A few years ago I wrote a song called “Rise Up.” I was relatively new to Atlanta and didn’t realize that Rise Up happened to be the motto of our local NFL team, The Atlanta Falcons. My actual inspiration for the song came not from the Falcons, but from the prophets Amos, Theodor Hertzl, and MLK. But an undeniable synergy was born and “Rise Up” has become, for me and at least a few other folks I know, a kind of Atlanta anthem.
Lots of meaningful, fortuitous, and memorable things have happened because of “Rise Up.” For example, The Davis Academy produced this video which features congressman and civil rights icon, John Lewis.
The song really took off the first time we included it at the annual MLK Weekend interfaith Shabbat service at The Temple. Here’s a snippet from that awesome moment.
A fun side street on the Rise Up journey was when a few of us produced a “Tiny Desk” version for submission in NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Competition.
Another fun moment was in the midst of the now infamous Superbowl 50 hysteria, I found myself chatting with Bailey and Southside about the song on Rock 100.5.
Which contrasts nicely with a more sophisticated chat with Lois Reitzes for WABE 90.1.
And I knew things were heating up when a friend sent me a screen shot from the NFL Network that I absolutely would never has seen had he not shared it with me.
Due to various overlaps in the still relatively small Atlanta faith and civic community, the song came to the attention of The Falcons. After several years of attempts and failures to launch, students from The Davis Academy and dedicated members of the Ebenezer Church Baptist Choir were able to perform the song on the field of Mercedes Benz Stadium before the final home game of the season this past Sunday.
Performing an original song from the 50 yard line of a packed NFL Stadium is a pretty awesome experience. And humbling. We were onsite before 7am. The sound system, delays, and echoes, presented a real challenge. And then there’s the typical nerves that you might expect.
Of course it was “worth it.” And the best part is, that the story of “Rise Up” will just continue.