ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Earlier this year, a Christian missionary and musician named Alex Yurkiv was killed in a motorcycle accident. He was 19. Yurkiv cowrote "Take Me To The River (I Will Swim)," a song that became a viral sensation when it was released last year. Between Spotify, Instagram and other social media, it's been played more than 30 million times. NPR's Elizabeth Blair has the story.
ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE: The first video that went viral is just a fragment of the song.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ALEX YURKIV AND THELMA COSTOLO: (Singing) Your love is high like the tide, come and pull me in. I want to get low in your glory, see places you've been.
BLAIR: Alex Yurkiv plays guitar and sings with Thelma Costolo. It looks like a casual, joyful sing-along.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
A YURKIV AND COSTOLO: (Singing) Take me to the river. I will swim. I will swim.
BLAIR: A fellow worshipper filmed them, posted the video online, and it gathered hundreds of thousands of views on social media. Sony took notice and offered Yurkiv and Costolo a deal. They filmed a more professional-looking video, and that went viral all over again.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TAKE ME TO THE RIVER (I WILL SWIM)")
A YURKIV AND COSTOLO: (Singing) I'm in the river. It's rising. For you, I'm all in. My soul is bursting with praises deep within. Your presence overwhelms me. It cleanses my soul. Jesus, you saved me, and you changed me. Make your glory known.
BLAIR: One of the millions of people who got hooked on the song was Charlotte Boyd.
CHARLOTTE BOYD: You kind of listen to it quite a few times.
BLAIR: Boyd and the cofounder of her animal rescue organization aren't religious but used the song in a video of an abandoned puppy they rehabilitated.
BOYD: It was all about faith and trust. And you don't need to be religious to believe in them as well.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TAKE ME TO THE RIVER (I WILL SWIM)")
A YURKIV AND COSTOLO: (Singing) Water with you, I'm walking. Fire for you, yeah, I've caught it. There's no place that I can be that you won't be with me. I'm in the river. It's rising. For you, I'm all in.
BLAIR: Thelma Costolo says the song is for everyone, but she doesn't want people to miss its meaning.
THELMA COSTOLO: The message is that there is a God who sees us. There is a God who loves us, and He wants a relationship with us.
BLAIR: Costolo and Yurkiv met at Youth with a Mission in Australia. She says Yurkiv almost always had his guitar with him, and the two of them came up with the song just jamming together.
COSTOLO: There was no agenda. We just thought it was something fun to share it with our friends.
DANIEL YURKIV: She was a free spirit.
BLAIR: Alex's older brother, Daniel Yurkiv, says, after graduating from high school in 2022, he wanted to see the world.
D YURKIV: He pretty much sold everything he owned. He sold the car that he loved very, very dearly. And he moved to Australia to join a missions group and to really do everything he could to make a difference in the world.
BLAIR: His brother went on missions to Ukraine, Morocco and Fiji. Before "Take Me To The River (I Will Swim)" was released on Spotify last year, Alex Yurkiv posted on social media.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ALEX YURKIV: We've put so much work into the song, and we're so grateful for everything that the Lord is doing through it. And yeah, we're super excited to just bring it to you guys. And here's a little sneak peek and a little snippet from the studio version.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TAKE ME TO THE RIVER (I WILL SWIM)")
A YURKIV AND COSTOLO: (Singing) Your words are sweeter than honey. They nourish my soul. Oh, just to know you is to love you. Come and make me whole. Take me to the river.
BLAIR: One night last April, Yurkiv and some friends were riding their motorcycles on a highway in Australia. Yurkiv lost control of his bike and crashed. He died at the scene. Announcing his death on Instagram, Alex Yurkiv's family wrote, don't make his story a tragedy. He died doing what he loved, evangelizing and riding his bike.
Elizabeth Blair, NPR 暗黑爆料.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TAKE ME TO THE RIVER (I WILL SWIM)")
A YURKIV AND COSTOLO: (Singing) Take me to the river. I will swim. I will swim. Take me to the river. I will swim. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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