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Songs About Faith: 20 Tunes Rocking Religious Themes
- Posted by Pat Pemberton
20
'Judas'
Lady Gaga (2011)
Nice guys fail again in this single, inspired by that two-faced Judas Iscariot, betrayer of Jesus. Here Gaga, who considers herself a Christian, sings about falling for the bad boy again and again. "Jesus is my virtue," she sings, "and Judas is the demon I cling to." The song is so full of Biblical allusions and images, New York Magazine recently offered a line-by-line analysis of the song's liturgical references, from Luke 7:38 to John 13:27. Already controversial, the video -- in which Gaga portrays Mary Magdalene -- is bound to raise even more Cain.
Ethan Miller, Getty Images
19
'Picture of Jesus'
Ben Harper With the Blind Boys of Alabama (2004)
Plenty of rock stars have lined up to collaborate with the Blind Boys. And the Boys are happy to oblige -- so long as the collaboration meets one criteria: it's got to be gospel. Harper's album with the Boys, 'There Will Be a Light,' featured plenty of original gospel, but also lots of heavenly soul and some wicked steel guitar. Here, Harper sings about keeping close to Jesus with constant reminders -- seemingly omniscient pictures of the Chosen One.
KMazur, WireImage
18
'Intervention'
Arcade Fire (2007)
The church organ used in this song supposedly made frontman Win Butler cry during the recording, which, appropriately, occurred in a church. While that organ might have induced a spiritual sensation, the song itself -- like the 'Neon Bible' album it appeared on -- offers no redemption and no light at the end of the tunnel. Instead, its grim lyrics suggest a sense of futility for anyone who believes God's got their back.
GNA/Redferns
17
'God Is Love'
Marvin Gaye (1971)
Written after the shocking death of occasional singing partner (and rumored lover) Tammi Terrell, Gaye's groundbreaking 'What's Going On' album suggested that benevolence to man -- especially the needy -- was a spiritual obligation. "God is writing this album," Gaye, a preacher's son, reportedly told Smokey Robinson as he was writing it. "God is working through me."
Richard E. Aaron, Redferns
16
'40'
U2 (1983)
The Irish rockers have several songs about faith. But this one is perhaps the most obvious, lifting words from the Bible's Psalms 40. The song begins, "I waited patiently for the Lord/He inclined and heard my cry." The tune was supposedly written, recorded and mixed in 40 minutes -- a miracle in the modern music business.
Bob King, Redferns
15
'Jesus Walks'
Kanye West (2004)
After a surviving a near-fatal car accident in 2002, West was inspired to write a rarity: a spiritual song by a secular hip-hop artist. "You appreciate all the days you get," he told BET.com. "You take one day at a time and keep God in all your rhymes." In this choir-sampling tune, West rapped, "If I talk about God, my record won't get played." But he eventually made believers out of the hip-hop industry that initially doubted the demo.
M. Caulfield, WireImage
14
'Monkey Gone to Heaven'
The Pixies (1989)
This somewhat surreal alt-rock song manages to combine environmental pollution with religion and numerology. Here, songwriter and son of Pentecostal parents Black Francis tells the tale of a man buried under 10 million pounds of ocean sludge, who later rises above it all and goes to heaven. "I've retained a lot of Bible stories, and I use them a lot," Francis told the Washington Post. "Lots of stories of sex and seduction and murder and false religions."
Tim Hall, Redferns
13
'Dear God 2.0'
The Roots Feat. Monsters of Folk (2010)
The Roots aren't the first to wonder what kind of god would allow for terrorism, deadly natural disasters, crime and pollution. But few can do it with the blend of hip-hop and soul that the Roots deliver here. "I won't say it's questioning God," drummer Questlove told NPR last year. "I don't want to say that, you know, it's like an existentialist song or even an atheist song like, 'Do you even exist?' But, I mean, it's so hard sometimes to do right and to believe that you exist when all these things are happening in the world."
Kisby, Getty Images
12
'God Is Real'
India.Arie (2002)
Yes, bad things happen in the world, but what about natural beauty? Arie wonders just that. In response to doubters, the folky soul singer affirms her faith with this song, asking how the best things in nature could be created by anything but a higher power. "There is something that scared me about putting so much of my opinion about my spiritual views onto an album," she told NPR. "But I didn't want to be scared."
Ethan Miller, Getty Images
11
'I Say a Little Prayer'
Aretha Franklin (1967)
The daughter of a Baptist minister, Franklin grew up in the church and sang for her father's Detroit congregation as a child. This song, in which the narrator offers prayers to a loved one, was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Dionne Warwick in 1967, but it's more known for Franklin's cover. Last year, Franklin credited many little prayers with helping her survive an undisclosed illness.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
10
'Have a Talk With God'
Stevie Wonder (1976)
Much of the songs from Wonder's album 'Songs in the Key of Life' reflected his own history. This one reflected his deep spiritual beliefs, imploring others to connect with God as well. "I'm not a minister," he told Newsweek. "But I get the feeling that when I'm singing I'm just the vehicle."
RB, Redferns
09
'Letter to God'
Sheryl Crow (2005)
A Christian herself, Crow questions where others are taking religion in this song. Specifically, it refers to the rise in power of the religious right, which she thinks is leading the U.S. in the wrong direction. "And also that there's a judgmental attitude -- a very moralistic attitude in our country -- that's based on that sort of fanaticism," she told the Edmonton Sun.
KMazur, WireImage
08
'Laughing With'
Regina Spektor (2009)
Indie songstress Regina Spektor draws a contrast between faith in God that kicks stronger in trying times of war, sickness and other "bad news" and non-laughing matters and the faith in God burdened by "magic" superstitions and "when the crazies say he hates us and they get so red in the head you think they're 'bout to choke." Think of it as a quick-tempo theology lecture, set to a classically influenced piano pop.
Jim Dyson, Getty Images
07
'One of Us'
Joan Osborne (1995)
While some of the lyrics declare, "God is great, yeah, yeah, God is good," Christian pop stations across the country didn't think "great" when they heard the line, "What if God was one of us -- just a slob like one of us," so they refused to play it. Eric Bazillian, who wrote the song, has said it was meant to wonder what God would think if he were on the streets, seeing his creations.
Tim Mosenfelder, Getty Images
06
'Tears of God'
Los Lobos (1987)
Backed by rich, church-like organ sounds, this tune would fit right into a Sunday service. In it, the band advises listeners to seek God during hard times, singing, "The tears of God will show you the way -- the way to turn." "We're very religious people," Cesar Rosas told the LA Times. "We really believe in our Christianity. We're just Catholic folks."
Ebet Roberts, Redferns
05
'Jesus Is Waiting'
Al Green (1973)
The song itself is like a religious experience, with Green starting out in prayer, then promoting Jesus as "the one that believes in love" -- all in that soulful, sexy Al Green kind of way. When Green released this, he was still on top of his game as a soul act. But after a distraught girlfriend committed suicide in front of him a year later, Green vowed to only sing gospel. He returned to secular tunes in 2003, but you can still hear the Rev. Al Green sing gospel at his church in Memphis every Sunday.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
04
'Spirit in the Sky'
Norman Greenbaum (1969)
"You've got a friend in Jesus," Greenbaum famously sang in this hit song, intended to provide inspiration. Yet, there was a bit of confusion over one obvious fact that Greenbaum is Jewish. And the Jewish faith doesn't see Jesus as the savior. Alas, Greenbaum told the Jewish Advocate in 2001 that he had a higher calling when deciding to put Jesus in this tune. "Using Jesus in songs sold records," he said.
GAB Archive/Redferns
03
'Jesus is Just Alright'
The Doobie Brothers (1972)
Originally recorded by the Byrds in 1969, this cover features guitarist Pat Simmons preaching, "Jesus, he's my friend. He took me by the hand." Although the Doobies weren't overly religious themselves, believers would storm to the front of the audience whenever the band performed this live and throw scriptures onto the stage.
Gijsbert Hanekroot, Getty Images
02
'Turn! Turn! Turn!'
The Byrds (1965)
The Byrds covered folk pioneer Pete Seeger, who had covered the Bible. Sort of. Borrowing liberally from the Book of Ecclesiastes, Seeger sang about beginnings and endings, noting that there is a time to laugh, a time to weep, a time to be born and a time to die. Then he closed the song with his own lyric: "a time for peace, I swear it's not too late." For the Byrds, this cover was clearly a time to reap -- it became their second No. 1 single.
Gijsbert Hanekroot, Redferns
01
'Like a Prayer'
Madonna (1989)
It was fitting that a singer named Madonna would write a song with gospel themes. But many churchgoers refused to welcome Madge with open arms after the release of this song, which seemed to be about Madonna's Catholic upbringing with a metaphor about a kneeling sex act. The video, complete with burning crosses and stigmata, added fuel to the fire.
Paul Natkin, WireImage
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Sorry, DP.
February 06 2013 at 2:51 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyGeorge Harrison - My Sweet Lord, Give Me Love, What is Life, Here Comes the Sun. & Waiting on You Alll w/ Billy Preston.
And "The Lord's Prayer" from the early 70's.
No George Harrison ? My Sweet Lord, Give Me Love, What is Life.
Or The Lord's Prayer from the 70's.
Jhe Nou
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Boney M - Rivers of Babylon?
May 21 2011 at 8:45 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI am an 80 year old English Methodist lay preacher. After reading this,
I see I must widen my horizons a little. God bless and guide them all.
.. and "Mary Had A Baby" by Mary Hopkin..
May 21 2011 at 3:35 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyTry "In The Upper Room" by Mahalia Jackson - on YouTube.
May 21 2011 at 3:32 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
43 Comments