Saul_Sabia
2005-05-18 10:54:47 UTC
So for some unknown reason i've been turning on the christian music
channel on my radio and just listening to it as i drive. maybe i'm just
getting bored of hearing the same-old-same-old that i always listen to.
anyways, it's some praise channel... and i'm struck at A) how crappy
christian music is, and B) how slow it all is.
let me qualify the first statement. i've heard some pretty decent
christian music lately... switchfoot, for instance. good stuff. but
in-between i have to listen to "shout to the lord" (okay, it's not that
bad) and all kinds of other mid- to slow-tempo whiney "your name is
holy" or "i lift you up on high" or "i lift your holy name on high" or
"you are worthy to receive my worship" or "you're worthy to have me
lift your holy name on high" or whatever.
it all seems so ... formulaic. it's like take any love song, delete the
sex references (unlike cartman did in south park... LMAO!) and just put
jesus' name in at random. and the big thing is that it's only one or
two songs that _don't_ have jesus' name splattered all over, too!
the big thing was that it seemed like it was all mid-tempo. dah dah dah
dah dah DA dah dah ... lightly bouncing along at 60-80 bpm... is all
radio-christian music like that? is that the compromise you have to
make to appeal to the biggest slice of christians?
a little boring for me. i'm beginning to crave a different beat, a
different time signature, a distorted guitar, or a bpm that rises above
60. but i'm still sticking to it. i'm going to bloody understand the
modern christian if it kills me! (and the boredom might!)
i found a book at the library that was an encyclopedia of christian
music. it was interesting because just about every single entry either
had a comparison to a fairly well-known "secular" artist ("his voice
could be compared to Bono's, or Elton's...." shyeah right), says that
this artist did for christian music what "xxxx" did for secular music
("DC talk did for christian music what Beastie Boys and Nirvana did for
all other radio!" ummm... so why haven't i heard more than one song
from them?), or bemoaned the apparent injustice in the music industry
("if the music industry had God in it, the Newsboys would've broken all
over mainstream music!" ummmm, sure. still never heard a newsboys
song).
the funniest part was when the author said "yeah, christian music is
always said to lag behind mainstream music, and it probably always
will." is that because it's all RIPPED OFF?
hmmm. i forgot what this post was about. damn. oh yeah, modern
christian music. so, does it all sound like crap still, like it did
about five years ago when i listened last?
i'd like to find a christian, upbeat, uptempo, ska or punk band with
vaguely intelligent lyrics that can use more phrases than "lift his
name on high" or "i love to worship" or even "shout to the lord". maybe
even... gasp.... write a song that might be about something ... *gasp*
... else?
what a ramble. anyways, it's been on my mind.
i've been toying around with the idea of writing my own christian
music. it's sick and perverse, i know, especially since i'm not
christian, but it seems so easy... it would probably irk my girl (who
is christian) to know that a non-christian writes better music than a
christian does.... hmmm.... in the spirit of perversity, i just might
do it...
now what's a synonym for "lift your holy name on high" ... hrmm ...
Saul
channel on my radio and just listening to it as i drive. maybe i'm just
getting bored of hearing the same-old-same-old that i always listen to.
anyways, it's some praise channel... and i'm struck at A) how crappy
christian music is, and B) how slow it all is.
let me qualify the first statement. i've heard some pretty decent
christian music lately... switchfoot, for instance. good stuff. but
in-between i have to listen to "shout to the lord" (okay, it's not that
bad) and all kinds of other mid- to slow-tempo whiney "your name is
holy" or "i lift you up on high" or "i lift your holy name on high" or
"you are worthy to receive my worship" or "you're worthy to have me
lift your holy name on high" or whatever.
it all seems so ... formulaic. it's like take any love song, delete the
sex references (unlike cartman did in south park... LMAO!) and just put
jesus' name in at random. and the big thing is that it's only one or
two songs that _don't_ have jesus' name splattered all over, too!
the big thing was that it seemed like it was all mid-tempo. dah dah dah
dah dah DA dah dah ... lightly bouncing along at 60-80 bpm... is all
radio-christian music like that? is that the compromise you have to
make to appeal to the biggest slice of christians?
a little boring for me. i'm beginning to crave a different beat, a
different time signature, a distorted guitar, or a bpm that rises above
60. but i'm still sticking to it. i'm going to bloody understand the
modern christian if it kills me! (and the boredom might!)
i found a book at the library that was an encyclopedia of christian
music. it was interesting because just about every single entry either
had a comparison to a fairly well-known "secular" artist ("his voice
could be compared to Bono's, or Elton's...." shyeah right), says that
this artist did for christian music what "xxxx" did for secular music
("DC talk did for christian music what Beastie Boys and Nirvana did for
all other radio!" ummm... so why haven't i heard more than one song
from them?), or bemoaned the apparent injustice in the music industry
("if the music industry had God in it, the Newsboys would've broken all
over mainstream music!" ummmm, sure. still never heard a newsboys
song).
the funniest part was when the author said "yeah, christian music is
always said to lag behind mainstream music, and it probably always
will." is that because it's all RIPPED OFF?
hmmm. i forgot what this post was about. damn. oh yeah, modern
christian music. so, does it all sound like crap still, like it did
about five years ago when i listened last?
i'd like to find a christian, upbeat, uptempo, ska or punk band with
vaguely intelligent lyrics that can use more phrases than "lift his
name on high" or "i love to worship" or even "shout to the lord". maybe
even... gasp.... write a song that might be about something ... *gasp*
... else?
what a ramble. anyways, it's been on my mind.
i've been toying around with the idea of writing my own christian
music. it's sick and perverse, i know, especially since i'm not
christian, but it seems so easy... it would probably irk my girl (who
is christian) to know that a non-christian writes better music than a
christian does.... hmmm.... in the spirit of perversity, i just might
do it...
now what's a synonym for "lift your holy name on high" ... hrmm ...
Saul