The column has wished you a Happy Easter, proposing 10 songs about the key person of these days' christian worship.
1. Jesus Was An Only Son – Bruce Springsteen
(Bruce Springsteen)
A song from Devils & Dust (2005), the 13th studio album by the Boss. The acoustic instrumentation and the gospel choir add a lot to the plain melody while the lyrics use the story of Jesus in an allegoric manner.
2. Jesus Doesn’t Want Me For A Sunbeam – Nirvana
(Eugene Kelly-Frances McKee)
This song belongs to the band The Vaselines, who wrote it as a parody of a children song named I’ll Be A Sunbeam. Here we can listen to it as Kurt Cobain' Nirvana performed it at their live show for MTV. It can be found in the album MTV Unplugged In New York (1994).
3. This Jesus Must Die – Victor Brox/Brian Keith
(Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice)
Here we listen to the priests' deliberation under Annas and Kaiafas from the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar by Webber and Rice. It is undoubtedly recommended, especially to those who are not so in to byzantine hymns...
4. U.B. Jesus – David Byrne
(David Byrne)
Oriental percussions, choir vocals, string instruments and cool lyrics describe this song from Look Into The Eyeball (2001). The ex- Talking Head has always made adventurous choices.
5. Personal Jesus – Depeche Mode
(Martin Gore)
The first single from the album Violator (1990) has been really successful - in an artistic as well as a commercial manner – and has been covered by several artists including Johnny Cash and Marilyn Manson. Gore drew inspiration reading the book Elvis And Me by Priscilla Presley. No doubt, it is one of the diamonds on the crown of Depeche Mode.
6. Jesus, Etc. – Wilco
(Jeff Tweedy-Jay Bennett)
Songs like this, from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002), spotlighted Wilco as one of the best contemporary bands and Jeff Tweedy as a significant figure of modern songwriting.
7. American Jesus – Bad Religion(Brett Gurewitz-Greg Graffin)
Bad Religion are a good punk band from America and what we have here is a very good track from their 7th album, Recipe For Hate (1993), with speedy guitars and public spirited lyrics.
8. Jesus Just Left Chicago – ZZ Top
(Billy Gibbons-Dusty Hill-Frank Beard)
A selection from Tres Hombres (1973), the third studio album by the bearded Americans, which has been the moment they passed through to larger audience. A token of their classic, electric sound that made them really beloved in our country as well.
9. Property Of Jesus – Bob Dylan
(Bob Dylan)
Shot Of Love is the third album of Dylan's Christianity period and was released in 1981. It includes this satirical song that attacks the unfaithful who laugh at Christians. That time's production is definitely faulty...
10. Jesus Gonna Be Here – Tom Waits
(Tom Waits)
We close with a song from the very good Bone Machine in 1992, which is also included in the film Domino (2005) by Tony Scott, featuring Waits.
* Photos from http://spiritlessons.com/Documents/Jesus_Pictures/Jesus_190.jpg and www.wikipedia.org.
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