Not Christian Rock: Difference between revisions

''If they knew you believed in God above?''<br />

''They should realize before they criticize''<br />

 

[[Christian Rock]] is defined by being explicitly Christian. Then there are some works that aren't, but could still fool some people.

** Also, most Christian rockers don't drop f-bombs in their songs.

** Ironically, as of 2010, lead vocalist Ed Kowalczyk is now a legit Christian rock musician; songs on his solo debut include "Zion" and "In Your Light" as well as lead single "Grace".

* Despite some of their songs (and the fact that Ace and Peter are Christians) , [[Kiss]] is not religious rock. They are all religious (for instance, Gene Simmons is a fairly serious Jew), but that isn't the focus of their music. The above song was a cover of an Argent song. It's a song about rock and roll, not God.

** KISS, in fact, was once rumored to be a ''Satanic'' band by the [[Moral Guardians]] of Christendom. "'''K'''nights '''I'''n '''S'''atan's '''S'''ervice", remember?

** One song, "I Confess", on ''Carnival Of Souls'' was cowritten with Christian artist Ken Tamplin.

* Hirax, an American [[Thrash Metal]] band, has been called Christian for songs like "Demon's Evil Forces" where their singer plays God, so to speak with the lines "You will go down, down to the demons, and when you get there, you'll be in Hell" and "You must believe in me my son, I am the Lord God, the Holy One"... They have since denied direct involvement in the Christian music scene, though some of their members are indeed Christian.

** Actually, Adam Clayton's the only odd man out religiously. U2 very nearly broke up early on because Bono, Edge, and Larry all belonged to a small evangelical group with a leader who was urging them to give up music because it wasn't quite "Christian". After a couple days of seriously considering it, they decided God wouldn't have given them this skill if He hadn't meant for them to use it. They put the Christian subtext in as a little nod to the people who want to find it -- but it's subtle enough that those who don't want to go there don't have to.

* "Kyrie" by Mr. Mister. (''Kyrie eleison'' is Greek for "Lord, have mercy," and is still chanted by most Roman Catholics at Mass.)

* Certain songs by Kansas, such as "Dust In The Wind" and "Carry On Wayward Son." Some members of the group have, later on, joined the Christian Rock scene. Those songs are actually about a Platonistic world view, and a drug trip respectively.

* To this day, it's argued over whether or not [[Creed]] was Christian Rock. Whether they were or weren't seems to depend on whether Scott Stapp happened to think being a Christian was cool or not at the time the issue came up.

*** Evanescence formed at a church camp, so the Christians can be forgiven for jumping to conclusions.

** [[Joy Electric]] is an interesting case because [[I Am the Band|sole member]] Ronnie Martin has mostly sung about depression and random, abstract stuff with very few references to Christianity for the better part of his career. A new fan would never guess that JE is a Christian project if he himself weren't so outspoken about his faith.

** And in relation to Black Sabbath being an example, pretty much ''every'' song Ronnie James Dio did as a solo artist after leaving Black Sabbath could qualify as either [[Heavy Mithril]] or as direct references to Catholic imagery. This even includes his invention of the famous "Metal Horns", derived from an Italian Roman Catholic traditional ward against witchcraft.

** Cronos from Venom has said in the past that part of the reason for his choice of lyrical topics comes from his disappointment that so many Black Sabbath songs seemed so evil and apocalyptic and Satanic, then ended with "oh God please help me." So he decided to write similar lyrics, but with all the salvation ripped out.

** "Oh please God, help me."...[[Metallica]] do this in One, but it's heavily implied that his prayers are not answered.

* Parodied in this video with Nickelback: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sB9E8mRP6E

** The song "[http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/slayer/southofheaven.html#2 Silent Scream]" on ''South Of Heaven'' is based on a [[wikipedia:The Silent Scream|a rather infamous anti-abortion video]] (showing the dismemberment of a fetus by D&X via ultrasound, very graphically focusing on the apparent death throes of the fetus). In fact, the song lyrics pretty much EXACTLY match the plotline of the film and are in part written from the perspective of the fetus being aborted.

** Of note: "Silent Scream" (the movie) is fairly obscure outside of evangelical and Catholic anti-abortion circles. Tom Araya (who penned the lyrics) is actually a [http://www.themetalinquisition.com/2008/01/tom-araya-is-catholic-kerry-king-is.html rather devout Catholic].

** Nor did it affect "Stagger Lee," [[Refuge in Audacity|one of the filthiest motherfucking songs ever recorded.]]

* 80's jangle pop group Guadalcanal Diary used Christian and Catholic imagery in their lyrics frequently, but they sang songs from the perspectives of the pious and righteous, as well as the cynical and impious, never truly picking one over the other.

** ''The System Has Failed'' has "The Scorpion," "Truth Be Told," "Of Mice and Men," and "Shadow of Deth."

** ''United Abominations'' has "Never Walk Alone... A Call to Arms" and "Blessed are the Dead,"

* John Darnielle of [[The Mountain Goats]] is a lapsed Catholic and now occasional churchgoer, but spiritual and religious themes crop up continually in his work, most notably on ''The Life of the World to Come'' on which every song was named after, and inspired by or related to, a verse from the Bible.

** This is particularly funny for regular readers of [[Decibel Magazine]], as one of his "South Pole Dispatch" columns is about him being denied entry into heaven because of a [[Mercyful Fate]] tattoo he has.

** For example, the lines "Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run / There's still time to change the road you're on" might be interpreted as a message about the possibility of repentance and redemption.

** David Eugene Edwards, the singer and main songrwriter for 16HP, is a very devout Christian. None of the other bandmembers (who occasionally wrote songs) were Christians. This is part of the reason why the band broke up.

** Steve Harris has said that the song isn't really pro- or anti-religion. It's just asking questions.

** "Number of the Beast" while we're at it.

* The Hold Steady write songs about Catholicism, but they're not a Christian rock band. It's all mixed up in drug taking, sex, and teenage rebellion anyway...

{{quote| "I guess I heard about original sin, I heard the dude blamed the chick, I heard the chick blamed the snake. I heard they were naked when they got busted, and I heard things ain't been the same since."}}

 

{{quote| Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. <br />

 

** Another, perhaps more obvious interpretation is that the song is about suicide bombers. Especially since the song was originally called "Suicide", as evidenced by the spoken "We're rolling 'Suicide'." in the beginning of the song.

** Which is actually from the title of an Alice In Chains song.

*** And that their first album was called "From Genesis to Revelation".

*** Or a Christian video game console.

Richard the Lionheart, the leader of the century<br />

Fought for the cross, for Christianity }}

** Note that the aforementioned "Beast and the Harlot" doesn't just reference Revelation, it's pretty much pulled directly from it and rearranged a bit.

** And their name itself is likely a reference to the biblical [[wikipedia:Mark Of Cain|Mark of Cain]], with which God said, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over" (in other words, were Cain to be killed, he would be ''avenged sevenfold'').

* With the song [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJdIP3kR5qA "Without Faith"], which is about how [[Puff of Logic|if God's proven to exist, he won't]] and the Bible reference in their name, it's not surprising ThouShaltNot often gets mistaken for Christian Rock.

* Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn converted to Christianity early in his career, and often incorporates Christian themes in his work, but it's typically done in a subtle and non-overt manner.

{{quote| "As a Christian, I have a lot to say within the walls of the church. But also, as a Christian, I've got a lot to say just about life in general."}}

* The Finnish band HIM or H.I.M. (which may or may not stand for His Infernal Majesty, depending on which interview you believe) is sometimes found listed under Christian music. Perhaps because they have a song titled "The Face of God" which is actually, like the vast majority of their songs, about a very earthly kind of love.

* [[Tom Waits|Tom Waits's]] [[The Wire|"Way Down In The Hole"]] has lyrics about Jesus and Satan, and has been covered by Christian band The Blind Boys of Alabama. The song's existence has less to do with any religious preference on the part of Mr. Waits, but rather his interest in gospel- and blues-influenced folk music and Americana, which has a long-standing tradition of evangelism to it. After all, this is the same man who once opined: "...there ain't no Devil/There's just God when he's drunk."

* Iron & Wine includes a lot of christian references in his songs, even overtly referring to God and the Devil at several points. This is especially notable on ''The Shepherd's Dog''. Despite this, he's definitely not Christian Rock and even diverges from anything resembling the Christian worldview a lot of the time.

* Collective Soul has gone on record stating that they're not a Christian rock band, but that they have a general spiritual feeling to their songs. It's not helped by the fact that the father of the Roland brothers was a minister and their first big hit, "Shine", features the chorus "Heaven let your light shine down!"

{{quote| Nail in my hand<br />

From my creator<br />

* "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz is a song which basically combines the message of Jesus Christ with an [[Epic Riff]]. Kravitz has explicitly stated that the song is about Christ and that [[Jesus Was Way Cool|"Jesus was a pretty cool guy."]]

* '80s pop/rock band The Hooters wrote several very spiritual-sounding songs, the most notable of which is their minor hit "All You Zombies", which deals specifically about people rejecting God's authority and salvation and how they are the "zombies" referenced in the song's title. One might think that they're Christian based on that, but Hooters songwriters Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman (who would later also write the Christian-sounding "One Of Us" [as in, "What if God was one of us?"] for Joan Osborne in the '90s) were both Jewish.

* [[Midnight Oil]]. Australian pub rock band famous for their left-wing activism, but the born-again Christians in the band (including singer Peter Garrett, who is now a politician) pretty much never mentioned it in the context of their work. However, writings about the band (particularly ''Strict Rules'') noted at length the tensions between the Christians and the non-Christians in daily band life.

* An interesting case: "Jesus Walks", by [[Kanye West]]. While the lyrics are overtly Christian, it still has a sound that could appeal to any top 40 radio station.

* Take it from someone who made the mistake of asking before he knew: [[Nine Inch Nails]] is ''not'' a reference to Jesus being nailed to the cross.

* [[George Harrison]]'s "My Sweet Lord" starts out sounding Christian...until the backing vocals start singing "Hare Krishna".

* The sincere-sounding song "Jesus" by the Velvet Underground was written by Lou Reed, a Jew.

* Disco group [http://www.last.fm/music/Fan+Death Fan Death's] song [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7WxAeLaRV0 "Veronica's Veil" ] is about [[wikipedia:Saint Veronica|Saint Veronica]] told from Veronica's point of view. This is quite odd considering Dadillion Wind Opaine (vocalist of Fan Death) has criticized religion in another song.

* "The Catalyst" by [[Linkin Park]] is a song that can pretty much be described as a desperate prayer to God asking him to save us from all the corrupt war in this world. Also, "What I've Done" is basiclly a song about forgiving your sins. Some members of the band are infact Christian, however they are not a Christian band.

* mewithoutYou is a particularly interesting example, as they have no issues being blatantly religious and spiritual in both their lyrics and their interviews...but not in the way most Christians are comfortable with, taking influences not only from the Bible and Christianity, but also Jewish mythology, Sufi Islamic poets and even secular philosophers. The members are avowed Christians, but view their faith as part of a broader context than the traditional evangelical subculture, making them relatively controversial in those circles (especially the song "Allah, Allah, Allah").

** This is partially because two of the band's members, Aaron (vocalist) and Michael (guitarist) Weiss were raised in a Sufi household; their father is ethnically Jewish. Both brothers converted to Christianity later in life. Aaron Weiss has stated that mwY is not an evangelical band.

* The [[Metalcore]] band Across Five Aprils never intended to be a Christian band, but frequently ended up playing with Christian bands and by fluke even at a Christian fest, lending to misconception that they were. This no doubt led to quite a confusion when they released songs with titles like "Tallahassee Is For Hookers".

* Post-rock group A Silver Mt. Zion has been mistaken for being a Christian band [http://www.archive.org/details/asmz2006-08-21.m300.flacf at least once (track 4)] simply because of their name. The group does use Judeo-Christian imagery [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ez6p0Y8Qng a little here and there], but primary vocalist Efrim Menuck, while Jewish in descent and culture, has claimed to be an atheist on more than once occasion.

* We Came As Romans has been mistaken for being Christian Metalcore because some of their songs have an uplifting theme/message in their lyrics.

* Brand New are definitely not a Christian band, but you could be forgiven for thinking that after listening to "Jesus Christ".

* [[Flyleaf]] has some explicity religious songs, alongside others [["God Is Love" Songs|that are not explicity religious but are easily interpreted that way]], but they prefer not to call themselves [[Christian Rock]].

** Further confusion arrises from the fact that all of the members are Christian.

* [[Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly|Death/Thrash/Groove]] metal band The Showdown is an interesting case. Their first album is clearly Christian (all of the songs are bible stories, and the last song is a prayerfully song power ballad about finding rest in Heaven), but after that album, the Christian refrences got more and more subtle (they are still there however). All the members are Christians, but they do not consider themselves a Christian band.

* This arguably goes back to the very beginnings of rock 'n' roll, with the 1958 folk-rock song "Make Me a Miracle" by Jimmie Rodgers (''not'' the country singer, by the way). The song is probably addressed simply to a girl the narrator pines for, but because it is more somber and much less "pop" than other [[Silly Love Songs]] of [[The Fifties]], and because it features [[Ominous Latin Chanting|a chorus of chanting men who sound kind of like Gregorian monks]], and because it contains the words "miracle" (of course), "choir," and "chalice," and finally because the person being addressed comes across as having nearly omnipotent power ("You can make a fabulous thing of me...or nothing at all"), it's not hard to imagine that "my love" in the song is God! (And even if the song isn't religious, which it probably isn't, it's still arguably a ''very'' early example of [[Heavy Mithril]].)

* When someone remarked upon the spiritual nature of [[Paul Simon]]'s 2011 album ''So Beautiful Or So What'', with its many references to God and angels, Paul was surprised; he hadn't noticed.

* Manchester Orchestra, especially on their never-officially-released [[Early Installment Weirdness|first album]], often make direct references to God, though it swings between cynicism and reverence.

* "Religion Song (Put Away The Gun)" by [[Everything Else]].

* [[Wasp]] has been looking more and more like this with their latest albums, especially "Babylon". But look at their older, scarier material like "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)" and it's clear WASP is only HELMED by a Christian recently.

* [[Twisted Sister]] fall into this, with songs like "Sin After Sin" and "Burn in Hell" being warnings about sin, "Kill or be Killed" being about the end times (with the last line sung being "burn or save your soul") and "Power and the Glory" being a song in praise of God for a conversion.