#108 – Christian Covers

I don’t listen to a lot of Christian music. I even came up with a list of excuses you can use for why you don’t listen to Christian music. When my radio dial does make its way to the Christian radio station, though, I’m always shocked at the number of Christian covers of secular songs.

Here are a few memorable (or forgettable) Christian covers of secular songs. 

Beautiful Day

Why in the world would anyone cover a U2 song? It’d be like trying to come up with a more perfect line than “I know” when Han was lowered into the carbonite chamber. I couldn’t believe my ears first time I heard Sanctus Real’s cover of “Beautiful Day”. Even now I listened to part of the cover on YouTube but had to stop and cleanse my auditory palette with the original version. I’ve nothing against Sanctus Real; I even liked some of their original songs. I just don’t know why any band would release a cover of a U2 song. There is no way that the cover could come remotely near to the original so why even try?

In Your Eyes

I’m not sure what Christian artist covered Peter Gabriel’s song “In Your Eyes” and brought it to Christian radio; it was probably Nichole Nordeman’s version I remember hearing. I was only five or six when “In Your Eyes” first released but it’s one of my favorite songs from the 80s. The song has such a unique sound, almost tribal with the deep drums and the chanting in the background. The Christian version takes away the musical uniqueness and rests solely on the lyrics which, if looked at from a Christian perspective, could relate to God. Whenever I think about this song from a Christian perspective, though, I can’t help but imagine John Cusack standing on God’s front lawn with a boom box over his head.

I Won’t Back Down

I really have no idea what Christian artist or band covered Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” but they had a lot of guts. It takes a lot of courage to cover a song by a pot-smoking hippie and bring it to Christian radio. The line “You could stand me up at the gates of hell but I won’t back down” sounds like something Peter would have sung, but that doesn’t make it a Christian song. And when the chorus says, “Hey, baby, there ain’t no easy way out”, to whom is “baby” referring? I know we’re supposed to have a personal relationship with God but not that personal. I guess “I Won’t Back Down” makes for a better Christian cover than “Last Dance with Mary Jane”.

I don’t necessarily like Christian covers of secular songs. Just because a Christian artist covers a song doesn’t necessarily make the song Christian. The process cannibalizes the irreligious efforts of someone else in order to present something honoring to God and edifying to his church.

Wouldn’t God be more honored and the church more edified if his people strived to create something new with that specific intent?

How do you feel about Christian artists covering secular songs?

Thanks to my beautiful wife for the idea for this post.