Those of us with a history at All Saints Nowra are well familiar with the Beestie Boys. They're great guys who've worked very hard to get where they are now, and it's always good to see Christian bands find their way onto mainstream radio. The video is quite good too. There's only one problem: the song is bad.
I don't mean offensively or egregiously bad; there's nothing particularly wrong with it as far as I can tell. I don't even mean musically bad. There's no such thing as 'Christian music', really; nothing about a particular set of tonal vibrations that makes rock or hip-hop or death metal particularly Christian, which is why you can probably think of Christian artists that fit into all three of those categories. In the musical sense Break the Spell is a catchy, well-constructed pop song that I personally, because my musical tastes lie elsewhere, would probably not pay 99 cents for on iTunes but would be perfectly happy listening to in someone else's car.
What gets me (or, more accurately, complete fails to get me) about this song is the lyrics. It doesn't really appear to be about anything, not about God or us or anything except a vaguely defined idea of 'love'. If you have a Christian background you could probably interpret that as referring to God's love on the cross 'breaking the spell' of sin, but without such a background the word is fairly empty of any content whatsoever. In a genre where words are so important (remember, there's no Christian music, only Christian lyrics), this seems like a fatal mistake.
"Well, off you go to listen to Casting Crowns then," I hear you say, "they've got God lyrics coming out their ears." True, but I've never really been able to connect with those guys, or CCM as a whole. I think it's something to do with the way the lyrics tend to relativise the difficulties of Christianity; as a Winter Christian I find that songs which gloss over the ugly bits of having faith don't come across as particularly authentic. (If you don't know what a Winter Christian is, read the linked article, especially if you're like me and can't understand how some Christians can be so darn happy all the time; it'll change the way you look at yourself.) Until recently this put me off all Christian music, but recently I've discovered a few artists that don't relativise the difficulties of faith, which to me is really important and makes their music much more worthwhile than the usual CCM stuff.
Maybe I'm being unfair to Third Caedmon's MercyCrowns Talk (although I doubt it), but here is how Christian band As Cities Burn started their album Come Now Sleep, with the song Contact:
Hearts aren't really our guidesNow that's some ugly. And yet they follow up in the very next song with this:
We are truly alone;
'cause God ain't up in the sky,
holding together our bones
remember when we used to speak?
now I'm starting to think
that Your voice was really my own,
bouncing off the ceiling back to me.
I was a Pharisee,This stuff seems to me to be a more accurate representation of faith (at least as I experience it) than the alternatingly bland and saccharine offerings that seem to churned out by much of the CCM industry. I don't know; am I being unfair? Closed-mined? Unneccesarily elitist? You tell me :)
I never saw my need for grace;
then Your love came to me
stood next to mine, and I saw that I was poor
show me I was poor,
show us we are,
show us we are
Glory, glorious,
we are glory, glorious;
not from what good we have done,
but from being the least
Glory, glorious
oh, I don't know how I was made
5 Comments:
Nice post. And nice to see that someone else is just as annoyed with the state of 'Christian music' which is all about the happy happy joy joy.
before I respond to some of the more substantive points, I should say that I do believe there is such thing as Christian music - and it is basically the stuff that hillsong do. 'worship' music, as it's known, has really developed into a genre of it's own and can only be described as purely Christian.
But that's not really your point. For a band like this one, to compromise on the lyrics is a big call. And they're not the first. Both reliant k and switch foot have done the same in a bunch of their songs, seemingly with the purpose of attracting a wider audience and moving towards a more mainstream market.
My question is, what's wrong with that?
I am a public servant. My job doesn't necessarily have to be done by a Christian, just like the vast majority of jobs in the world can be done by anyone with the skills. But having Christians workingf as public servants, like lawyers, doctors, plumbers, retail assistants, engineers, aid workers, and yes, musicians, is good.
A band who finds their feet playing 'Christian music' at youth groups and schools and then moves into a more mainstream market has just gone about getting into the world differently from others.
Yes, this song doesn't have the same level of profundity that we've all come to expect (or not) from out Christian musicians, but that doesn't make the song unhelpful. Richard and the boys are probably doing the next logical thing (either knowingly or otherwise) - introducing themselves to a new market with the view of living out their Christian lives in that context. If someone hears the song on JJJ and likes wha they hear, they may just go and spend more than 99cents on some of their other songs.
On the broader question of what Christian lyrics are about, I gotta say, I get so frustrated with songs that are all about how har the Christian life is. I get sick of the cheesy stuff written by the likes of mercyme and casting crowns (though a few od their songs are good) but I'm not looking for someone to write depressing songs about how hard it is.
That's one of the reasons I liked the Paul Coleman trio so much - they are fun, insightful and yet maintain a line that acknowledges that not everything in the chirstian life is easy. Comparing songs like 'the sun, moon and stars' with 'i dream' with 'fill my cup' with 'this is forever' and you get a really nice mix.
Anyway, your right that this song is catchy but not about very much, but I'm not so sure that's such a bad thing.
g
So much to say here - so apologies in advance for a long post!
Ill start with All Mankind. I actually made a blog post on them here (http://heavierthings.blog.com/2011/08/22/giving-generously/) a while back on one of their old songs, which I remember catching me as a teenager – it is musically very simple, but I think that in itself says something about the song, and the lyrics got me thinking, saying ‘A little more, and I’ll be happy’ – a reflection of the world’s materialism, which I related to the topic of the post (being ‘generosity’)
I need to ask if you have heard their latest song, which I like, called ‘Can you hear me’? Here is an extact (though a large one!) of the lyrics:
Tell me can you hear the crack from a hard life breaking?
Can you see the flood from the waves of my regret?
Can you hear me, can you hear me, I've no more cards to play
In a corner I surrender to your way, to your way
Can you smell the fear of a weak man caught in the middle
In a struggle to the death as the spirit and the flesh take sides
Can you hear me, can you hear me, I'm as weak as you are strong
And though I lose the battle, I know the war is won...
I don't want to live my life for less than nothing
I don't want to gain the world if I lose my soul
I want to have the chance to see, the change you can work within me
Can you hear me, can you hear me, can you hear?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRCKTA1MRBY&feature=share
I think it is quite good! As for ‘worship’ music by Hillsong, I actually think that Garage Hymnal are providing a fairly excellent alternative now. They are a group full of highly talented Christian musicians, and the songs they have produced have so far been good – particularly on their most recent album. I know a few people have issues with them perhaps starting to drift down the ‘performance’ rather than ‘worship’ road (mainly in a response to the way they led the music at Piper/Lennox a couple of months ago), but I cannot judge as I haven’t seen them live in a few years.
I actually made a blog post yesterday on Christian Music. I have said a few things about three songs in the ‘series’ of posts I have made, which have been ‘I can only Imagine’ (Mercy Me), ‘Run’ (Paul Colman Trio – though ‘In the middle’ is actually my favourite, but there was no way to link it to the music so people could hear the song) and ‘Safe to say’ by Playjerise. As I said in my post yesterday, I feel Playjerise are able to express their personal (key word) relationships with God through their music, which is refreshing. Often we see people singing about ‘generic’ Christian feelings, experiences and stories, but I feel Playjerise go one step further and personalise their songs with a commendable level of honesty. For example, I like how they consistently use first person, and I think this is something that creates a closeness to God for the listener.
“I’ve been chasing things that everybody likes,
and I’ve been hoping things will work out fine”
(Better Life)
“I keep tripping on words in my head,
I can’t believe the selfish man that I am inside,
and I know I haven’t been myself for so long”
(Obvious to Know)
“Why’s it so hard to be strong?
Why’s it so hard to keep faith?
And why’s it so easy to stay,
In the same place?”
(Just Trust Me)
I think each of these three express feelings and things that we all come across within our faith, and also the struggle/challenge they represent. I like it.
Alright – watch me squirm as i try to collect my thoughts and sound like i know what’s going on :)
I'm kinda with Greg on the point about this band (and others) entering the industry – it’s bloody hard to get anywhere in the music industry, especially if you are trying to connect with a wide, mainstream audience. For All Mankind to have achieved this is awesome. This song is on the FIFA 12 soundtrack did you know!?
The world’s industries need more Christians, sure – but if you can’t tell that they’re Christians, then they’re just more musicians.
I would go a little further though, and say that sure – it is definitely important to have Christians in the public service, as lawyers, plumbers etc., BUT musicians are a little different – their form of expression is public, and very easily accessible to a potentially wide audience, and this calls for a different kind of expression. If you are a musician claiming to be a Christian musician, then your lyrics need to be a little less wishy-washy than the ones displayed in this song.
However, I think that the fact that only people who are familiar with the Beeston boys’ music know they’re Christians is a little sad. Sure they’re catchy, and I really like most of their stuff – but if I was slightly compelled by their music and thought “hey, maybe they’re onto something, I should look them up” – neither their Wikipedia page, NOR their actual website mention anything about them being Christians. Not even on their “ABOUT” section, on which the band’s bio is 400 words long, is there a single mention of them being Christians.
So, in response to Greg’s comment on them just trying to get more people to listen to them – I agree, but only if they’re going to follow it up with the Gospel. What they’re achieving right now is international acclaim (other songs of theirs are featured on US TV series The Hills, coverage of the Australian Open, one of Jamie Olliver’s shows – they don’t need to get any more feet in any more doors). Sure it might get more people to listen to it, but if it’s not worth listening to in terms of theology then what’s the point?
In response to Andrew’s comment on the (lack of) quality of Christian music (for the most part) – I agree (also as a WC). I’m heartbroken by the sheer boredom I experience upon a couple of minutes tuned into Christian radio. Songs like this one make me a little sad - very basic theological grounding, lack of lyrical depth - cheesy sounding, in an attempt to stay relevant. The quality of the music and the message in their lyrics is severely compromised, but at what cost?
Dick Staub wrote in his blog on Christian music a little while ago that “If we fail to tell the truth about our human condition, which requires nastiness and messiness and is not all that inspirational, we will be unable to explore the riches and depth of the gospel, which is about restoring all that unravelled in the Fall” and I think it sums up where Andrew’s coming from – our lives have heaps of heartache in them – especially concerning our struggle as Christians, and I think there needs to be more care taken that Christian music, in an attempt to gain audience members, doesn't become a bland and shallow something that’s “inspirational” or mildly relating to Jesus or God or something that sounds like it's close to Gospel, but too far off to be anything worth promoting.
two things.
Pete, I wasn't saying hillsong were bad - I was just pointing out that they have essentially created a whole new genre which is almost exclusively christian (and I don't think Garage Hymnal play that kind of music).
secondly, you should all read the article by Michael Jensen on the Sydney Anglican Website called 'Christianity and High Culture' - it deals with the whole thing about christians in the arts and how they should think about thing. (I'd post the link, but apparently that screws around with the spam filter - just google it).
g
This is not a foreign sentiment to me Andrew. It is something that has caused me grief over many years of being a believer and I have only really let it go in the last year or two. Best decision I have ever made really.
Firstly, contrary to your statement, I believe that there IS such a thing as Christian tonal vibrations (music). A consciousness of our art and of the idea that we are creating it unto the Lord watermarks it with faith. The spirit in which we do these things makes imbues it with something intangible. In the same way that if one removed the vocal tracks from say, a death metal song about a seance, it would still bring an atmosphere of darkness.
"If you don't know what a Winter Christian is, read the linked article, especially if you're like me and can't understand how some Christians can be so darn happy all the time; it'll change the way you look at yourself."
Firstly, is not our place to comment on the happiness of others. How would you have them be? solemn? despondent? For what purpose? To validate their faith for you?
Are we not implored to find joy (PURE joy) even in our suffering? Has not the wrath of God been satisfied freeing us from the darkness and negativity of the fallen world? Of course we encounter struggles. Of course we fall short of the glory to which we are called. But we have a greater Hope that displaces negativity in us and reassures us that we are seated in heavenly places. And if some of those who appear happy really arent, then God will be their answer, not our comments. If they really are truly happy, then you grieve the Holy Spirit by speaking ill of them.
On winter/summer Christianity, I must ask, why subscribe and categorize yourself into a non-biblical (<<<I do not use this term harshly) assortment that honours 'complaint' and seems to further separate you from your Christian brothers? We've endured enough unnecessary denominational/ideological schisms. Do we need more? We're all in the same boat believing the same truth arent we?
Also, Up until now christian music has served the purpose of corporate and private worship. It has served that purpose well. But I find that it makes the beautiful gift and dynamic nature of music (vibrations) arbitrary and repetitive, when it could serve a greater purpose.
I suggest you look up John Mark McMillan. Google the lyrics to skeleton bones. We play that song in Church. He is a true artist, and he's honest about everything. Also, Carbon Ribs is an amazing track.
"Skeleton bones stand at the sound of
eternity on the lips of the found,
gravestones roll to the rhythm of the sound of you"
Also, Sleeping at last. sweet mother of mercy this band is amazing. They also sympathize to the struggles of faith and dissatisfaction with lukewarm religion. Youtube 'Birdcage religion'
"but time is spinning silk
that coils ruthlessly;
with the devil's patience,
it binds my hands so quietly
that soon it becomes a part of me.
so soften these edges and straighten out my tie.
and help me remember
the hope that i have compromised.
please be a broken record for me."
Lastly (because I knew you'd resent it), Hillsong United's latest release 'aftermath'. They are starting to break musical paradigms and I honestly love it. Youtube Rhythms of Grace, and listen from 3.00 onwards (because I know you will instantly judge the first 3 mins :p).
It has only been in my letting go of cynicism toward Christian music that I have found joy in it. I was horribly cynical and I've had my heart changed.
Anyway long, long post. Hope it has been both insightful and practical. May have been neither.
-David
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