Michael W. Smith: Influences

Michael W. Smith owes a lot to CCM's first generation of singer/songwriters. Keith Green ballads like the tender “Your Love Broke Through” schooled him in feathery melodies and soul-searching lyrics, and Larry Norman rockers like “Feeling So Bad” shaped his love of high, airy harmonies. But Smith also listened to plenty of '70s pop, particularly Billy Joel, whose Broadway-kissed “Vienna” hooked him on ornate piano-based songcraft.