The Newsboys are a Christian pop/rock band formed in 1987 in Mooloolaba, Au… Read Full Bio ↴The Newsboys are a Christian pop/rock band formed in 1987 in Mooloolaba, Australia (although they soon relocated to Nashville, Tennessee). Its core members, John James and Peter Furler, originally hailed from Australia where they played in a band together called The News.

Newsboys are considered one of the most popular bands in the Christian music industry. They have had numerous hit singles on the Christian pop charts, including Shine (1994), Take Me To Your Leader (1996) and He Reigns (2003).

In 2000, they helped start and headlined the annual, travelling CCM festival Festival Con Dios with Audio Adrenaline and The O.C. Supertones. It was known for featuring popular Christian bands and its motorcross stunts.

Steve Taylor has produced many of their hit albums, and several of the songs he has worked on with the band (such as Breakfast, Take Me To Your Leader) feature Taylor's humor and quaint lyrics.

During the Step Up To The Microphone tour, the band featured the drums on a rotating platform that could tilt downward up to 90 degrees. In fact, there were two sets of drums and Peter Furler (the original drummer) and Duncan Phillips would wear seat belts, so they wouldn't fall out, and have a rotating drum-off. This feature is still used on their tours and has grown to be quite popular.

In 2003, Jody Davis left the band to care for his sick daughter, Bethany. His replacement, Bryan Olesen, left in 2006 to work on his own band, Casting Pearls. The band announced in January 2007 that Paul Colman would be replacing Bryan.

The Newsboys released their new album, Go, on October 31st, featuring songs such as their hit single I Am Free, along with new singles Wherever We Go, and Something Beautiful. In March 2007, a collection of remixes from the Go was released as Go Remixed.

On December 31st 2006, bass player Phil Joel departed from the band to devote more time to family and personal goals.

In January 2009, the band announced that guitarist Jody Davis would return, replacing Paul Colman. Colman continues to pursue his solo career.

In March, 2009, it was announced that Peter Furler will be leaving the band to pursue other interests and will be replaced by Michael Tait, former member of dc talk and founding member of Tait. However, it was also announced that Furler will remain with the Newsboys in a production/advisory role, and may occasionally return to the stage with them for special events and will still be on the albums.

dance
Newsboys Lyrics

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Never got the memo
Never got on board
Couldn't get lost
'Cause I never explored

Never took a swing
Never held the ring
Never drew a straw

Never knew how to draw

We got the whole world waiting for
Anything to wash ashore
Evidence they can't ignore
Anything to hope for

Faith is the substance
Faith is the glue
Bringing us together
Giving us a clue

(It'll make ya)
Dance like no one is looking
Sing like no one can hear
Love like you've never hurt before
Live like there's nothing to fear

Never got with it

Never gave blood
Draggin' my feet
Tracked in more mud
Tried to take control
Dug a deeper hole
Couldn't get a hand
Then bless my soul

You hosed off the dirt
Set my feet on a rock
I got a vision from god
I felt the awe and the shock

(I know)
Faith is the substance
Faith is the key
Faith is gonna take us
Where we're meant to be

(Now we're gonna)
Dance like no one is looking
Sing like no one can hear
Love like you've never hurt before
Live like there's nothing to fear

Get up, get out
Get up, get out
Get up, get out
Get up, get out
Come on

Dance like no one is looking
Sing like no one can hear
Love like you've never hurt before
Live like there's nothing to fear

Dance like no one is looking
Sing like no one can hear

Love like you've never hurt before
Live like there's nothing to fear

Overall Meaning

In the song "Dance," Newsboys explore the theme of faith and its transformative power to enable one to overcome fear and live life to the fullest. The opening lines of the song suggest the singer has been left out of something: "Never got the memo/Never got on board." The rest of the verse describes his lack of engagement with the world: he's never taken risks or made a move, and he's never explored anything in depth. The chorus introduces faith as a unifying force that can give us hope and allow us to live without fear: "Faith is the substance/Faith is the glue/Bringing us together/Giving us a clue." The rest of the song is a call to action, urging the listener to "Dance like no one is looking/Sing like no one can hear/Love like you've never hurt before/Live like there's nothing to fear."

The second verse adds depth to the theme of faith by describing the singer's personal journey. He's struggled to take control of his life, but he's been helped by someone else: "You hosed off the dirt/Set my feet on a rock/I got a vision from god/I felt the awe and the shock." He then interjects with a repetition of "faith" in different forms: "Faith is the substance/Faith is the key/Faith is gonna take us/Where we're meant to be."

Overall, "Dance" is a song that encourages the listener to take risks and live life to the fullest with faith as a guiding principle.

Line by Line Meaning

Never got the memo
I never received information on how to live a perfect life

Never got on board
I never followed what everyone else was doing

Couldn't get lost
I couldn't get lost because I never explored the unknown

'Cause I never explored
I never stepped out of my comfort zone

Never took a swing
I never took a chance

Never held the ring
I never took charge

Never drew a straw
I never had to try and pick the winning item

Never knew how to draw
I never had artistic abilities

We got the whole world waiting for
The world is waiting for something to happen

Anything to wash ashore
Anything new to come into our lives

Evidence they can't ignore
Something clear and obvious that cannot be dismissed

Anything to hope for
Something that brings hope

Faith is the substance
Faith is the foundation

Faith is the glue
Faith is what keeps us together

Bringing us together
Uniting us as one

Giving us a clue
Pointing us in the right direction

(It'll make ya)
It will cause you to

Dance like no one is looking
Move your body freely without hesitation of what others might think

Sing like no one can hear
Sing out loud and with joy, regardless of others hearing or not

Love like you've never hurt before
Love unconditionally without fear of being hurt again

Live like there's nothing to fear
Live fearlessly and confidently

Never got with it
I never became a part of popular trends

Never gave blood
I never gave my all

Draggin' my feet
I was moving slowly

Tracked in more mud
I made things worse

Tried to take control
I tried to be in charge

Dug a deeper hole
I ended up making things worse

Couldn't get a hand
I couldn't get help

Then bless my soul
Then something wonderful happened to me

You hosed off the dirt
You cleaned me up

Set my feet on a rock
You gave me a firm foundation

I got a vision from god
I received a message from a higher power

I felt the awe and the shock
I was surprised and amazed by what I experienced

Faith is the key
Faith unlocks the door

Faith is gonna take us
Faith will guide us

Where we're meant to be
Towards our destiny

(Now we're gonna)
From now on we will

Get up, get out
Take action

Come on
Let's do it