I Can Only Imagine premiers this weekend in 1,600 theaters across the U.S. The movie is based on the story behind MercyMe’s 1999 song that captivated a nation. But how that happened has some of the band’s own members scratching their heads to this day.
The song was a huge hit on Christian radio, but it reached heights no one could have predicted four years later when some shock jocks on an FM rock station in Dallas played the song on a dare.
Fitz, Tony and Big Gay Steven, then-hosts of Wild 101 FM’s “The Fitz Show,” decided to play the song as nothing more than a joke. And when they did, something unexpected happened: The phone lines lit up with requests for “I Can Only Imagine” to be played again.
The song had already run its course in Christian radio and the band had moved on, but suddenly MercyMe was in a fascinating position, as a Christian song that was intended for praise and worship had made its way onto the secular airwaves—and people were loving it.
Soon, interest in the song snowballed and the band’s record label began sending copies of it to top 40 stations across the country, challenging program managers to play it. When they did, their phones blew up as well, with the masses wanting to hear more of the Christian song.
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SOURCE: Bob Ditmer
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