Great Religious Songs by Secular Artists

[pawpaw]

This thread is for us to give examples of songs by secular artists that have a religious focus, and to discuss why we like them. Former gospel singers who later made their name recording secular music have a place here (eg: Aretha Franklin). Hippie-spiritual songs don't. I want to hear songs that are direct in their mention of God or Jesus or anything else from one of the major religions, and to hear you discuss why you like the song.

Spirit In The Sky Norman Greenbaum

I love this song because the tone is NASTY! It doesn't seem to take itself too seriously either, which makes it easy to listen to as a fun song, rather than a serious, thoughtul kind of listening exercise. I don't feel like it's trying to move me, or enlighten me. It just rocks. Maybe the substitution of "God" with "Spirit in the Sky" makes it a little lighter than it would be. It's definitely catchier because of it. It's a great pop song, a great song to sing along to, and it's a song that I'm considering having played at my funeral.

[Shug]

Full Force Gale - Van Morrison

http://youtu.be/7PGndxMdWOs

Bob Dylan I Believe In You (no YouTube vid to be found so here is a Dylan cover band, actually not too bad and a faithful rendition) from Slow Train Coming

http://youtu.be/b-AVAPhnNrc

Jerry Garcia Band - My Sisters and Brothers
cuz gospel music that is full of soul sung by a soulful bunch of folks is killer!

http://youtu.be/3gwb005_5EA

[Tracy 2112]

Patti Smith, Gloria

Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine
Meltin' in a pot of thieves
Wild card up my sleeve
Thick heart of stone
My sins my own
They belong to me, me

People say 'beware!'
But I don't care
The words are just
Rules and regulations to me, me

Blood, Sweat & Tears - And When I Die

[pawpaw]

Tom Waits - Way Down in the Hole

I'd guess that Tom Waits is not a religious man, but it doesn't matter. He's a master at creating characters, moods, atmosphere. The fact that he's in character takes away most of the sincerity that a song like this could have had in the hands of a true believer, but it's still a great song. I like this song because it's Tom Waits doing what he does.

Also, Shug, what a great lyric:

Like a full force gale
I was lifted up again
I was lifted up again by the Lord

[Tracy 2112]

Blind Faith - In the Presence of the Lord

[pawpaw]

Blind Faith - In the Presence of the Lord

Dude, good one. Great song!

[pawpaw]

PEOPLE GET READY / THE IMPRESSIONS

[BH]

Jello Biafra and the GREAT Mojo Nixon

Are You Drinking With Me Jesus

[SauceGod]

Jesus the Mexican Boy

Jesus Christ Was An Only Child - Modest Mouse

Love both of these jesus songs. One is beautiful, the other silly and fun.

And got to give it up to the G.O.D. too...

2Pac- God Bless The Dead

Because, THUG LIFE (and when you see other people around you dying you start to think about the end)

[robb]

wasn't norman greenbaum pretty jewish?

[Tracy 2112]

GOD JOHN LENNON LYRICS

[ManNamedTruth]

The Velvet Underground - Jesus

[Tracy 2112]

Jethro Tull - My God (Lyrics)

People, what have you done?
Locked him in his golden cage, golden cage
Made him bend to your religion
Him resurrected from the grave, from the grave

He is the God of nothing
If that's all that you can see
You are the God of everything
He's inside you and me

So lean upon him gently
And don't call on him to save you
From your social graces
And the sins you used to waive, you used to waive

The bloody church of England
In chains of history
Requests your earthly presence
At the vicarage for tea

And the graven image you know who
With his plastic crucifix, he's got him fixed
Confuses me as to who and where and why?
As to how he gets his kicks, he gets his kicks

Confessing to the endless sin
The endless whining sounds
You'll be praying till next Thursday
To all the gods that you can count

[Jon T.]

I think this can kind of fit here.  I love this song on it's own, but what really makes it cool is that everyone knows Maynard has major issues with Christianity (to put it mildly).  Anyone that know a little backstory knows that his mom was a deeply religous person, and a lot of Maynard's animosity (presumably) comes from how religous his mom was, yet how much she suffered.  I love how he puts his own animosity aside and kind of creates a tribute to his mom.  Pretty powerful, IMO.

Tool - 10,000 Days (Wings for Marie Pt. 2) Lyrics

Highlights:
And this little light of mine, a gift you passed on to me;
I'm gonna let it shine to guide you safely on your way,
Your way home ...

I only pray, Heaven knows when to lift you out.
Ten thousand days in the fire is long enough;
You're going home.

You're the only one who can hold your head up high,
Shake your fists at the gates saying:
"I've come home now!
Fetch me the spirit, the son, and the father.
Tell them their pillar of faith has ascended.
It's time now!
My time now!
Give me my, give me my wings!"

Please forgive this bold suggestion, but
Should you see your Maker's face tonight,
Look Him in the eye, look Him in the eye, and tell Him:
"I never lived a lie, never took a life, but surely saved one.
Hallelujah, it's time for you to bring me home."


And then there's this...

PRAY - MC Hammer ^^ 1990 HD Music Video

[Jackets N Pones]

Lead Me Father

I like this one because it my favorite MMJ cover

[Crispy]

That song is a great one, but I don't think Johnny Cash could exactly be called "secular." He sang a TON of religious songs, released 11 gospel albums, and is in the Gospel Hall of Fame. That said, I guess he could fit in with the theme of the thread, as he is most well known for his secular work.

[Jackets N Pones]

Good call Crispy. I didn't even think about that...

Here is another one I like by Bruce Springsteen off of The Devils and Dust album. From VH1 storytellers. Really cool to see Bruce play the piano. Also, it is pretty funny when he forgets the harmonica. Transcript from the storytellers segment is below the video.

Bruce Springsteen - Jesus was an only son - live on Storytellers Uncut - the boss forgets harmonica

Jesus was an only son
– transcription of Bruce's comments on this song
(taken from an episode of the television series VH1 Storytellers, filmed on April 4, 2005):
"Well, that's a song that starts from the premise that everybody knows what it's like to be saved. That's a shakier premise than the other one...
On Devils and Dust I wrote several songs about mothers and sons. This is really one of them. I had second thoughts about it the day when I was behind a car with a bumper sticker [which] said 'Drive carefully, my mummy is in this car', and I was moved to hit the gas and rear end her as hard as I could. But it's something I haven't written about a whole lot before and I was kind of interested in the relationship between parent and child. That is why Mary figures so prominently in the song. I felt if I approached the song from the secular side that the rest of it would come through. To start with the title: 'Jesus was an only son'. Now, of course, Jesus had – that's my main metaphor –, Jesus had earthly brothers and sisters... but not on this particular day, this day he was single... 'as he walked up Calvary Hill'... Well, that's his proving ground. That's darkness on the edge of town, his darkness on the edge of town. Once you're a catholic, there's no getting out, that's about all there is to it. It keeps coming up. 'His mother Mary walking beside him...', now she would be, 'in the path where his blood spilled...' – that's the path of consequence, and we all have one of those...'Jesus was an only son in the hills of Nazareth, as he lay reading the Psalms of David at his mother's feet...'Well, I wanted an image of parental love and nurturing, and of life and of promise, and of peace, before what was to come.'A mother prays, Sleep tight, my child, sleep well for I'll be at your side... that no shadow, no darkness, no tolling bell, shall pierce your dreams this night.' Well, every parent wants to keep their children from all harm. It's such a primal thing. I was shocked when I first felt it so deep inside myself. Then I had a conversation with a friend where I was afraid... when my kids were gonna grow up... I said: 'Gee, they might not have to struggle the way I struggled, maybe that's not such a good thing?' And he said: 'No, no... you're a parent man... you give 'em the best because the world is gonna take care of the rest.' And that's true, you know, the world awaits us all, there's not much that parents can do about it.'In the garden at Gethsemane he prayed for the life he'd never live, he beseeched his Heavenly Father to remove the cup of death from his lips...' Well, you'd have to be thinking: 'There was that little bar in Galilee, pretty nice little place... Weather's good down there too... I could manage the place, Mary Magdalene could tend bar... We could have some kids. And the preaching? I could do it on the weekends...' You know, you don't have to give it up... You'd have to be thinking that. That's all there is to it...'Now there's a loss that can never be replaced, a destination that can never be reached, a light you'll never find in another's face, a sea whose distance cannot be breached...' Now that verse is the finality of death. Regardless of what Jesus was going to mean, for Mary, she was just losing her boy and... we lose one another, people don't get replaced. I had a friend, my wife and I had a friend, a young lady who lived next door to us... and passed away at a very young age... And she used to come over to our house regularly, every night, and there was a moment when she would be framed in the front window just before she was gonna knock on the door... And I would look up, and she was this very tall and elegant lady... and I still wait to see her in that window... 'Well Jesus kissed his mother's hands, whispered, Mother, still your tears, for remember the soul of the universe willed a world and it appeared.' That's transformation. Our children have their own destiny, they have their own destiny apart from us. And I think my idea was... to try and reach into the idea of Jesus as son, as somebody's boy... because I think that whatever divinity we can lay claim to is hidden in the core of our humanity... And when we let go, when we let our compassion go, we let go of what little claim we have to the divine... So, it's spooky out there sometimes... End of sermon."

[Shug]

I really love Dylan's gospel albums (Slow Train, Saved and Shot of Love (half of it, anyway).

A lot of what I like about them is just the music and the killer studio bands he put together for them. Slow Train had Mark Knopfler and Pick Withers from Dire Straits, Jerry Wexler  of Atlantic records producing, Barry Beckett on keys and the Muscle Shoals horn section and Dylan's African American female backup singers.  Its an authentic gospel/soul sound and its super slick and tight.  I love how they use two complementary keyboard sounds on a lot of that, a piano sound and a Hammond organ sound.  Its dense and fleshed out, but still there is space and distinctness between the instruments.

The songs are played passionately with vocals that are as good as you can get from Dylan.  There are good emotional crescendos.

As for the words of I Believe In You, they are about sticking to your ideals and your spirituality even if you are an outcast because of it.  That resonates personally with me because I feel like an outcast from my fundamentalist Christian family.  Kinda ironic to feel that way from a song like that, but I do.  For some weird reason I can't fully articulate, I trust Dylan's version of Christianity/Judaism or more correctly, his spirituality. I hear truth not just in the words but in his voice and the music.  Its got true soul. 

[pawpaw]

I hear truth not just in the words but in his voice and the music.  Its got true soul.

That's why I like this one. Regardless of if I'm a believer or not, I'm moved by the emotion and conviction that he's singing with.

Put Your Hands In The Hand - Donny Hathaway

[pawpaw]

Billy Preston - "That's The Way God Planned It"

This song's great because it's got one of the best lineups of all time:

Billy Preston - Vocals and Keyboards
Eric Clapton - Guitar
Keith Richards - Bass
Ginger Baker - Drums

Plus, it's just an awesome tune.