David Byrne Radio Presents: Gospel for the Holidays
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You don’t have to be Christian or even a believer to love Gospel music. Gospel music is about ecstasy, transcendence, joy and perseverance. Things that everyone, of every faith – experiences. This playlist includes some older classics (Mary Don’t You Weep, God’s Got It, and Jesus on the Main Line), some contemporary Gospel funk (Only God Knows, Revival Song, and How Great), as well as some African Gospel artists (mainly Nigerian and South African groups) who have great vocal arrangements and often include elements of African pop sounds and grooves.
You may hear echoes of some well known secular songs in here- which came first? Who borrowed from whom? I don’t know. Maybe the river flows both ways? Quite a number of secular artists have made Gospel albums.
In a lot of secular songs – the object of passion, anger or desire is about a lover or sexual partner- or both! But, in these gospel songs, sometimes the passion seems even more intense- it’s about a power, a love, bigger than any relationship, bigger than we mortals- the biggest thing you can possibly imagine.
-David Byrne