text: pray ( justin bieber song ) " pray " is a song performed by canadian recording artist justin bieber . the song was written by bieber along with omar martinez and adam messinger and nasri of the messengers , with the latter duo producing the track . the song is taken as a single in several european countries from his first compilation album , my worlds : the collection . in the united states and canada , the song is included on my worlds acoustic . according to bieber , he was inspired by michael jackson 's " man in the mirror " ( 1988 ) when writing the song . the song is a contemporary christian song , while deriving from pop and r & b influences , and using a world music backdrop . it primarily features acoustic instruments , however does make small usages of electronic sounds . " pray " received generally positive reviews , with critics appreciating the message portrayed in the song . it reached the lower half on the singles charts in germany and austria , and charted in several regions where it was not released as a single such as the united states and australia . the song 's music video premiered on facebook on december 11 , 2010 . the video , which also has religious undertones , features clips of places affected by natural disasters , sick children , possessed homes , and more , which are intercut with bieber performing . bieber debuted and performed the song on the american music awards , accompanied by a full choir . background and composition " pray " was written by omar martinez and adam messinger and nasri atweh of the messengers . while bieber was being interviewed by ryan seacrest on his radio show , bieber talked about the songs initial writing stating the song was influenced by michael jackson , bieber elaborated , " it 's a very uplifting song , very motivational . it definitely comes from the heart . it 's very beautiful . i definitely thought of michael [ jackson 's ] ' man in the mirror ' when i was writing it . " the song was released as a cd single in germany on december 3 , 2010 . " pray " is a mid - tempo song that uses a " world - music beat " as a backing . according to the sheet music published at musicnotes.com by universal music group , " pray " is set in common time with a tempo of 80 beats per minute . it is composed in the key of b major with bieber 's vocal range spanning from the low - note of f ♯ 3 to the high - note of b4 . the song follows in the chord progression of b / g ♯ – b / f ♯ – e – b. present throughout the songs background is the use of violins and a choir , as well as guitar , string instruments , congas and a . however it does make subtle use of synths and electronic sounds . musically and lyrically , it is influenced by contemporary christian music , and has a gospel feel , while including standard pop and r & b. the song opens with bieber singing , " and i pray " over a keyboard , while the song 's chorus repeats one simple refrain , " i close my eyes and i can see a better day / i close my eyes and pray . " in the lyrics , bieber " recognizes the pain and suffering in the world " and then offers " a passive solution " through lines such as " children are crying / soldiers are dying / some people don 't have a home , " before compromising , " i know there 's sunshine beyond that rain / good times beyond that pain . " vocally , bieber 's vocals are sung in a lower key compared to previous singles . critical reception referring to the song as a " junior varsity " take on " man in the mirror " , allison stewart of washington post said " as an indicator of the bieb 's awakening social consciousness , it 's a good start . " melinda newman of hitfix called the song a " lovely testament to the power of prayer , " commenting that it was " for true believers , not just true " calling it bieber 's " man in the mirror " moment , newman also said while it did not have the " staying power or resonance of the michael jackson classic , " she said the themes of how to effect change were the same . lucy jones of the daily telegraph noted the song as a recommended download from the album . dan savoie of rockstar weekly said the song " is a more advanced lyric and shows a more political side to the young singer , but the gospel feel of the song really works with his voice . " savoie went on to say " the song just moved bieber from the category of pop child star to responsible young man . " monica herrera of billboard wrote that the song was " a treacly but well - meaning ballad that taps into bieber 's spiritual beliefs . " katie amoroso of writes , " the song itself is less poppy and more natural than other justin songs and shows strong musical talent . many have commented that the song made them emotional ... promotes deep thought on our impact on the world " chart performance " pray " was only released as a single in select european countries , and had moderate success . on the belgian flanders tip chart , the song charted at number five , while on the belgian tip chart for wallonia , the song charted at number fifteen . on the austrian singles chart , " pray " peaked at number sixty - five , spending a week on the chart . " pray " debuted at fifty - one on the german singles chart , and spent eight weeks on the chart . despite not being released as a single in these countries , due to sales after the digital releases of my worlds : the collection and my worlds acoustic , " pray " debuted at number ninety - four on the australian singles chart , and number 112 on the uk singles chart . it also debuted at number ninety - one in the us billboard hot 100 and reached number sixty - one the following week . music video in the music video , bieber highlights several social injustices around the world . clips are shown from footage of earthquake - torn haiti , a suffering post - katrina new orleans , and bieber himself visiting sick children in hospital beds . more scenes feature military soldiers being reunited with their families , and homes being possessed because families cannot pay mortgage . the video is intercut with scenes of bieber performing . like the song itself , the video also includes religious undertones , including the video ending with the quote , " god speaks in the silence of the heart . listening is the beginning of prayer . " bill lamb of about.com likened the video to the saying , " there are times when putting pictures to the words does indeed make a song more powerful than simply listening to the track . " calling the video " outstanding for the holiday season " lamb said the theme of " bringing hope and joy into the lives of others " related to " the celebrations that bring all of us together in hope for a brighter future for our world . " live performance " pray " debuted and was performed for the first time at the 2010 american music awards . the performance opened with bieber sitting playing the piano while singing . midway through the performance bieber arose from the piano and took center stage , he was accompanied by a choir singing background vocals . the performance was ended with bieber kneeling singing the songs title , the performance was greeted by standing ovation from the audience . according to jocelyn vena of mtv news bieber , " threw in that showmanship that 's made him famous . " thomas conner of chicago sun - times noted bieber as the standout performance of the night , saying it was proof that he could sing , besting " the wavering pitches " of taylor swift and miley cyrus . track listing classic single " pray " " u smile " ( acoustic version ) charts