History Main / ChristianRock

It should also be remembered that an artist's personal religious affiliation can have absolutely nothing to do with what genre they sing in. Christian rock refers exclusively to music that is about Christianity. Christians may (and often do) sing in other genres as well. Non-Christians making Christian Rock would be rarer, but not entirely unheard of. And of course other religions may have their own musical genres as well[[note]]Many Jews and Buddhists have similarly been incorporating overt religious themes into pop-music acts over the past decade; Islamic pop groups, although not unheard of, are quite rare, largely because the strictest sects of Islam forbid ''all'' music. Quite a few rappers, however, are Muslims.[[/note]]. Conversely, rock bands such as Music/{{U2}} may have Christian members and address Christian concepts in their lyrics, but see their audience as the mainstream public rather than just the Christian crowd, so most people would not consider them to be Christian Rock as such. The definition of the genre is not "rock musicians who happen to be Christians" but "the type of rock music that specifically focuses on Christianity."

People who are liable to condemn rock music simply because of its genre (without regards to its lyrical content) often don't listen to Christian rock, either. Some church groups (and [[ComicBook/ChickTracts Jack Chick]]) believe that ''all'' rock music, including Christian rock, is [[TheNewRockAndRoll something to be avoided]]. Also, with the popularity of various Christian Rock/Metal acts such as Music/{{Skillet}}, Music/{{Underoath}}, and Music/AsILayDying outside of the core CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) audience, the "Christian Rock as a PoorMansSubstitute" version of this trope may be becoming at least partially [[DiscreditedTrope discredited]]. At very least, though, there is often a degree of LyricalDissonance, as many of the harder rock genres aren't normally associated with the [[GodIsGood positive and hopeful]] aspects of UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}}.

It should also be remembered that an artist's personal religious affiliation can have absolutely nothing to do with what genre they sing in. Christian rock refers exclusively to music that is about Christianity. Christians may (and often do) sing in other genres as well. Conversely, many Jews and Buddhists have similarly been incorporating overt religious themes into pop-music acts over the past decade; Islamic pop groups, although not unheard of, are quite rare, largely because the strictest sects of Islam forbid ''all'' music. Quite a few rappers, however, are Muslims.

There's often a perception that Christian variations are watered-down imitations of popular genres, typically with low production values, and sometimes bands just shoehorn Christianity into the lyrics to get played on gospel stations. The reality is quite different. As with any genre, production values and talent vary greatly between bands, but they're on average no more derivative than any group playing on mainstream radio. Additionally, Christian Rock is less TheMoralSubstitute than is popularly believed. Most often, it is simply a chosen way for its performers to entertain, enjoy themselves, and/or express their faith. People who are liable to condemn rock music simply because of its genre (without regards to its lyrical content) often don't listen to Christian rock, either. Some church groups (and [[ComicBook/ChickTracts Jack Chick]]) believe that ''all'' rock music, including Christian rock, is [[TheNewRockAndRoll something to be avoided]]. Also, with the popularity of various Christian Rock/Metal acts such as Music/{{Skillet}}, Music/{{Underoath}}, and Music/AsILayDying outside of the core CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) audience, the "Christian Rock as a PoorMansSubstitute" version of this trope may be becoming at least partially [[DiscreditedTrope discredited]]. At very least, though, there is often a degree of LyricalDissonance, as many of the harder rock genres aren't normally associated with the [[GodIsGood positive and hopeful]] aspects of UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}}.

* Mercy Me, which wrote crossover hit "I Can Only Imagine" and is still tremendously popular in Christian rock/pop circles.

* AmyGrant started out making explicitly Christian pop music -- her catalog spanning from her {{self titled album}}, ''My Father's Eyes,'' ''Never Alone,'' ''In Concert Vol. 1 and 2'', ''Age to Age,'' ''Straight Ahead,'' ''Unguarded.'' Nevertheless, her artistic inspirations were largely secular - the likes of Music/JoniMitchell (she would later cover Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi"), Music/CaroleKing and Music/EltonJohn. She began dabbling in mainstream pop during [[TheEighties the mid- and late 1980s]], most notably with the [[Music/{{Chicago}} Peter Cetera]] duet "The Next Time I Fall" (a No. 1 hit in 1986) and with several more explicitly Christian songs such as "Find a Way" (from ''Unguarded'') and the title song from 1988's ''Lead Me On''. With 1991's ''Heart in Motion'', she made an all-out shift to mainstream music and found a receptive audience at Top 40 and adult contemporary radio, with the album going quintuple platinum and containing four Top 10 pop hits, including the US No. 1 and UK No. 2 smash "Baby Baby."

* Music/AmyGrant started out making explicitly Christian pop music -- her catalog spanning from her {{self titled album}}, ''My Father's Eyes,'' ''Never Alone,'' ''In Concert Vol. 1 and 2'', ''Age to Age,'' ''Straight Ahead,'' ''Unguarded.'' Nevertheless, her artistic inspirations were largely secular - the likes of Music/JoniMitchell (she would later cover Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi"), Music/CaroleKing and Music/EltonJohn. She began dabbling in mainstream pop during [[TheEighties the mid- and late 1980s]], most notably with the [[Music/{{Chicago}} Peter Cetera]] duet "The Next Time I Fall" (a No. 1 hit in 1986) and with several more explicitly Christian songs such as "Find a Way" (from ''Unguarded'') and the title song from 1988's ''Lead Me On''. With 1991's ''Heart in Motion'', she made an all-out shift to mainstream music and found a receptive audience at Top 40 and adult contemporary radio, with the album going quintuple platinum and containing four Top 10 pop hits, including the US No. 1 and UK No. 2 smash "Baby Baby."

-> I know what's right, I know what's wrong, I don't confuse it.\\

'Cause Jesus is the rock and he rolled my blues away.

Compare NotChristianRock (when music seems as though it could be Christian Rock, but isn't), SongOfPrayer which addresses God in the lyrics and GodIsLoveSongs (in which the Christian elements are understated). The opposite is ReligionRantSong, for music that takes a negative view of faith.

* Music/JoyElectric, led by brothers Ronnie Martin, is a funny case in that the lyrics sound like NotChristianRock bands, but when asked whether or not they're a Christian band, they always reply in the affirmative, as did Music/Starflyer59. Joy Electric eventually released an album in 1999 titled ''[=CHRISTIANsongs=]'' so everyone would stop asking him.

** Later on, Norman would grow disenchanted with the Christian music scene, claiming that it had become about "sloppy thinking, dishonest metaphors, and bad poetry," and joking that you could write a Christian pop song by taking a secular [[SillyLoveSongs love song]] and [[GodIsLoveSongs replacing "baby" with "Jesus"]]. Unlike later artists, Norman regularly preached in concert and was often seen as confrontational in his lyrics and interviews; He's quoted as saying "My primary emphasis is not to entertain. But if your art is boring, people will reject your message as well as your art." Norman also loved secular music, particularly PunkRock and AlternativeRock, and was touched that influential musicians in those genres like [[Music/{{U2}} Bono]], [[Music/{{Pixies}} Frank Black]], and [[Music/ModestMouse Isaac Brock]] told him they were fans of his work.

** Later on, Norman would grow disenchanted with the Christian music scene, claiming that it had become about "sloppy thinking, dishonest metaphors, and bad poetry," and joking that you could write a Christian pop song by taking a secular [[SillyLoveSongs love song]] and [[GodIsLoveSongs replacing "baby" with "Jesus"]].
** In 1969, Norman released his debut album ''Upon This Rock'' for Capitol Records. It's now widely considered to be the first Christian rock album, but at the time, it was something of a flop. Secular audiences and critics were bemused by its content and didn't really know what to do with it. Christian leaders lambasted it and Norman was denounced on air by the era's top televangelists. To wit, they believed ''Upon This Rock'' was ''even more'' harmful to Christian youth because [[WindmillCrusader it lured them into listening to that evil rock & roll through a Christian message]]. By the time the CCM market was in full force, Norman was widely considered a legend within it, but he kept the industry at an arm's length. He also took every opportunity he could to play for secular audiences, believing that only performing to Christian audiences that only listen to Christian music was limiting to him as an artist and was basically preaching to the choir.[[index]]

** And when Bart replaced the sheet music for the service with [[Music/InAGaddaDaVida "In the Garden of Eden"]] by [[Music/IronButterfly "I. Ron Butterfly"]].

[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin A genre of rock and popular music that explicitly incorporates or mentions Christian themes.]]

* Music/PattiSmith can't easily be called a Christian artiste, but she has explored explicitly Christian themes, most notably in ''Easter'' and in her take on the 23rd Psalm (''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRsGdP5LgWE Privilege - Set Me Free]]'''), which uses the psalm to throw down a challenge to God - to make Himself worthy of her worship. ''Dancin' Barefoot'' can also be read as a take on the ''Hail Mary'' devotional prayer - rewritten the Patti Smith way but still with a certain reverence. And "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pztT_m3Bck These Are The Words]]", written for a film about Pope Francis, has lyrics appropriate both to him and to his namesake St. Francis of Assisi.

* The band Music/{{Red}} is a Christian rock band (although if you don't pay attention to their lyrics you wouldn't know). If you don't believe it, listen to "Already Over".

* Music/PattiSmith can't easily be called a Christian artiste, but she has explored explicitly Christian themes, most notably in ''Easter'' and in her take on the 23rd Psalm (''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRsGdP5LgWE Privilege - Set Me Free]]'''), which uses the psalm to throw down a challenge to God - to make Himself worthy of her worship. ''Dancin' Barefoot'' can also be read as a take on the ''Hail Mary'' devotional prayer - rewritten the Patti Smith way but still with a certain reverence.

* Creator/EdKowalczyk, former lead-singer of Music/{{Live}}, plays a lot of straight-forward Christian songs these days. Still doesn't stop him from dropping one and other ClusterFBomb in older songs like "Waitress".

** Grant's leaving Christian music in search of mainstream success coincided with her divorce from husband Gary Chapman so that she could marry Vince Gill after the two had a long-time affair (some people call the affair one of the worst kept secrets in Nashville). In an interview with ''Contemporary Christian Magazine'', Grant infamously justified her divorce by claiming that God had "released" her from her marriage. In fairness to Grant, her marriage to Chapman was very volatile and meeting Gill was how she discovered how toxic her marriage to Chapman was.

** They also did a cover of the song "In My Minds Eye," originally done by [[Music/{{dctalk}} DCTalk]], mentioned above.
* Music/FallingUp

There's often a perception that Christian variations are watered-down imitations of popular genres, typically with low production values, and sometimes bands just shoehorn Christianity into the lyrics to get played on gospel stations. The reality is quite different. As with any genre, production values and talent vary greatly between bands, but they're on average no more derivative than any group playing on mainstream radio. Additionally, Christian Rock is less TheMoralSubstitute than is popularly believed. Most often, it is simply a chosen way for its performers to entertain, enjoy themselves, and/or express their faith. People who are liable to condemn rock music simply because of its genre (without regards to its lyrical content) often don't listen to Christian rock, either. Some church groups (and [[ComicBook/ChickTracts Jack Chick]]) believe that ''all'' rock music, including Christian rock, is [[TheNewRockAndRoll something to be avoided]]. Also, with the popularity of various Christian Rock/Metal acts such as Music/{{Skillet}}, Music/{{Underoath}}, and Music/AsILayDying outside of the core CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) audience, the "Christian Rock as a PoorMansSubstitute" version of this trope may be becoming at least partially [[DiscreditedTrope discredited]]. At very least, though, there is often a degree of LyricalDissonance, as [[MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness many of the harder rock genres]] aren't normally associated with the [[GodIsGood positive and hopeful]] aspects of UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}}.

For further reading on the history of the genre, John J. Thompson's book ''[[https://www.amazon.com/Raised-Wolves-Story-Christian-Rock-ebook/dp/B003VTXZVS Raised By Wolves: The Story of Christian Rock & Roll]]'' provides a detailed overview, and also focuses on a few key figures - including Christian rock pioneer Larry Norman, the acclaimed guitarist Phil Keaggy and the [[NewWaveMusic new wave]] band Music/DanielAmos - in depth. Also recommended is the Tumblr blog [[http://jedwardkeyes.tumblr.com/ An Athiest's Guide to Christian Rock]], a blog on Christian AlternativeRock written by music critic J. Edward Keyes, a former Christian who still has fondness for the music he grew up with (Sadly, the blog has been on hiatus since Keyes became the editorial director for Bandcamp's music journalism vertical).

** Music/The77s: Famously described by Larry Norman as being "Too Christian for the radio, and too radio for the church," The [=77's=] were another new wave-influenced band who were poised to break out of Christian music altogether in the late-80s. The band got secular college radio airplay and earned critical praise for their albums and live performances, and wrote catchy alt-rock songs about explicitly Christian themes. They actually wound up getting a deal with major label Creator/IslandRecords, but unfortunately, their 1987 self-titled third album got lost in the label's promotional shuffle for Music/{{U2}}'s ''The Joshua Tree'' and underperformed. Their followup album, 1990's ''Sticks and Stones'', is widely considered to be one of the best Christian rock albums ever recorded.

** Music/The77s: Famous described by Larry Norman as being "Too Christian for the radio, and too radio for the church", The [=77's=] were another new wave-influenced band who were poised to break out of Christian music altogether in the late-80s. The band got secular college radio airplay and earned critical praise for their albums and live performances, and wrote catchy rock songs about explicitly Christian themes. They actually wound up getting a deal with major label Creator/IslandRecords, but unfortunately, their 1987 self-titled third album got lost in the label's promotional shuffle for Music/{{U2}}'s ''The Joshua Tree'' and underperformed. Their followup album, 1990's ''Sticks and Stones'', is widely considered to be one of the best Christian rock albums ever recorded.

** Music/The77s: Another new wave-influenced band who were poised to break out of Christian music altogether in the late-80s. They actually wound up getting a deal with major label Creator/IslandRecords, but unfortunately, their 1987 self-titled third album got lost in the label's promotional shuffle for Music/{{U2}}'s ''The Joshua Tree'' and underperformed. Their followup album, 1990's ''Sticks and Stones'', is widely considered to be one of the best Christian rock albums ever recorded.