bill Whittington and Steve Breers at The Sound Kitchen in Franklin, Tennessee.[1]

"East to West" is a

beats per minute. The vocal range in the song ranges from the low note of D4 to the high note of F♯5.[2] Lyrically, "East to West" deals with the concept of forgiveness, and the doubt that God forgives and forgets all sin. Casting Crowns' lead vocalist Mark Hall explained that: "We have a hard time with the concept of forgiveness. We cut ourselves and it heals, but the scar remains. Sometimes we think God treats sin like we would if we were God, and that he handles forgiveness like we would. We know he forgives, but we can't accept that God chooses to forget and relinquishes his right to avenge. That's what we're singing about in 'East To West'".[4] In a separate interview, Hall elaborated on that theme, commenting that: "I see forgiveness as God giving away His right to revenge in my life. He loved me so much that He’s choosing to remember that against me no more, all because of Jesus".[5]

Critical reception and awards

Upon the release of The Altar and the Door, "East to West" met with positive to mixed critical reception. Kevin McNeese of New Release Tuesday regarded the song as a "powerful song and moment",[6] while Steve Morley of United Methodist Communications commented that the song "offers grace for the journey" and "emphasizes the sin-crushing power of Jesus’ death and resurrection".[7] Andree Farias of Christianity Today was more negative, opining that the song took too long to reach its climax.[8]

At the

51st Grammy Awards.[10]

Chart performance

"East to West" received 78 radio adds in its first week, a record at Christian radio.

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[19] In 2012, "East to West" was certified Gold by the RIAA, signifying sales of over 500,000 digital downloads.[20]

"East to West" was ranked at number eight on the 2007 year-end Hot Christian Songs chart[21] and at number nine on the 2007 year-end Hot Christian AC chart,[22] as well as at number 12 on the 2008 year-end Hot Christian Songs chart[23] and at number 14 on the 2008 year-end Hot Christian AC chart.[24] It ranked at number six on the decade-end Hot Christian Songs chart and at number seven on the decade-end Hot Christian AC chart, Casting Crowns highest-ranking song on both decade-end charts.[25][26]

Live performances

Casting Crowns has performed "East to West" in concert and at events since its release as a single. At the

Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri as the fourth-to-last song of their set list.[29]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[30] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country Date Format Label
United States July 1, 2007 Christian AC radio[31] Beach Street
Christian CHR radio[32]
Soft AC/Inspirational radio[33]

References

  1. ^ a b c The Altar and the Door (Media notes). Casting Crowns. Beach Street. 2007. p. 2, 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ a b "Casting Crowns – East to West Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. 31 August 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  3. Rovi Corporation. Archived
    from the original on 21 May 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  4. ^ Davis, Kevin (5 April 2008). "Behind the Song with Kevin Davis". New Release Tuesday. Archived from the original on 7 March 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  5. ^ Hefner, April (29 August 2007). "Castings' Call". Today's Christian Music. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  6. ^ McNeese, Kevin (19 November 2007). "Top 10 Album of 2007". New Release Tuesday. Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  7. ^ Morley, Steve. "Casting Crowns: The Altar and the Door". United Methodist Communications. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  8. ^ Farias, Andree. "The Altar and the Door, Christian Music Reviews". Christianity Today. The Fish. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  9. ^ "Winners Announced for 39th GMA Dove Awards". Christian Broadcasting Network. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  10. About.com. Archived
    from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  11. ^ Price, Deborah Evans (25 August 2007). "Opening 'Doors'". Billboard. Vol. 119, no. 34. Applebaum, Howard. pp. 44–45. Archived from the original on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012. User must find the issue manually.
  12. ^ "Christian Songs archive (July 21, 2007)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  13. ^ "Christian Songs archive (September 1, 2007)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  14. ^ "Singles Charts Archive Search". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2012. Note: User must manually input the correct search information to obtain the sourced information. Type in "Casting Crowns" in the "Artist" category, "East to West" in the "Single Title" category, and select "Hot Christian Songs" in the "Single Chart Name" category. Then, select "All weeks" in the "Date" category and press "Submit"
  15. ^ Trust, Gary (23 April 2010). "Ask Billboard: Which Carrie Songs to 'Play'?". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  16. ^
    Hot Christian AC
    . September 22, 2007.
  17. ^ a b c d e "Music News Archive (September 2007)". Jesus Freak Hideout. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  18. ^ "Casting Crowns and Mark Hall Lead Nominations for the 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards". Today's Christian Music. 15 February 2008. Archived from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  19. ^
    Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
    . September 15, 2007.
  20. ^ "RIAA Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  21. ^ a b "Hot Christian Songs Year-end (2007)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 25 August 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  22. ^ a b "Hot Christian AC Year-end (2007)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  23. ^ a b "Hot Christian Songs Year-end (2008)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  24. ^ a b "Hot Christian AC Year-end (2008)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 25 August 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  25. ^ a b "Hot Christian Songs Decade-end (2000s)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  26. ^ a b "Hot Christian AC Decade-end (2000s)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 17 August 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  27. ^ Price, Deborah Evans (24 April 2008). "39th Annual GMA Dove Awards Recap". GospelMusicChannel.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  28. ^ Davis, Kevin (30 March 2010). "A Night With Kutless & Casting Crowns". New Release Tuesday. Archived from the original on 5 April 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  29. Kansas City Star. Archived
    from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  30. ^ "American single certifications – Casting Crowns – East to West". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  31. VNU Media). July 1, 2007. Retrieved June 15, 2012.[permanent dead link
    ]
  32. VNU Media). July 1, 2007. Retrieved June 15, 2012.[permanent dead link
    ]
  33. VNU Media). July 1, 2007. Retrieved June 15, 2012.[permanent dead link
    ]

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