Josh Haden Archives - chimesfreedom

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.)

The great jazz bassist Charlie Haden has passed away at the age of 76 after a prolonged illness. Haden had a long and influential career, including being a part of the Ornette Coleman Quartet starting in the late 1950s and a part of the Liberation Music Orchestra starting in the late 1960s. Haden made the world a better place in other ways too, as a teacher and as an advocate for social justice.

As a teenager, Haden lost his singing voice from bulbar polio while he was playing in a family country band, so he turned his focus to playing bass. The country influence stayed with the Iowa-born Haden on much of his music, including 2008’s Rambling Boy album, even as he became a groundbreaker in a number of genres.

One of my favorite albums is the Grammy-winning Beyond The Missouri Sky (Short Stories) (1996), where Haden and guitarist Pat Metheny created some of the most haunting and beautiful country-infused jazz music ever recorded. “Spiritual,” one of the tracks on the album was written by Haden’s son Josh Haden. Although I also would later fall in love with the Johny Cash version that included the lyrics, this instrumental version still breaks my heart every time I hear it.

The same disease that took away Haden’s voice and forced him to turn to the bass eventually affected his playing. In 2010, due to post-polio syndrome, Haden stopped performing in public even though he continued to play at home and with friends. The disease, however, could never take away the beautiful recordings that Haden made during his lifetime. For more on Haden’s life, check out these articles from Variety and the New York Times. RIP.

Photo via Geert Vandepoele (Creative Commons).What is your favorite Charlie Haden track? Leave your two cents in the comments.