Carrie Underwood’s *Jesus Take the Wheel *made to #20 in 2006.
Jars of Clay’s biggest song “Flood” always sounded religious to me. I mean:
“But if I can’t swim after 40 days
And my mind is crushed
By the crashing waves
Lift me up so high
That I cannot fall
Lift me up”
Lord is it Mine. By Supertramp on Breakfast in America
Beg pardon? The notion that God was just a slob like one of us is the core tenet of Christianity. What church would object to that?
What about “Tears in Heaven”; does that count as religious?
And one of the books of the Bible was “just a love song”. Wise elders assure us that it’s actually about the love between God and Humanity, and all that stuff about boinking is purely metaphorical.
Unless I missed it, nobody’s mentioned “People Get Ready,” which has charted at least twice. The Impressions went to #3 in 1965 and then Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart took it to #5 twenty years later.
Not mockingly - cynically.
‘Oh, hey, I can do that’ (his stated inspiration) isn’t really mocking, even though it’s sure not doing it out of actual belief. (Greenbaum, as is likely to be surprising to nobody who’s seen his name, is Jewish.)
Funnily, he didn’t actually ‘do that’ - he set out to write a gospel song, but when he went to write the instrumentation, he never liked any of the attempts that actually hit a gospel chord…so he went with the hard rock note and got a kickass rock song about Jesus (with slightly wrong theology, but, hey, again, Jewish).
Ah yes, the “Give me a laser” song. Could never figure out why the guy wanted a laser…only found out it was a mondegreen last year after Googling it after hearing it in the grocery store.
What? You mean Jesus isn’t going to recommend me to the spirit in the sky?
Christian belief is that everyone is a sinner, and that’s why we need a friend in Jesus.
“Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition”
“Sky Pilot” - Eric Burdon and the Animals
It’s a questioning song, but with strong religious themes.
Many U2 songs share this characteristic. If you think he’s singing about a woman, he’s probably singing about Jesus/God: Mysterious Ways, Vertigo (your love is teaching me how to kneel) and many others. The chorus of Gloria comes from the hymn Gloria In Excelsis Deo.
Gloria in te domine
Gloria exultate
Gloria, Gloria
The Doobie Brothers - Jesus is Just All Right.
I’m pretty sure it’s based on the teachings of Socrates.
Dude!
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“Signs”–One Man Electric Band
“C’Mon Get Happy”–Judy Garland
“DAMNATION”–Squirrel Nut Zippers
Am I missing something here? They’re a Christian band - all their songs are religious! Some of them might be more subtle than others (‘Flood’ seems on the more subtle side but it’s still got ‘Casting down all the waves of sin / And guilt that overthrow me’ which is a bit of a dead giveaway)
“Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer.”
Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer
With our full crew on board
And our trust in the Lord
We’re comin’ in on a wing and a prayer.
**This one **made it to #17 (on the C&W chart):
They don't get much more wretched than this! :(Don’t forget “Oh Happy Day,” a #4 hit on US pop charts in the late Sixties for the Edwin Hawkins Singers.
Lyrics:
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed)
Oh, when He washed (When Jesus washed)
When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed)
He washed my sins away (Oh, happy day)
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
Clearly you have to hear itto appreciate its blend of gospel and soul.