[3] In September of that year, drummer and lyricist Steve Hindalong's first daughter, Emily, was born,[3] and this event would have a measurable impact on the lyrical content of the Choir's follow-up album, which began production only two months later.

[3] With the release of Chase the Kangaroo, the Choir felt their first completely self-produced effort finally yielded an album that reflected their musical identity.

While the Choir's Chase the Kangaroo was primarily borne out of experimentation and group jam sessions over an extended period of time, Wide-Eyed Wonder was created initially between Hindalong and Daugherty sitting down together with an acoustic guitar and the lyrics,[1] and the album only took a little more than two months to complete.

[9] The Choir also had a writing session with former bass guitarist Tim Chandler, which birthed the songs "Spin You Round" and the album's lead single "Someone to Hold on To.

"[12] To that end, Hindalong's folk influences from Neil Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash and the Byrds came through strongly on this album,[12] and he said the music, which featured a heavier use of acoustic guitars, was more "American-sounding and jangly, which suited the lyrics more.

[14] After the better part of a year touring with the band in support of Chase the Kangaroo, this was the first album to feature Spurs' input as bass guitarist and vocalist.

[15] Originally drawn to the Choir by the opportunity to play "gutsy, male, rock bass lines,"[12] her most prominent contribution was "Robin Had a Dream."

"[16] Hindalong heard Fleetwood Mac's "Hypnotized" on the radio while driving to the studio, so "Spin You Round" was built upon a similar drum pattern.

[10] Greg Lawless from Adam Again was then brought in to record the lead guitar part on that track, with Gene Eugene and Riki Michele adding backup vocals.

includes a sonic "easter egg" from Public Image, Ltd. in one of Michaels' sax melodies,[17] and the vocal phrasing that Hindalong originally had in mind for that song was inspired by James Taylor’s "Traffic Jam.

[9] Many of the songs on Wide-Eyed Wonder addressed Hindalong's joy over new fatherhood ("To Cover You," "When She Sees Me" and the title track) or the importance of family relationships ("Happy Fool," "To Bid Farewell").

[12] Like Chase the Kangaroo, the songs referenced specific personal details from Hindalong's lived experience, particularly his daily interactions with his baby daughter.

Even the album's leadoff single, the driving rock track "Someone to Hold on To," revealed more personal details, as the phrase "spider shed" was informed by Hindalong's arachnophobia.

[13] "I remember jumping out of bed when we lived in [our] little mobile home and getting rug burns on two elbows and two knees, running straight out into the parking lot, because I thought a spider crawled across my face.

"[26] Wide-Eyed Wonder was heavily promoted in Christian media, and landed the band on the cover of CCM Magazine in May 1989, with the feature article written by Chris Willman, who originally introduced Spurs to the Choir.

[1] The first video, "Someone to Hold On To," was a mix of black-and-white and color footage, directed by photographer Linda Myers-Krikorian, the then-wife of eccentric singer/songwriter Tonio K.;[1] this was filmed at various locations in Los Angeles, including on the rooftop of a building at sunset.

[1][35] Although the Choir had been headlining their own shows since Chase the Kangaroo, the band was given its most significant opportunity to reach a wider Christian audience as the opening act for Russ Taff on his 54-date tour for The Way Home.

[36] At that time, Taff was one of the most popular male solo artists in contemporary Christian music, and he consistently played much larger audiences than the Choir ever could reach.

[41] Just prior to the start of the tour, Michaels was driving the van and accidentally ran into a cow on the freeway late at night, which caused considerable damage to the front end.

[47] Wide-Eyed Wonder was the lead review in the April 1989 issue, as writer Chris Willman called the Choir "the best rock band in Christian music," adding that the album was "more cohesive than its predecessor."

John Joseph Thompson in Raised by Wolves: The Story of Christian Rock & Roll credited this album for bringing "increased romance and vulnerability to the band’s style.

"[48] Mark Allender at AllMusic wrote that the Choir "began to receive some of the attention they deserved" with this album, which he described as "more dense than the previous year's Chase the Kangaroo, and in many ways more accessible."

"[49] Mark Allan Powell in the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music agreed, writing that "the album bursts into full bloom with 'Someone to Hold On To,'" and that the "atypical novelty tune 'Car, Etc.'"