I Can Only Imagine - The Very Best of MercyMe (2018)

I Can Only Imagine - The Very Best of MercyMe is the second official compilation album by the Christian rock band MercyMe, released on February 2, 2018 by Fair Trade Services/Sony Music. This second compilation collection contains 12 of their number 1 Christian radio hits with six of those tracks appearing previously on their 2009 compilation album 10, plus their more recent hits "Greater," "Move,"

"Flawless," "The Hurt & The Healer," "Shake" and "Dear Younger Me." It did not contain songs from their 2017 release Lifer because their second single from the album "Grace Got You" featuring John Reuben was already on the Billboard Christian charts when this collection was released.

In addition to their original 2001 signature hit "I Can Only Imagine," a movie session version of the same song was the only newly recorded track created especially for the 2018 motion picture, also titled I Can Only Imagine. The theatrical film was released in theaters about a month later after this compilation album was released and serves as a tie-in (You can read more about the song and its impact on the Almost There article). The original "I Can Only Imagine" was re-released to Christian radio once again to promote the film and this time climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart for a three-week run.

I Can Only Imagine is the second MercyMe compilation album to top the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart where it stayed for 19 weeks. Over on the Billboard 200 Albums, it peaked at number 23.

Track listing

    1. I Can Only Imagine (The Movie Session) (Bart Millard) (created for the movie I

Can Only Imagine) -4:44

   2. Greater (MercyMe, David Garcia, Ben Glover) (from Welcome to the New) 

-4:08

3. God With Us (MercyMe) (from All That Is Within Me) -5:46

   4. Here With Me (MercyMe, Pete Kipley, Dan Muckala, Brad Russell) (from

Undone) -4:10

5. Word of God Speak (Bart Millard, Pete Kipley) (from Spoken For) -3:10

6. Move (MercyMe, Dan Muckala) (from The Generous Mr. Lovewell) -2:59

7. Flawless (MercyMe, Solomon Olds, David Garcia, Ben Glover) (from Welcome

to the New) -4:16

8. Shake (MercyMe, Solomon Olds, David Garcia, Ben Glover) (from Welcome to

the New) -3:14

9. The Hurt & The Healer (MercyMe) (from The Hurt & The Healer) -4:51

10. Bring the Rain (MercyMe) (from Coming Up to Breathe) -5:31

11. Homesick (Bart Millard) (from Undone) -3:42

12. Dear Younger Me (MercyMe, David Garcia, Ben Glover) (from Welcome to the

New) -3:27

13. I Can Only Imagine (from Almost There) -4:11

Personnel

MercyMe:

Bart Millard -lead vocals, backing vocals (all tracks)

Jim Bryson -keyboards, backing vocals (tracks 3 -6, 10, 11 and 13)

Barry Graul -guitars, backing vocals (tracks 1 -4, 5 -12)

Mike Scheuchzer -guitars, backing vocals (all tracks)

Nathan Cochran -bass guitar, backing vocals (all tracks)

Robby Shaffer -drums (tracks 1 -12), backing vocals on track 1

additional musicians:

Will Sayles -drums on track 1

Ben Shive -keyboards, programming, backing vocals on track 1

Production credits

David Garcia and Ben Glover -producers (tracks 2, 7, 8 and 12)

Pete Kipley -producer (tracks 4, 5, 11 and 13)

Brown Bannister -producer (tracks 3, 6, 9 and 10)

Dan Muckala -co-producer (tracks 6 and 9)

Ben Shive -producer (track 1)

Radio singles

2018 "I Can Only Imagine" (The Movie Session) -#16 Billboard Hot Christian Songs,

-#26 Billboard Christian Airplay, -#28 Billboard Christian AC Airplay

Previous release: Lifer (2017)

Next release: Inhale (Exhale) (2021)