<P> The lyrics to the song are based around the narrator wondering what it will be like in Heaven and to be standing before God . Regarding this theme, Millard explained to Fox News that "I was always told that if he could choose, he would rather be in Heaven than here with me . As a Christian I believed that, but as an 18 - year - old it was a little hard to swallow . So the questions in the song came from me asking God what was so great about Him that my dad would rather be there ." </P> <P> "I Can Only Imagine" was re-recorded for their major - label debut record Almost There and released as its lead single in 2001 . The album was recorded in various locations: Ivy Park, The Indigo Room, Paradise Sound and IBC Studios . The single gained radio airplay on some contemporary Christian formats; by November, it peaked at number - one on the Radio & Records Christian AC format and in the top twenty of the Radio & Records Christian CHR chart . </P> <P> In 2003, a Dallas mainstream radio station, 100.3 Wild - FM, first played the song on its morning show, The Fitz Radio Program . They had responded to a caller's repeated requests and the urgings of the program's producer, Todd Sheppard . The song soon became the most requested and most played song on the station . After hearing the song played on the station, Millard called - in and spoke with the crew; MercyMe then came in and played the song live . </P> <P> As other stations around the country caught on, MercyMe's label, INO Records, partnered with Curb Records . They marketed the single to wider audiences, such as Top 40 radio . In September, INO and Curb also released a double A-side physical single, "I Can Only Imagine / Word of God Speak". The latter track was co-written by Millard with the band's producer, Kipley . Eventually, the song cracked into secular charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts . </P>

When did i can only imagine become a hit