“I Will Call Upon the Lord”
Every Thursday, FishWorship takes a little detour into the unexpected with our AI Worship Discovery of the Week—songs that use artificial intelligence to explore familiar Christian music in new and sometimes surprising ways. This week’s discovery takes us back to the classic Christian rock sound of Petra, but with a decidedly different twist: a hair-metal rendition of “I Will Call Upon The Lord.” Whether you immediately recognize the song or find yourself wondering where those big guitars came from, give it a listen and see what you think!
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There was a time when “praise and worship” could mean something very different from what we might picture today. For countless teenagers gathering at youth meetings, retreats, church camps and Wednesday-night services, songs like “I Will Call Upon The Lord” were less about polished worship productions and more about everybody in the room singing together. Written by Michael O’Shields in 1981 and drawn heavily from Psalm 18, the song is essentially a musical declaration of faith: God is worthy to be praised, He is our Rock, and when we call upon Him, we are calling upon the God of our salvation.
And then there was Petra. Formed in 1972, Petra was one of the pioneering bands of Christian rock, helping establish the idea that the sound of rock music and a distinctly Christian message didn’t have to be mutually exclusive. The band became particularly influential among young Christians, bringing the energy, volume and attitude of rock music into a Christian setting. In 1989, Petra put “I Will Call Upon The Lord” on Petra Praise: The Rock Cries Out, surrounding the simple worship chorus with the kind of guitars, drums and full-throated vocals that made Petra unmistakably Petra.
That history makes today’s AI Worship Discovery especially fun. Take a song whose message is already decades old, take the Petra association that helped make it part of the soundtrack of Christian youth culture, and then let AI crank the amplifier another few notches. What emerges is a full-on hair-metal interpretation that sounds like it could have wandered in from an entirely different musical era—yet somehow the heart of the song remains intact. The guitars may be bigger, the production may be louder and the style may be turned all the way up, but the message hasn’t changed.
And maybe that’s one of the most interesting things about AI music: it can change the clothing of a song without necessarily changing its soul. “I Will Call Upon The Lord” is still a simple, powerful declaration of trust in God. Whether it is sung by a youth group, played by Petra, or transformed into a glorious wall of hair-metal guitars, the invitation is the same: call upon the Lord, because He is worthy to be praised. And that’s a pretty great message to turn up to eleven.
If you enjoyed this week’s discovery, head over to our main AI Worship Discovery page and explore more songs where familiar faith meets the unexpected possibilities of AI.
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