- July 26th, 2016, 2:36 pm
#513568
Last month the band King's Kaleidoscope released their new album. You may or may not know who they are. They were one of the bands that formed out of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. They entered the worship/Christian music scene in 2011/2012 with a series of hymn covers that got a lot of play in modern churches. They then released one of the best Christian albums of 2014 with their first full length.
Their latest album is drawing both criticism and praise and is starting what I believe to be a really interesting conversation. It's getting reaction because the lyrics include the f-word twice. There's also an edited version where the lyrics are changed but the fact that a leading Christian band released an explicit song is overshadowing everything. Here's what the writer/lead singer said about the song:
I think I know where I land on this song because we've dealt with it with other artists before, but I'd love to hear your opinion on it. Here are the questions I'd start with:
1) Should there be a place in the Christian bubble for us to share our most authentic feelings?
2) Is that place through music?
3) Does this song discredit the rest of the band's music?
Their latest album is drawing both criticism and praise and is starting what I believe to be a really interesting conversation. It's getting reaction because the lyrics include the f-word twice. There's also an edited version where the lyrics are changed but the fact that a leading Christian band released an explicit song is overshadowing everything. Here's what the writer/lead singer said about the song:
Well, first I would say I think that for people who haven't actually listened to the record, or listened to that song, just listen to those last three songs in a row, and I think that it will be self-explanatory in terms of what is going on there. The short answer is, that song comes from the deepest part of my gut and my being, and the fear that I face throughout my life - I've had really severe anxiety disorder my whole life, and that's been a major part of my struggle and story. That song is about the fear of running from God or that God will turn his back on me and I will end up apart from him in hell. And the actual lyric is something that is from my journal - I don't know how everyone else has conversations with God, but I have very vulnerable conversations, and God already knows how afraid I am. I usually figure it's good for me to pour out my soul to him, and that's what that song is.If you want to hear the explicit version, you can listen to it here.
The choice to keep that original version, which is straight from off the top of my head, really, as well as the edited one... It took me a long time, and I really sought counsel and had a lot of conversations with pastor friends of mine and family. At the end of the day, that song is not going to impact somebody who has never felt that way anyways. So that song is there for people who have felt like me. And I know fear and Satan and death - the voice of all of that is not poetic, it's not thoughtful, it's not patient. It's aggressive and demanding and terrifying. And that's what came out of my heart because that's what I was hearing, and so that's what I chose to leave it in the song. It was to say, look, this is the reality of how we feel sometimes, and this is the reality of how God responds to that. And I just want people to know that that is life. It is freaking scary, and God talks to that and he speaks to us right where we are.
At the same time, I know other people have different convictions theologically on language - obviously I don't have that conviction, otherwise I wouldn't have released it. [laughs] But I really respect that, and I know some people want to just buy the CD and be able to play it in their car without their kids hearing it. Some people have told me, "I don't care if my kids listen to that song at all" - the unedited version. But because I respect people, I want to have a different version for them, and that song - it's not really about that word, it's about the meaning and the bigger context, and I think if anything I'm trying to be vulnerable and have different types of people be able to engage with that song in a powerful way.
So I came to my label and said, "Okay, I think that I want to release a version of a song with an f-bomb in it. I want to do it in the most respectful way possible." [laughs] They were like, "What in the world?" Because most artists are trying to do shock jock or something, but there's none of that vibe for me. I'd say, I'm not trying to change anyone's mind about it or convince anyone of anything. I'm just trying to be honest and vulnerable. I think that's important in art, and important as a Christian. If there's any place that I can share my story and my testimony for what it really is, it should be the church at large. And that's what I'm doing.
I think I know where I land on this song because we've dealt with it with other artists before, but I'd love to hear your opinion on it. Here are the questions I'd start with:
1) Should there be a place in the Christian bubble for us to share our most authentic feelings?
2) Is that place through music?
3) Does this song discredit the rest of the band's music?