Tag: Gospel Songs by Pop Singers

Best Gospel Songs by Pop Stars (Part 5): Cash & Byrds

Pop Gospel Songs

Chimesfreedom continues its periodic discussion of the best gospel songs by popular singers.  In this Post, we consider recordings by Johnny Cash and The Byrds.

“Spiritual,” Johnny Cash

I am not sure why it has taken me until this far into our “Gospel Songs by Pop Stars” series to write about “Spiritual” because I love this song. Johnny Cash, of course, recorded a number of religious songs though his career, but this one recorded near the end of his life stands out for me.

“Spiritual” was written by Josh Haden, son of great jazz bassist Charlie Haden. There are other excellent versions of the song, including one of Josh singing on his father’s 2008 album, Rambling Boy. But Johnny Cash’s version from his 1996 Unchained album gets me every time.

The song starts slow and hypnotic, gradually building to an emotional cry of pain. Beautiful.

“I Like the Christian Life,” The Byrds

The Byrds, under the influence of Gram Parsons, recorded “I Like the Christian Life” for their Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (1968) album. The excellent album is largely credited as a major catalyst for the country-rock movement, and “The Christian Life” was a cover of a classic Louvin Brothers song for the hippie crowd.

On a rock record, one might expect the song to translate into tongue-in-cheek sarcasm, but the song feels genuine in its praise of living a simple Christian life. It is hard to imagine an album by a major pop group including a song like this one today.

Originally, the Byrds recorded the song with Gram Parsons singing lead vocal, but a dispute about Parson’s contract with another record company, the Byrds replaced Parsons’s lead vocals on some of the songs. Some believe that the change was also motivated by the band’s concern that the album was becoming too much of a Gram Parsons project.

So, the official album version featured Roger McGuinn’s vocals dubbed into the lead. Both versions are excellent and appear on re-issues. Below is McGuinn’s version that was originally released on the CD.

For comparison, below is a rehearsal take featuring Gram Parsons singing lead.

Check out other posts in our series on Gospel Songs by Pop Singers.

What is your favorite gospel song by a popular singer? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Charlie Haden’s “Spiritual”
  • Sturgill Simpson: “You Don’t Miss Your Water”
  • The Byrds Release “Mr. Tambourine Man”
  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers 4: Morning, Flying & Mystery
  • Great Song, Bad Name: Hot Burrito #1
  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers 3: Ready, Walk, Great

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers 4: Morning, Flying & Mystery

    O Brother Where Art Thou

    In response to popular demand, Chimesfreedom continues its periodic discussion of the best gospel songs by pop singers. In this Post, we consider one gospel song overwhelmingly identified with one pop singer, another gospel song that is recorded by many singers, and finally, a beautiful song about being an agnostic that deserves a place next to other songs of faith.

    “Morning Has Broken,” Cat Stevens.

    This song is so associated with Cat Stevens — now Yusaf Islam — that for a long time, I thought it was one of his original songs. But the Christian hymn first appeared in 1931, and the music goes back even further to the nineteenth century as a traditional Gaelic tune, “Bunessan.”

    “Morning has Broken” is a simple song with a simple message of being thankful for each day: “Praise with elation, praise every morning / God’s recreation of the new day.”


    “I’ll Fly Away,” Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch.

    Alfred E. Brumley wrote “I’ll Fly Away” in 1931. He was picking cotton when he came up with the song. As he later explained: “I was dreaming of flying away from that cotton field when I wrote I’ll Fly Away.” Many believe the song is the most-recorded gospel song of all time. If true, it is not surprising because it is a beautiful song.

    A number of country singers have recorded the song, including Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Charley Pride, Jim Reeves, and Alan Jackson. Etta James does an uplifting version. Kanye West does an excellent version too. I especially like Alison Krauss’s version, and in particular this version with Gillian Welch from the film O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000).

    “Let the Mystery Be,” Iris DeMent.

    One might dispute including “Let the Mystery Be” from Iris DeMent’s Infamous Angel (1993) album in a discussion of Gospel songs because the song reflects DeMent’s agnosticism rather than faith in a higher power. Yet, the song only could have been written by someone who was raised in a religious environment.

    DeMent grew up in a Pentecostal family where she was not allowed to listen to non-gospel music, and the song brings out the division between her upbringing and her adult beliefs. But “letting the mystery be” takes a leap of faith too. And, as in many of the best gospel songs, it highlights a beautiful struggle in a beautiful song.

    Some say they’re goin’ to a place called Glory and I ain’t saying it ain’t a fact.
    But I’ve heard that I’m on the road to purgatory and I don’t like the sound of that.
    Well, I believe in love and I live my life accordingly.
    But I choose to let the mystery be.

    See our other posts in our series of Gospel Songs by Pops Singers.

    What is your favorite Gospel song by a pop singer? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • “I’ll Fly Away” and the Prisoner
  • Chris Cornell and Yusaf / Cat Stevens Sing “Wild World” (Duet of the Day)
  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Stars (Part 5): Cash & Byrds
  • John Prine Releasing New Album, “For Better, For Worse”
  • Sweet Victory . . . and Sweet Forgiveness
  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers 3: Ready, Walk, Great

    • (Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)

    Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers 3: Ready, Walk, Great

    Marty Stuart Soul's ChapelTo those who celebrate Easter, Happy Easter! This post concludes for now the Chimesfreedom series on Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers. Today, we feature a timeless pop hit, a relatively new country gospel song, and one of the most powerful performances ever recorded on film.

    People Get Ready, The Impressions

    “People Get Ready” was written by Curtis Mayfield. Mayfield performed the song well, as have others like Al Green, Eva Cassidy, Rod Stewart, Alicia Keys, Crystal Bowersox, and Bob Dylan. But the original version by the Impressions, with Mayfield on guitar, is what sticks in one’s mind when you think of the timeless song.

    “People Get Ready” was released in 1965, and we associate the call for change with the social and Civil Rights movements. Indeed, the song was inspired by the 1963 March on Washington. But Mayfield’s music is straight from gospel, and the lyrics are also a testament to faith: “Faith is the key / Open the doors / and board them / There’s room for all / Among the loved and lost.”

    In a Curtis Mayfield biography, Peter Burns described “People Get Ready” as “a song of faith really, a faith that transcends any racial barrier and welcomes everyone onto the train. The train that takes everyone to the promised land, really.”

    The Impressions and Mayfield also performed something of a miracle in creating a hit record that also became a gospel standard covered by so many artists. Bob Marley incorporated the guitar riff and some of the lyrics into “One Love.” And Bruce Springsteen incorporated part of “People Get Ready” into his moving “Land of Hope and Dreams.”

    Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the song as the twenty-fourth greatest song of all time. And one cannot really argue with that.

    Can’t Even Walk, Marty Stuart

    Marty Stuart has an interesting position in country music. He stands between the generations of authentic classic country music and the newer pop country music. As he has aged, he has generally chosen to reside in the former, paying tribute to the talented old guard of country, like Johnny Cash, while many other modern country singers try to emulate Billy Joel more than the Louvin Brothers.

    Marty Stuart has recorded some excellent concept albums in recent years that are mostly overlooked. “Can’t Even Walk” is a beautiful song off his album of gospel songs, Souls’ Chapel (2005).

    I thought that I could do a lot on my own;
    I thought I, I thought I could make it all alone;
    I thought, I thought of myself
    As a mighty, mighty big man;
    But I realize I can’t even walk
    Without You holding my hand

    Unfortunately, there is only the above amateur video of Marty Stuart’s “Can’t Even Walk,” but give it a listen. Also, if you like the song, check out this very sweet version of the song sung by what appears to be a talented grandmother and grandson [2016 Update: Unfortunately, the video is no longer available]. I love it and would have posted it here, but it would not be fair to put them adjacent to the next powerful professional performance. . .

    How Great Thou Art, by Elvis Presley

    Critics often give bad reviews to In Concert (1977), the album of Elvis Presley’s June 1977 performances recorded for a TV special. The recording of one of Elvis’s final performances may not be the quality of his earlier work when he was healthy, but the CD is worth it just for the recording of “How Great Thou Art.”

    Here is Elvis, two months before he died. Overweight, sweating, with a body about to give out on him, but he still gave his gospel performances his all. The glitter on his jumpsuit seems inconsistent with the message of the song, and Elvis’s faith could not save him from his fated death.

    But in his performance he finds something deep within himself to cry out for help in an incredible despairing voice. Starting at around 2:20, he builds to a note that will send chills down your spine. If you only watch one video in this series, watch this one.

    There is nothing more to say after that.

    Check out our other posts in the series, Gospel Songs by Pop Artists.

    What are your favorite gospel recordings by popular artists? Leave a comment.

  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers 2: Gold, Blessed & Sweet
  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Stars (Part 5): Cash & Byrds
  • Land of Hope & Dreams, This Train, and People Get Ready
  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers 4: Morning, Flying & Mystery
  • Best Gospel Songs By Pop Singers (Part 1): Nearer & Pressing
  • Chuck Jackson Was There Before Elvis: “Any Day Now”

    • (Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)

    Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers 2: Gold, Blessed & Sweet

    Church Chimesfreedom

    This post continues the Chimesfreedom discussion of Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers. In this series, we consider some great recording of gospel songs that were made by popular singers. This post includes songs recorded by Patty Griffin, Aretha Franklin, and George Harrison.

    House of Gold, Patty Griffin (& Hank Williams)

    I finally got around to buying Patty Griffin’s CD of gospel music, Downtown Church. She has one of the best singing voices, and it shows on my favorite song off this CD.

    “House of Gold” was originally written and performed by Hank Williams. The song works here because her voice echos above the restrained instrumentation. And the song has some of the best gospel lyrics ever:

    I’d rather be in a deep, dark grave
    And know that my poor soul was saved
    Than to live in this world in a house of gold
    And deny my God and doom my soul

    Blessed Assurance, Aretha Franklin

    Like Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin has many great Gospel recordings, including the album, Amazing Grace: The Complete Recordings. She has recorded some excellent versions of “Amazing Grace,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” and “How I Got Over,” but here is a beautifully restrained version of “Blessed Assurance.”

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    My Sweet Lord, George Harrison

    “My Sweet Lord” may not technically qualify as a gospel song (and some Christians have objected to the “Hare Krishna” chants).  But it is a beautiful song about one’s relationship with God, so it qualifies for me.

    George Harrison originally wrote the song for Billy Preston but ended up having a big hit with it on his own as part of his first post-Beatles album, All Things Must Pass. Unfortunately, he lost a lawsuit for subconsciously copying the Chiffons’ hit, “He’s So Fine.” Under today’s laws that are more lenient toward sampling, etc., though, he likely would have won.

    But Harrison managed to come out ahead anyway, eventually buying the rights to “He’s So Fine.”

    Check out other posts in our series of Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers.

    Photo of church (Ireland) by Chimesfreedom.  What are your favorite gospel recordings by popular artists? Leave a comment.

  • George Harrison Talks (and Sings) Like a Pirate
  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers 3: Ready, Walk, Great
  • The Latest and Last Beatles Song: “Now and Then”
  • Ringo Starr Records a John Lennon Song (with a little help from Paul McCartney)
  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Stars (Part 5): Cash & Byrds
  • New Beatles ‘A Day in the Life’ Video

    • (Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)

    Best Gospel Songs By Pop Singers (Part 1): Nearer & Pressing

    Bob Dylan Slow Train Coming It has been awhile since I spent a Sunday in church, and the last time I visited, the preacher spent more time talking about politics than about faith. But I do love to hear beautiful gospel songs. You do not need to be religious to open yourself up to these songs, which at the heart, are really love songs. In this three-part series, we are discussing the Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers. We start off with songs by Sam Cooke and Bob Dylan.

    Nearer to Thee, Sam Cooke

    Yes, I’m cheating. The Soul Stirrers were a gospel group.  But this song is featured because their lead singer Sam Cooke, who is one of my favorite singers, went on to popular secular success on his own.

    The song builds gradually with the hypnotic background vocals and Cooke’s fantastic voice. On this recording you can hear Cooke gradually working up the crowd, slowly, slowly, building . . . building . . . building . . . toward release and salvation. Beautiful.

    Although Cooke recorded many great popular songs as a secular artist, few reached the intensity of “Nearer to Thee.” The one secular song that reaches a similar frenzy is his live version of “Bring It On Home to Me,” available on One Night Stand: Live at the Harlem Square Club 63.

    Pressing On, Bob Dylan

    I was too young to notice when Bob Dylan first became a phenomenon, but I do remember when everyone was surprised that he became a born-again Christian in the late 1970s. His music from this period includes a number of outstanding original gospel songs, including “Gotta Serve Somebody.”

    One song from this period that is less well-known than some others is “Pressing On.” As Sam Cooke did in “Nearer to Thee,” Dylan effectively uses repetition. He repeats “I’m pressing on” throughout the song to provide a hypnotic quality not unlike a moving church service.

    Here is the version of “Pressing On” by John Doe that was featured in the very good movie “about” Bob Dylan, I’m Not There (2007). Doe, founder of the punk bank X, does an excellent cover.

    In this scene, Christian Bale does a great job of playing the singing Dylan and capturing the hypnotic nature of the song. Critic Greil Marcus wrote that the Doe-Bale combination is the place where the song found its voice. (“Themes from a Summer Place,” New West, July 28, 1980).

    Another great gospel song by Bob Dylan, and perhaps his greatest, is “Every Grain of Sand.” For other great gospel songs by popular artists, check out upcoming posts in this series of Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers. ..

    What are your favorite gospel recordings by popular artists? Leave a comment.

  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Stars (Part 5): Cash & Byrds
  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers 4: Morning, Flying & Mystery
  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers 3: Ready, Walk, Great
  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers 2: Gold, Blessed & Sweet
  • One Degree of Separation Between Bob Dylan & Twilight Zone: Bonnie Beecher & “Come Wander With Me”
  • Sheila Atim Peforming “Tight Connection to My Heart” (Great Bob Dylan Covers)

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