Everyone knows that this was a Christian band now, but when this song was first released as a hit single and got the most attention....all the radio stations, the record producers, and the band themselves did everything they possibly could to conceal that fact. They played this song on all the rock and alternative stations alongside The Wallflowers, jewel, alanis morissette, and blind melon. If I remember correctly, the Jars of Clay only admitted they were a religious band after Casey Kasem mentioned the fact on his radio show, American top 40 countdown. (Casey Kasem was the 90s radio equivalent, of Joe Rogans Podcast.....everyone listened to it at some point, you simply couldn’t escape it) After being exposed, jars of clay dropped the alternative rock disguise completely and took a hard turn into the Christian music scene. The way it was executed, fans of the song felt like they had been deliberately tricked and that it was some sort of devious attempt to lure people into church through disguised Christian music.
Wow I was today years old when I realized that the line wasn't the mondegreen "Tell me all your thoughts, Sun God!" Never crazy about the song so I never bothered to check.
One interesting tidbit he didn't point out: one of Jars of Clay's first songs was a cover of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" sung to the tune of "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
As a former Christian I have to say I'm surprised that more Christian rock bands haven't tried the approach of making "feelings and struggles anyone can relate to" music while also doing their praise and worship thing, And why doing so is seen as so contentious
There is this bizarre and persistent mentality in (white) Christian circles that the goal of Christians should be to remain wholly separate from the culture at large. If they keep themselves separate and pure, then they can be the shining example that stands in stark contrast to the culture of the non-believers. This is obviously stupid and misguided, but it feeds into a lot of their other emotional needs. Specifically, it feeds their need to have a pathological victim-complex and claim that they are being oppressed. If they engage in the culture and nobody gives them a hard time for being Christians, then it is very hard to claim that they are suffering for the sake of Christ. But if they refuse to engage with the culture, and then the culture doesn't represent them or reflect their lives, they can claim that they are being culturally erased and, by extension, oppressed. Also, it is really hard to feel superior to everybody when you honestly stack your art against secular art and realize that your art objectively sucks. There is a reason why PureFlix movies never get nominated for any awards (and it isn't secular bias).
@@prisonerofcapitalismI can definitely see Jars of Clay being more IN society then. Especially now, where they’re not afraid to go against their own religion to help those suffering under it.
the only CR band who did it was Skillet and that's why they are way more popular than their CR contemporaries, having popularity around the world and appearing in major rock press (never saw Jars of Clay or Newsboys in Loudwire or Blabbermouth). And maybe Creed but we dont talk about Creed :)
As someone who did grow up deep in Christian music, Jars of Clay always did seem a little more interesting in lyrical content and general attitude. They were a little more melancholy and introspective, just seemed more interesting.
12:37 "If I were God I'd get sick of it." 😂 Man that landed with me. Not to tar all religious people with the same brush, whenever I would hear excessively religious people just falling over themselves to praise him so much, all I could imagine was God putting out a divine restraining order.
I had a weird idea while watching this: A rock band that is ostensibly some sort of Christian band, but they're actually singing about Neon Genesis Evangelion.
7:20 "I wonder how many people bought this album without realizing it was a Christian band?" Me. I had an extra $20 in my pocket, the record store had it on sale. Listened to the other songs and realized the mistake I had made.
I fell into the trap as well, but fortunately I only borrowed it from a kid from school instead of spending my own money on it. After about 2 of the other tracks I was like "wait a minute..."
I was a Hurricane Katrina victim, and when my church did a 5-year remembrance, this was one of the songs we played. It’s beautiful and powerful, especially when you’ve been through an actual flood like that.
9:10 "I'm in love with a man. A man called God. Does that make me gay? Am I gay for God? You betcha!" -Rev. Charlie Kelly of St. Paddy's Church, Philadelphia, PA
@@Convexhull210 Let's be honest, that South Park episode hit the nail on the head in the sense that a lot of christian music sounds like sexual stuff just aimed at the God. And it isn't anything new - I remember one I think 18th century poem where the author asked god to more or less rape him - can't find it anymore, it has been many a year since I studied English literature, but I think you get the point. Of course there are many authors of such art that don't use this kind of imagery but it cannot be said it isn't present in christian art.
I grew up Baptist, and I was obsessed with Jars of Clay. I’m not really a Christian anymore (but still very spiritual), but I still think this is one of the better Christian bands out there, and I like that they’re willing to question the paradigms of conservative Christian culture. And they don’t sacrifice quality for purity the way much of CCM does.
The one crossover band I really liked was Red, mainly for the same reasons Jars of Clay crossed over: they’re lyrics weren’t overtly Christian, nothing was “Yay God!” and more about just being human and struggling. Their song “Pieces” was really helpful for me when I was going through a depressive time. Plus, much like Jars of Clay’s singer, the band was in support of LGBT rights. Their crossover hit on rock stations was “Already Over.”
I like Christian songs where the message is stuff like "Please God give me strength", "some of us are doing Satan's work while claiming to be working for the Lord", "sometimes I feel my faith in You really tested" and "God is good, but His Church is corrupt". Makes them more relatable, even as an atheist. It gives me hope in the new generation of Christian people.
Another member of the clergy here who follows you on social media. Apparently, you have more devoutly religious fans than you might have thought. Thanks for another great video. Peace.
@Jason Hurk It's more that 75% of Americans are some form of Christian, but that's a broad statement when you consider most are usually just identifying due to being born into it but are not regular churchgoers, and the other big chunk are older small-c conservatives that just go in on sundays for the habit/community/something-to-do (frequently the parents/grandparents of the first group), not to mention any family going along out of perceived social obligation. There are also ethnicities that identify with particular traditions close to them, such as historically Black protestant churches or things like how Latinos, Italians, Filipinos and Irish are frequently Catholic. The whole super-devout evangelical activist thing is pretty much a hardcore subculture within that, like those members of a fandom that take things way too seriously and come across as kinda obsessive and creepy.
As one who likes metal, you should check out Extol or Fleshkiller (newer). Extol goes from black, to melodic death, to technical death/thrash, to progressive death, to whatever their last one was. My favorite albums are Synergy and Blueprint Dives. Hope you like them.
Well, the search for answers and spiritual path isn't exclusively Christian. Everyone's trying to find their way. It's a pretty elemental concept most ppl can relate to
@@ericwhite1942 except, once you’re an atheist and have realized gods aren’t a thing, you almost certainly also have realized magic and other woo don’t exist. You don’t have to worry about a “spiritual” search. Nothing is spiritual. It doesn’t exist. “Trying to find your way” is pretty universal. Thinking that way is along a spiritual path is magical thinking. More power to you if that’s your bag, but the commenter is an atheist.
@joearnold6881 .........WTF are you talking about, dude? Did you even read my comment? A never said, or even vaguely insinuated, anything about magic or supernatural forces or whatever your babbling about. I just said the song could easily be understood as talking about a spiritual/philosophical journey of self discovery.
damn i was just gonna make a "jars of gey" joke but tbh the fact they spoke out in favor of equal marriage rights deserves mad respect. also that christian rapper Lacrae or however its spelled, dude's got skills
Holy shit, my freshman roommate in college listened to this song all the time! I never cared enough to find out who it was. By fall semester, he'd switched to Limp Bizkit, P.O.D., Creed, and Eiffel 65. On the plus side, I spent a LOT of time in the library, so my grades were killer...
+chdreturns Often I don't get Puddle of Mud separated from Jars of Clay, which isn't fair for PoM because Jars is great. There, now it's the other way around. i'm a genius
I'm very much in the "had a negative experience with religion, viscerally hate contemporary Christian" demographic...except for that because it's way too funny to get mad at.
@@thomastakesatollforthedark2231 Do you also get really frustrated with people who take their entire understanding of the Deathless Gods from Ovid as well?
I like this song and I am unable to dislike Jars of Clay. They're a rare pro-queer Christian band who go hard on the love aspect of God and refuse to engage with the hateful subsects of Christianity. I respect that.
i still love JoC with all my heart, mainly because of their quirky yet catchy alt-rock style and their impeccable, intricate production, but i have to admit that they belong on this series
Man, this song, [title pending], was everywhere back in the day. [Band Name Example] were on top of the world before they blew it all. The follow up album, [Insert name], wasn’t what people were looking for after the hit single. :3
Marcosatsu I grew up listening to Jars of Clay and other Christian bands because it was clean music Now I'm some guy who listens to the various genres of 90s rock
When I was a Christian, I listened to Jars of Clay. This wasn't even their most popular song. At least, I don't think it was. The song I kept hearing from them was Love Song for a Savior. I don't think I even heard this song before Todd made a video on it.
I was first exposed to this song when it was used in an anti-drug PSA played at my school during an assembly, and the presenter compared drug addiction to drowning in a flood. This was the same year it charted, so that anti-drug group was surprisingly current.
"How many people bought the album without realizing [Jars of Clay] were religious?" ✋ me. I did. I still have it, too, in storage somewhere with the rest of my CDs.
Yes. I am so fucking down to hear what Todd thinks of Blind Melon. Please make this happen, Todd! Though I'm not sure if they would be classified as a one-hit wonder. Blind Melon had several great songs. 'Tones of Home', 'Changes', 'Mouthful of Cavities' to name a few
Embarrassing confession time: this is the first song I learned all of the lyrics to when I was very young. I grew up listening to a lot of christian rock. DC Talk, Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline, Switchfoot, Relient K, Jars of Clay, etc. and some have definitely held up better than others. It seems like the key to aging well from this genre was to focus less explicitly on the Jesus message and more on just being a decent band with interesting music (go figure). Both JoC and Switchfoot tried hard to appeal to people outside of the christian music crowd, and those two had by far the most crossover success. I mean Switchfoot basically dropped any explicit christian message in their later albums, and they have had a reasonably successful career from it I'm now an atheist, and my musical interests have evolved somewhat since then, but seeing this review (again) inspired me to go listen to this album again and while it is definitely hit or miss there are a few songs that I still really enjoy. It is weird that somewhere in the back of my brain I still know every lyric from this entire album
I'm surprised that he didn't do switchfoot yet seeing as how their two biggest hits are STILL playing on the radio to this day. Which is good, because those songs are really damn good.
@@DetectiveMekova Would Switchfoot even really qualify, since I'm pretty sure that both "Dare You to Move" and "Meant to Live" were reasonably successful on the mainstream rock charts.
Oh my god, I recognize every single band name you listed. When I started reading your post, I thought, "Surely at least one of the band names he lists will be a band I've never heard of." Nope. Holy shit.
Switchfoot (and Jon Foreman) stan here. They've always been great about having an inquisitive mindset that anyone (but especially skeptics) can relate to, but also I feel like Jon's lyrics are more unabashedly Christian than they're given credit for. He's a solid dude all around
As a person who was forced to grow up on Carmen, Petra, and DC Talk, Jars of Clay were.....odd for a Christian band. I remember hearing Christians around that time saying that JoC really wanted to be a secular band but just weren't good enough. Note that I don't remember hearing that criticism about the other bands that I also named even though I would normally consider Jars of Clay much better. Perhaps it's because they were the closest.
The interviews I remember had them saying they were a band that was Christian. They did not want to be a Christian Band. They did, as Christians, want to get out the word of the Lord, so they made music that they hoped all people could relate to. Get them to come to concerts, and slip a little preaching in. Heck, they played bars for the same reason. I liked the first three albums, but they lost me at, "The Eleventh Hour". I had the CD, it just never got the spins the others did, and I lost interest in buying anything else from them.
Papa VanTwee eugh.. playing bars and “slipping preaching in” seems kinda worse to me If i wanted to hear somebody talk about how an ancient fictional story is literally true, i’d read up on Atlantis
@@Flowtail I am fascinated by the whole idea of it, though. I wonder if they reached anyone that way, really. But I'd also say that if any of us really KNOWS what is true and what is not, we'd be lying to ourselves. Good to know you are so sure yourself, though.
Jars of Clay saw an opportunity in the CCM market for their music to thrive. There was nothing like it in that market at the time. They eventually outgrew the limitations of CCM, and I think they're still dealing with those limitations.
Alright, I apologize to all the normal people who don't care about these kinds of posts, but this is gonna be long because I have some stuff to say about this band and genre. I said on a Rocked video about one hit wonders that I had absolutely no clue that Jars had ever crossed over into the mainstream at any point in time, but at the same time it didn't surprise me that it was that song in particular. For me it was surreal to find that out, and even more surreal to understand that most people knew them as a group that had one hit briefly in the early 90s. I grew up deeply embedded in fundamentalist Christianity. So long as you weren't so unfortunate as to be part of one of the circles that views Christian rock as being just as reprehensible as secular rock you knew who Jars of Clay was. Jars was always kind of an outlier, because while they had straight up, saccharine worship music like "Love Song for a Savior" most of their music was really thoughtful, something that, as you pointed out, Christian music has never really embraced as emphasizing mindless service and devotion to God and the Bible is paramount in that faith. Honestly I think a lot of the parents of people my age and other older Christians missed that and still haven't really picked up on that and I think that was one the more subtle factors that was a gateway into people leaving the faith en masse as they have over the last 20 years. Let me take a quick minute to explain "Love Song" and other Christian music like it. Christianity views every individual Christian's relationship with God as something akin to a marriage. In fact that specific imagery is used frequently in the Bible to describe both God's feelings toward his people and to help Christians who are struggling with their faith. Everybody knows how hard marriage is. It is hard work and a balancing act and people often need reassurance that they made the right decisions regarding who they chose to spend the rest of their lives with. Thus, when Christians run into the trials of life that make them question whether God is there, stuff like this reminds them of the marriage comparisons and makes them feel guilty for questioning their relationship with what Christianity views as the most perfect being who has ever existed and keeps them in line. It is indeed creepy, but it makes an unbelievable amount of sense when you're deep in the faith. Blaming God for the problems that beset you or wondering why he's not there when you need him most implies that God either doesn't exist or is incredibly cruel, and Christians cannot have either of those things even begin to enter the minds of the faithful, so music that's laden with uncomfortably romantic imagery, emotional manipulation and reminders of how much we suck compared to God have long been the go-to tool for preventing any sort of meaningful thinking. Anyway, a lot of Jars' stuff is worth listening to, but yeah, they've fallen into that "Jesus love song" trap far too many times. I listen to and love plenty of mainstream music, but I grew up with so much Christian music that I still love that I've not been able to abandon most of it. I'll give you guys some recommendations and let you judge for yourselves: Project 86, '68, Falling Up, Showbread, Emery, RED, August Burns Red, and House of Heroes.
Same. I'll always have a soft spot for this band, particularly this song. It sits snuggly in any playlist of great mid-nineties alternative rock songs.
Fun fact: when I used to be a Christian I attended a Catholic middle school and for a project in my religion class, we each had to pick a Christian song and make a slideshow analyzing it. I picked their song Good Monsters and I was surprised it ended up going well especially since I hated Christian music and was really nervous
I remembered 40 days from when I was a kid and never associated it with Christian music, but when I was older, I heard the term 40 days and realized oh yeah, that's a Christian thing, how'd that get on the radio? Nice to see a video about the song.
Jars of Clay were my favorite band in their heyday. I had their first four or so albums. Much Afraid was ok but If I Left the Zoo was probably their best work.Of course then I discovered punk rock and the rest is history.
Wow! Props for using the John Jonethis version of Flood at the end of the video. Lounge Freak by Jonethis is a great collection of his covers of Christian rock songs.
I love a surprise, I don't know what to expect Edit: Legitimate surprise that we got our first christian rock video. The only two rock songs I ever listened to which I found out were Christian bands were: _Underdog_ by _Audio Adrenaline,_ which I personally only found out was a "christian" song when I heard that the full version has a quote from a pastor or something during a bridge; and _Phenomenon_ by _Thousand Foot Crutch,_ which, if you listen closely to lyrics, would probably be obvious if you're not me.
I love this episode. I think it's one of your best! Hey Todd, I'm on a quest to watch every single one of your videos. Watching a few every day and commenting on the last one I watched.
Got to love the fact that Todd went through the whole video discussing this song and never once mentioned that the only reason (outside of the fact that it was good) that it ever got airplay was the fact it was the closing credits music to the film Hard Rain.
I can't believe nobody has mentioned the only noteworthy thing about this song - it was produced by Adrian Belew, or King Crimson fame. I always wondered how that happened. Plus I want to know what Robert Fripp's reaction was, as I think this came out during the same time Crimson's mid 90s iteration was playing......I bet he just scowled.
Actually in 2014, being pro-gay marriage even among more liberal Christian religious circles was still a pretty big deal. Like BIG. I'm not shocked they got massive backlash for that from their fanbase. Liberal religious US Christians didn't come around on gay marriage until AFTER it was legalized in the States.
GREAT video! I grew up listening to Jars of Clay and I think their music is still pretty good! BIG props to Todd for including the "lounge" cover of Flood that was also ubiquitous in the christian music scene in the 90's.
I have two thoughts for this video: 1. As someone raised by the enormous megachurch evangelical church culture (and left), I definitely recognized nearly every song of theirs you played here, as I was of the right age to be into all of these Christian rock bands, and I was surprised at how much I remembered... not sure if that was pleasant for me to hear all of that again tbh but it was interesting to hear the history on these bands, as I never really looked into it when I was listening to them. 2. In 2019 I walked in a very small independently run coffee shop in Tokyo, like 4 tables and 1 guy working it... and they played nothing but mid-2000s Christian Rock for the next hour and a half that I spent there. I don't recall which specific bands they were but I wonder how many of those Christian Rock bands did get Big in Japan, or maybe this cafe owner/barista just really liked the genre.
I can respect a Christian band that makes music cuz they like it and have talent, not just to be cash cows. Speaking out about gay marriage was also respectable.
I actually remember this song. I even recorded it off the radio with my handy radio/Cd player/cassette player/recorder with two tape decks, for making mixtapes of very shitty sound quality but hours of work and dedication. Those mix tapes were full of 90s one-hit wonders. Tracy Bonham, Primitive Radio Gods, Amanda Marshall, Deep Blue Something, Tal Bachman, Martin Page, etc. I think I even recorded Newsboys - the band all over the God’s Not Dead movies - who had their own 90s crossover hit, “Take Me to Your Leader”, which was much more pop than rock, while Jars of Clay obviously rocked more. I had NO idea EITHER was Christian until I think I read it in Rolling Stone or something. And remember Vertical Horizon? They WEREN’T Christian Rock/Pop but the rumour was that “Everything You Want” was all about Jesus. GASP. I really like “Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)”, which I listened to in my longing-filled college days. ANYWAY, I want to close this long comment by saying - I LOVE Toad the Wet Sprocket. They are primo 90s hitmakers. Hootie & the Blowfish used to tour with them. Now, Hootie, there’s an interesting band - One ALBUM Wonders. I’d love to see Todd explore that phenomenon.
You got your wish about Hootie. 🙂 Todd covered their second album on Trainwreckords. Super interesting to see such a massive fall from fame so quickly.
@@dvt1393 I saw! I own Fairweather Johnson. Thing is, I don’t remember that it was SO soon after Cracked Rear View came out. In my memory it was just a reasonable time. Shows how time collapses AND stretches in your memory as you age. I liked maybe two or three songs off Fairweather. But what I LOVED was their 1996 MTV Unplugged show. That should’ve been an album. Their Earth Stopped Cold At Dawn with Emmylou Harris was awesome, as was Gravity of the Situation. And their cover of I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You.
@@MegCazalet Oh wow, I had no idea there they did an Unplugged album. I am not too familiar with Hootie, but I've enjoyed the songs that I've heard from them. Which is mostly the big songs from Crack Rearview. I must have been the only person in the 90s to not actually own a copy of it. 😂 I'll have to check their Unplugged album out.
@@dvt1393 I don’t think it was released as an album, just an MTV special. I recorded it on VHS! 📼 You can find bits of it on TH-cam though. I like the live performances of their Fairweather Johnson songs way better than the album. The album was just dull. What other one-album wonders are there? Artists that have a hit album with multiple hit singles, and then their sophomore album bombs? I know it’s famous for sophomore albums to not do as well, but I mean to just totally bomb after a huge first one. I’m sure there’s a discussion over on that Trainwreckords episode. Worth a watch again now, which will turn into a binge as always . . What one-hit wonder or trainwreckord would you have Todd review?
I saw them play with Leigh Nash, from Sixpence None The Richer" in 2006. The highlight of the evening was when she sang "Kiss Me" and one of the jars (idk their names) busted out a melodica for the hook. The song she sang with them on Good Monsters (mirrors + smoke) was actually pretty catchy too.
The bait and switch christian band I accidentally loved in college was Lifehouse, and that album still pops into my head on long drives or during shower singing sessions. So, I forgive them for catfishing me.
It is! "Mirrors and Smoke" is one of the most painfully honest love songs you will ever hear, a duet with Leigh Nash from Sixpence None the Richer. It has a heavy Johnny/June Carter Cash influence. The rest of the album is great too. I could go in depth about every single song (don't like most CCM but I love Jars), but you should just listen for yourself.
It's one of my favs. Same with The Long Fall Back to Earth (2009) and Inland (2013). They have very different sounds to them, but some good songs in there.
I can't believe you haven't mentioned DC Talk's Jesus Freak. It was big enough to be included in Rock Band 4 DLC. And Some Kind of Zombie from Audio Adrenaline. Both these songs were better than Flood.
I had a childhood diet of both secular and Christian music, so by the time this came out I definitely knew to expect mediocrity from Top 40 Christian acts. I remember being pleasantly surprised to learn the backstory, because I'd been enjoying it just fine as a mainstream alt song.
Even a lot of us Christians get weirded out by the "I'm in love with you Jesus" stuff. Seems like that imagery is a lot less weird to the godly ladies though, who woulda thought. Also, yeah, Contemporary Christian music is honestly pretty garbage and seems to be dominated by a very small group of artists, most of which seemingly because they lead worship at huge megachurches. I personally listen to Christian music, but mainly just through a radio station called RadioU which plays mostly Christian metal, rock, and hip-hop (Yes, they do play the occasional Lecrae). And when I say "metal", I mean the scream-y stuff. Look up "August Burns Red" or "Silent Planet" - They aren't messing around. Not many radio stations have the balls to play that kind of heavy music, much less exclusively from Christian bands.
As someone who grew up in the church I but really isn’t religious now, I prefer the fools gold Christian alternative to the bs Christian EDM they’re trying to turn out now. Maybe it’s a generational thing but my sisters listen to this stuff and it all sounds exactly the same except lamer and more confusing like actual EDM. At least with some of the Christian rock there was a difference in sound than the preachy worship stuff and to other songs in the genre. It’s not necessarily that good but I prefer it to the crap I listen to every time I’m in the car with my sisters
Brandon Roberts yeah for sure I jam out to those and a couple early switchfoot songs but yeah there are a few that stand out which is nice when everything you here is just acoustic muddy water
As someone with semi-Christian beliefs & a long lifetime history in the church, this is an awesome video. One of the biggest things I agree with is that I too hate hate hate praise music. I think God is probably overwhelmingly annoyed at us for continuing to sing about how great & powerful he is instead of volunteering at a shelter, or buying/donating food to a local food pantry. Anyways, I love these crossover bands. Switchfoot, Lifehouse, & Jars of Clay are all great examples. Keep it up buddy!
This is the video that, when it first released, got me unironically into Jars of Clay. Turns out their self-titled album is actually pretty good, particularly if you decide to ignore the "I love you Jesus" songs and treat them as love songs which just happen to use religious imagery.
'Goodbye, Goodnight' off the album 'If I Left the Zoo' is a fire semi-jokey song that had this sort of silly sincerity. As somebody who was in youth group but was unsure in my "faith," Jars of Clay's generally less-blatant lyrics struck a chord with me and I was a big fan. I tried to like other Christian rock, but it was all utterly ham-fisted.
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"Can't you see you're not making Christianity better you're just making rock and roll worse." -Hank Hill
“I’m sure Jesus is a lot of places he doesn’t want to be.”
@@galleryofrogues is “IN” a lot of places he doesn’t want to be
The older I get, the more I identify with Hank Hill
@@atullalwani1960 Nope, is. Jesus is all that is, was and all that ever will be
@@Koala223 Including all the stuff he doesn't want to be, I guess.
I'm a Christian, and I totally agree with you on contemporary Christian music, we should have stuck to gregorian chant,
At least gospel and some Christian folk is good. But anything close to pop rock just goes strait to nowhere
I mean I am atheist but I love Skillet if they count
Aiden Neally i was absolutely confused by this since i’d only heard of them in passing
But a quick google says they are :|
🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
Or let the Gospel and Soul musicians become more prominent.
"Hey now. You're a God star. Get your Lord on. Go pray!"
That was a joke but I swear to God (heh) I remember jamming out to an evangelical parody of I'm a Believer as covered by Smash Mouth
I knew for sure this would be the top comment. Lol
Everyone knows that this was a Christian band now, but when this song was first released as a hit single and got the most attention....all the radio stations, the record producers, and the band themselves did everything they possibly could to conceal that fact. They played this song on all the rock and alternative stations alongside The Wallflowers, jewel, alanis morissette, and blind melon. If I remember correctly, the Jars of Clay only admitted they were a religious band after Casey Kasem mentioned the fact on his radio show, American top 40 countdown. (Casey Kasem was the 90s radio equivalent, of Joe Rogans Podcast.....everyone listened to it at some point, you simply couldn’t escape it) After being exposed, jars of clay dropped the alternative rock disguise completely and took a hard turn into the Christian music scene. The way it was executed, fans of the song felt like they had been deliberately tricked and that it was some sort of devious attempt to lure people into church through disguised Christian music.
Oh Satsuki, Let's sing. Jesus loves m... COME ON YOU KNOW THE WORDS!!!
In terms of Smash Mouth songs, that song sounds more like Magic than All Star.
"Alternative rock had no interest in matters of God" cut to "Tell me all your thoughts on God" is one of the best editing jokes I've ever seen
Also, Nirvana's Lithium, which is a song about a man whose wife dies and turns to a religious cult
Wow I was today years old when I realized that the line wasn't the mondegreen "Tell me all your thoughts, Sun God!" Never crazy about the song so I never bothered to check.
One interesting tidbit he didn't point out: one of Jars of Clay's first songs was a cover of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" sung to the tune of "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
...to quote Jonathan Tronathan: "I have *several* questions"
im confused on several levels
oh no...
Rudolph the Spiteful Reindeer
"Oh, now I have worth because my nose has utility? Buy a floodlight and shove it up Prancer's ass"
yeah that’s some of the most bored christian high school/college kid shit i’ve ever heard
The chorus sounds familiar. I wonder if Jars of Clay have ever been to the desert on a horse with no name.
Holy shit wow.
Damn you, I'm never going to unhear that now.
Holy shit
What song is that from?
@@sammanthaneys1444 A horse with no name by America
As a former Christian I have to say I'm surprised that more Christian rock bands haven't tried the approach of making "feelings and struggles anyone can relate to" music while also doing their praise and worship thing, And why doing so is seen as so contentious
There is this bizarre and persistent mentality in (white) Christian circles that the goal of Christians should be to remain wholly separate from the culture at large. If they keep themselves separate and pure, then they can be the shining example that stands in stark contrast to the culture of the non-believers.
This is obviously stupid and misguided, but it feeds into a lot of their other emotional needs. Specifically, it feeds their need to have a pathological victim-complex and claim that they are being oppressed. If they engage in the culture and nobody gives them a hard time for being Christians, then it is very hard to claim that they are suffering for the sake of Christ. But if they refuse to engage with the culture, and then the culture doesn't represent them or reflect their lives, they can claim that they are being culturally erased and, by extension, oppressed. Also, it is really hard to feel superior to everybody when you honestly stack your art against secular art and realize that your art objectively sucks. There is a reason why PureFlix movies never get nominated for any awards (and it isn't secular bias).
There's a reason religious people call normal music "mundane".
They separate themselves and are not welcome back ever.
Not rock - but Owl City is a christian singer. His stuff with the heavier christian lyrics is constantly on replay here on the christian stations.
@@prisonerofcapitalismI can definitely see Jars of Clay being more IN society then. Especially now, where they’re not afraid to go against their own religion to help those suffering under it.
the only CR band who did it was Skillet and that's why they are way more popular than their CR contemporaries, having popularity around the world and appearing in major rock press (never saw Jars of Clay or Newsboys in Loudwire or Blabbermouth). And maybe Creed but we dont talk about Creed :)
As someone who did grow up deep in Christian music, Jars of Clay always did seem a little more interesting in lyrical content and general attitude. They were a little more melancholy and introspective, just seemed more interesting.
Can't Erase It especially is a hard-hitting song for me and my mother both
12:37 "If I were God I'd get sick of it." 😂
Man that landed with me. Not to tar all religious people with the same brush, whenever I would hear excessively religious people just falling over themselves to praise him so much, all I could imagine was God putting out a divine restraining order.
That explains the whole "camel through the eye of the needle" stuff for getting into heaven, doesn't it...
I had a weird idea while watching this: A rock band that is ostensibly some sort of Christian band, but they're actually singing about Neon Genesis Evangelion.
That's called tenacious D mashup, look for them, this is (not) the greatest song is my favorite.
Fightstar's Grand Unification is a heavy Post-Hardcore/Alt Rock album about Evangelion but in a fairly subtle way, close enough?
@@drpibisback7680 cornball
Todd gets knocked down, he reposts again, you're never gonna keep him down.
7:20 "I wonder how many people bought this album without realizing it was a Christian band?"
Me. I had an extra $20 in my pocket, the record store had it on sale. Listened to the other songs and realized the mistake I had made.
LoL
you absolute coward. go buy If I Left The Zoo
I did just about the same thing when I was a teen 😂
I fell into the trap as well, but fortunately I only borrowed it from a kid from school instead of spending my own money on it. After about 2 of the other tracks I was like "wait a minute..."
I was a Hurricane Katrina victim, and when my church did a 5-year remembrance, this was one of the songs we played.
It’s beautiful and powerful, especially when you’ve been through an actual flood like that.
9:10
"I'm in love with a man. A man called God. Does that make me gay? Am I gay for God? You betcha!" -Rev. Charlie Kelly of St. Paddy's Church, Philadelphia, PA
Loving God isn't sexual. Why do you distort Christianity?
@@Convexhull210 it's a quote, you dipshit. Hence the quotation marks and attribution. It's also cogent to the point made following the timestamp.
@@Convexhull210 Because i'm a gay little heretic
@@Convexhull210 loving god is as sexual as you want it to be
@@Convexhull210 Let's be honest, that South Park episode hit the nail on the head in the sense that a lot of christian music sounds like sexual stuff just aimed at the God. And it isn't anything new - I remember one I think 18th century poem where the author asked god to more or less rape him - can't find it anymore, it has been many a year since I studied English literature, but I think you get the point. Of course there are many authors of such art that don't use this kind of imagery but it cannot be said it isn't present in christian art.
I grew up Baptist, and I was obsessed with Jars of Clay. I’m not really a Christian anymore (but still very spiritual), but I still think this is one of the better Christian bands out there, and I like that they’re willing to question the paradigms of conservative Christian culture. And they don’t sacrifice quality for purity the way much of CCM does.
The one crossover band I really liked was Red, mainly for the same reasons Jars of Clay crossed over: they’re lyrics weren’t overtly Christian, nothing was “Yay God!” and more about just being human and struggling. Their song “Pieces” was really helpful for me when I was going through a depressive time. Plus, much like Jars of Clay’s singer, the band was in support of LGBT rights. Their crossover hit on rock stations was “Already Over.”
"Their"
But yep, same. Red is amazing. But Jars of Clay is a favorite. :-)
I like Christian songs where the message is stuff like "Please God give me strength", "some of us are doing Satan's work while claiming to be working for the Lord", "sometimes I feel my faith in You really tested" and "God is good, but His Church is corrupt". Makes them more relatable, even as an atheist. It gives me hope in the new generation of Christian people.
Another member of the clergy here who follows you on social media. Apparently, you have more devoutly religious fans than you might have thought. Thanks for another great video. Peace.
I mean
The Christian fandom is a whole 75% of americans so is it really that surprising?
@Jason Hurk It's more that 75% of Americans are some form of Christian, but that's a broad statement when you consider most are usually just identifying due to being born into it but are not regular churchgoers, and the other big chunk are older small-c conservatives that just go in on sundays for the habit/community/something-to-do (frequently the parents/grandparents of the first group), not to mention any family going along out of perceived social obligation. There are also ethnicities that identify with particular traditions close to them, such as historically Black protestant churches or things like how Latinos, Italians, Filipinos and Irish are frequently Catholic. The whole super-devout evangelical activist thing is pretty much a hardcore subculture within that, like those members of a fandom that take things way too seriously and come across as kinda obsessive and creepy.
HAIL SATAN! 😈😈😈
@@ChiotVulgaire I never thought of it that way but thats very accurate.
@@Flowtail Citation needed.
Even as an atheist metalhead, I truly enjoyed this song when it came out.
As one who likes metal, you should check out Extol or Fleshkiller (newer). Extol goes from black, to melodic death, to technical death/thrash, to progressive death, to whatever their last one was.
My favorite albums are Synergy and Blueprint Dives. Hope you like them.
Please teach me how to be this cool.
Well, the search for answers and spiritual path isn't exclusively Christian. Everyone's trying to find their way. It's a pretty elemental concept most ppl can relate to
@@ericwhite1942 except, once you’re an atheist and have realized gods aren’t a thing, you almost certainly also have realized magic and other woo don’t exist. You don’t have to worry about a “spiritual” search.
Nothing is spiritual. It doesn’t exist.
“Trying to find your way” is pretty universal.
Thinking that way is along a spiritual path is magical thinking.
More power to you if that’s your bag, but the commenter is an atheist.
@joearnold6881 .........WTF are you talking about, dude? Did you even read my comment? A never said, or even vaguely insinuated, anything about magic or supernatural forces or whatever your babbling about. I just said the song could easily be understood as talking about a spiritual/philosophical journey of self discovery.
damn i was just gonna make a "jars of gey" joke but tbh the fact they spoke out in favor of equal marriage rights deserves mad respect. also that christian rapper Lacrae or however its spelled, dude's got skills
Well, does that not make "Jars of Gay" all the more fitting? They could wear it with pride! It's only pejorative if you intend it that way!
Holy shit, my freshman roommate in college listened to this song all the time! I never cared enough to find out who it was. By fall semester, he'd switched to Limp Bizkit, P.O.D., Creed, and Eiffel 65. On the plus side, I spent a LOT of time in the library, so my grades were killer...
Sometimes I get Jars of Clay mixed up with Puddle of Mudd, which is really unfair for Jars because PoM sucks.
Doug Glassman bland sometimes? Yes. Bad? ...maybe?
They have nothing in common, except that clay and mud are both forms of dirt.
Jars of Clay, Puddles of Mud, and Creed are all the same band in my head
Doug Glassman Nah its the other way around bruh
+chdreturns Often I don't get Puddle of Mud separated from Jars of Clay, which isn't fair for PoM because Jars is great.
There, now it's the other way around.
i'm a genius
I was going to be shocked that you uploaded two videos in two days but nevermind. It seems TH-cam has just forced you to re-upload again.
Awsamazing Eden Same thought, but this is one of the episodes I enjoyed a bit more. So I'm fine giving the views again.
I had actually never seen it before, so I didn't even realise that
Awsamazing Eden Thankfully i never saw any of these videos so theyre new for me
"I like big bibles" is one of the funniest things I've heard.
I'm very much in the "had a negative experience with religion, viscerally hate contemporary Christian" demographic...except for that because it's way too funny to get mad at.
I LOVE ________
ITS MY FAVORITE SONG BY _____________
KazuoTV Nah _____ is the best song from that album.
Underscores's "Fill in the Blank" was my favourite.
I LOVE BEATS
ITS MY FAVORITE SONG BY DRE
Litmas
Jake Paul
Marquee Moon, Television
Out of curiosity, did we ever get an answer of what the Reverend who requested it thought of his review?
He commented that he liked it.
Mychael Darklighter but if todd isnt christian, he was already going to hell ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@Flowtail Yeah, but now it's official.
@@Flowtail As a Christian myself I have some doubts about that, actually
@@StormyKopaAMVs the trick is that everybody will suffer no matter who you are or what you did. Your still ending in the BBQ.
As a proudly unabashed pagan, I loved these guys in the 90s. I owned the album.
Which faith?
@@thomastakesatollforthedark2231 Helenic Reconstruction. You?
@@VTimmoni oh same!
@@thomastakesatollforthedark2231 Do you also get really frustrated with people who take their entire understanding of the Deathless Gods from Ovid as well?
I like this song and I am unable to dislike Jars of Clay. They're a rare pro-queer Christian band who go hard on the love aspect of God and refuse to engage with the hateful subsects of Christianity. I respect that.
i still love JoC with all my heart, mainly because of their quirky yet catchy alt-rock style and their impeccable, intricate production, but i have to admit that they belong on this series
Man, this song, [title pending], was everywhere back in the day. [Band Name Example] were on top of the world before they blew it all. The follow up album, [Insert name], wasn’t what people were looking for after the hit single. :3
This band is such a one hit wonder that not even Todd knows their name
Maryxus I had never heard of Jars of Clay until I originally saw this.
Marcosatsu I grew up listening to Jars of Clay and other Christian bands because it was clean music
Now I'm some guy who listens to the various genres of 90s rock
I only knew it because it was popular on alternative stations back then.
this band is such a one hit wonder I only know about them because I saw his first upload of the video
When I was a Christian, I listened to Jars of Clay. This wasn't even their most popular song. At least, I don't think it was. The song I kept hearing from them was Love Song for a Savior. I don't think I even heard this song before Todd made a video on it.
0:15 I SAW TODDS NOSE IN THE LIGHT.
You’re slipping man. Getting ever closer to a face reveal
It’s funny, I go to Greenville University and they talk about how Jars of Clay was formed there like all the time.
I was first exposed to this song when it was used in an anti-drug PSA played at my school during an assembly, and the presenter compared drug addiction to drowning in a flood. This was the same year it charted, so that anti-drug group was surprisingly current.
"How many people bought the album without realizing [Jars of Clay] were religious?" ✋ me. I did. I still have it, too, in storage somewhere with the rest of my CDs.
What are your thoughts on it? I think that it still holds up surprisingly well.
Good Monsters is probably one of my favorite albums ever, glad it game up in this video.
Does anyone else want there to be a One Hit Wonderland on No Rain by Blind Melon in honor of the 25th anniversary of it being a hit?
Galaxie should’ve been a hit, it was better.
Sam Feldstein everyone in the comments are too busy making fun of Todd for forgetting to put the song and band name in the title -_-
Yes. I am so fucking down to hear what Todd thinks of Blind Melon. Please make this happen, Todd!
Though I'm not sure if they would be classified as a one-hit wonder. Blind Melon had several great songs. 'Tones of Home', 'Changes', 'Mouthful of Cavities' to name a few
Yeah but that was their only charting song on the Hot 100 though
All I can say is that my life is pretty plain, I like watching the hits cause Todd pain...
Embarrassing confession time: this is the first song I learned all of the lyrics to when I was very young. I grew up listening to a lot of christian rock. DC Talk, Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline, Switchfoot, Relient K, Jars of Clay, etc. and some have definitely held up better than others. It seems like the key to aging well from this genre was to focus less explicitly on the Jesus message and more on just being a decent band with interesting music (go figure). Both JoC and Switchfoot tried hard to appeal to people outside of the christian music crowd, and those two had by far the most crossover success. I mean Switchfoot basically dropped any explicit christian message in their later albums, and they have had a reasonably successful career from it
I'm now an atheist, and my musical interests have evolved somewhat since then, but seeing this review (again) inspired me to go listen to this album again and while it is definitely hit or miss there are a few songs that I still really enjoy. It is weird that somewhere in the back of my brain I still know every lyric from this entire album
I'm surprised that he didn't do switchfoot yet seeing as how their two biggest hits are STILL playing on the radio to this day. Which is good, because those songs are really damn good.
@@DetectiveMekova Would Switchfoot even really qualify, since I'm pretty sure that both "Dare You to Move" and "Meant to Live" were reasonably successful on the mainstream rock charts.
Oh my god, I recognize every single band name you listed. When I started reading your post, I thought, "Surely at least one of the band names he lists will be a band I've never heard of." Nope. Holy shit.
Yeah I feel that, except it was Skillet for me. I still sort of have a soft spot for them.
Switchfoot (and Jon Foreman) stan here. They've always been great about having an inquisitive mindset that anyone (but especially skeptics) can relate to, but also I feel like Jon's lyrics are more unabashedly Christian than they're given credit for. He's a solid dude all around
Dan Haseltine definitely represents the "Not Kirk Cameron" branch of the church. They always reminded me as Jesusy "Better Than Ezra".
14:18 - *JARS OF GAY?!?!* JESUS CHRI-- I MEAN, UH
HOLY MACKER-- ERR
...
WOW
what a headline
That site has a tab DEDICATED to the 2nd Amendment. Oh my fucking goodness...
What all those people all offended by that stuff should’ve done was find people writing slash fiction of the folks in jars of clay
I was in love with this song for years. Still am. Good times.
surprised at the overwhelming negativity towards this song... although I suspect it has more to do with the belief system it holds. It's a solid song.
Toad the Wet Sprocket was very edgy but without sounding super edgy. It’s so great.
As a person who was forced to grow up on Carmen, Petra, and DC Talk, Jars of Clay were.....odd for a Christian band. I remember hearing Christians around that time saying that JoC really wanted to be a secular band but just weren't good enough. Note that I don't remember hearing that criticism about the other bands that I also named even though I would normally consider Jars of Clay much better. Perhaps it's because they were the closest.
The interviews I remember had them saying they were a band that was Christian. They did not want to be a Christian Band. They did, as Christians, want to get out the word of the Lord, so they made music that they hoped all people could relate to. Get them to come to concerts, and slip a little preaching in. Heck, they played bars for the same reason.
I liked the first three albums, but they lost me at, "The Eleventh Hour". I had the CD, it just never got the spins the others did, and I lost interest in buying anything else from them.
DC Talk had their own crossover hit, "Just Between You and Me," around the same time as this one.
Papa VanTwee eugh.. playing bars and “slipping preaching in” seems kinda worse to me
If i wanted to hear somebody talk about how an ancient fictional story is literally true, i’d read up on Atlantis
@@Flowtail I am fascinated by the whole idea of it, though. I wonder if they reached anyone that way, really. But I'd also say that if any of us really KNOWS what is true and what is not, we'd be lying to ourselves. Good to know you are so sure yourself, though.
Jars of Clay saw an opportunity in the CCM market for their music to thrive. There was nothing like it in that market at the time. They eventually outgrew the limitations of CCM, and I think they're still dealing with those limitations.
I died when he said "REVEREND....?"
Jars has so many good songs. Listen to the first two albums for some really contemplative acoustic stuff.
Alright, I apologize to all the normal people who don't care about these kinds of posts, but this is gonna be long because I have some stuff to say about this band and genre. I said on a Rocked video about one hit wonders that I had absolutely no clue that Jars had ever crossed over into the mainstream at any point in time, but at the same time it didn't surprise me that it was that song in particular. For me it was surreal to find that out, and even more surreal to understand that most people knew them as a group that had one hit briefly in the early 90s. I grew up deeply embedded in fundamentalist Christianity. So long as you weren't so unfortunate as to be part of one of the circles that views Christian rock as being just as reprehensible as secular rock you knew who Jars of Clay was. Jars was always kind of an outlier, because while they had straight up, saccharine worship music like "Love Song for a Savior" most of their music was really thoughtful, something that, as you pointed out, Christian music has never really embraced as emphasizing mindless service and devotion to God and the Bible is paramount in that faith. Honestly I think a lot of the parents of people my age and other older Christians missed that and still haven't really picked up on that and I think that was one the more subtle factors that was a gateway into people leaving the faith en masse as they have over the last 20 years.
Let me take a quick minute to explain "Love Song" and other Christian music like it. Christianity views every individual Christian's relationship with God as something akin to a marriage. In fact that specific imagery is used frequently in the Bible to describe both God's feelings toward his people and to help Christians who are struggling with their faith. Everybody knows how hard marriage is. It is hard work and a balancing act and people often need reassurance that they made the right decisions regarding who they chose to spend the rest of their lives with. Thus, when Christians run into the trials of life that make them question whether God is there, stuff like this reminds them of the marriage comparisons and makes them feel guilty for questioning their relationship with what Christianity views as the most perfect being who has ever existed and keeps them in line. It is indeed creepy, but it makes an unbelievable amount of sense when you're deep in the faith. Blaming God for the problems that beset you or wondering why he's not there when you need him most implies that God either doesn't exist or is incredibly cruel, and Christians cannot have either of those things even begin to enter the minds of the faithful, so music that's laden with uncomfortably romantic imagery, emotional manipulation and reminders of how much we suck compared to God have long been the go-to tool for preventing any sort of meaningful thinking.
Anyway, a lot of Jars' stuff is worth listening to, but yeah, they've fallen into that "Jesus love song" trap far too many times. I listen to and love plenty of mainstream music, but I grew up with so much Christian music that I still love that I've not been able to abandon most of it. I'll give you guys some recommendations and let you judge for yourselves: Project 86, '68, Falling Up, Showbread, Emery, RED, August Burns Red, and House of Heroes.
One of my favorite songs and bands
I'm currently agnostic bordering on atheist and I still think this is a great tune
Same. I'll always have a soft spot for this band, particularly this song. It sits snuggly in any playlist of great mid-nineties alternative rock songs.
When Christian artists show their human vulnerability, it makes them more relatable, I think.
I thought we were getting two new videos in two days and I was shook
Fun fact: when I used to be a Christian I attended a Catholic middle school and for a project in my religion class, we each had to pick a Christian song and make a slideshow analyzing it. I picked their song Good Monsters and I was surprised it ended up going well especially since I hated Christian music and was really nervous
I remembered 40 days from when I was a kid and never associated it with Christian music, but when I was older, I heard the term 40 days and realized oh yeah, that's a Christian thing, how'd that get on the radio? Nice to see a video about the song.
"I just... don't like happy people! Don't trust them, never have!"
I was here when the title was ONE HIT WONDERLAND:
Daniel Kunchev we are the early bunch
Daniel Kunchev doesn’t even matter it’s a re upload. It’s always good to watch Todd :)
Damn I got excited :/ Now I remember watching it
Jars of Clay were my favorite band in their heyday. I had their first four or so albums. Much Afraid was ok but If I Left the Zoo was probably their best work.Of course then I discovered punk rock and the rest is history.
How about about a summer hit special (so many one hit wonder with weird stories behind) ... maybe Lou Bega, Mambo No 5. Anyway, great work.
i just clicked on the notification as soon as the video's title name was simply ''ONE HIT WONDERLAND:''
shrugs memes yea same
Blank, By N.O. Thing
me to i have a future now
Wow! Props for using the John Jonethis version of Flood at the end of the video. Lounge Freak by Jonethis is a great collection of his covers of Christian rock songs.
Todd uploaded a video? Well, time to remind everyone of his acronym. That never gets old.
You know what Christian band is great? Five Iron Frenzy. They're hilarious. The Untimely Death Of Brad is amazing.
The Phantom Mullet song is my favorite.
AMEN BROTHER
Honestly, they deserve a deep dive
Todd: “Wasn’t I just reviewing a band of Satan-worshippers last week?”
Me, binging the playlist: “…the ‘Tic-Tac-Toe’ guy??”
I love a surprise, I don't know what to expect
Edit: Legitimate surprise that we got our first christian rock video. The only two rock songs I ever listened to which I found out were Christian bands were: _Underdog_ by _Audio Adrenaline,_ which I personally only found out was a "christian" song when I heard that the full version has a quote from a pastor or something during a bridge; and _Phenomenon_ by _Thousand Foot Crutch,_ which, if you listen closely to lyrics, would probably be obvious if you're not me.
Oh my God, this was the first band that I ever saw in concert when I was like 11 years old >_
Same!! It was just before my 12th birthday haha
I love this episode. I think it's one of your best!
Hey Todd, I'm on a quest to watch every single one of your videos. Watching a few every day and commenting on the last one I watched.
Mais um Crítico na Internet yeah it’s really my favorite episode
Got to love the fact that Todd went through the whole video discussing this song and never once mentioned that the only reason (outside of the fact that it was good) that it ever got airplay was the fact it was the closing credits music to the film Hard Rain.
Until I forgot this band again, I'll stay it here: Splendora - You standing on my neck. Who knows, maybe Todd will find smth about this band.
Vito Fango in honor of the returning Daria?
Sure
My grandpa used to listen to this!
Like he got really into it!
Love the video! Just discovered your channel, and I'm so glad I did!
Needs an episode on jane child's "don't wanna fall in love." that synthesizer solo....
That entire album was amazing. She deserved much more fame than she received. I'd love to hear Todd's take on it.
@@Chrismw81 Ditto. I played the heck out of that... cassette single I believe?... back then. Her career was TITS video worthy.
I can't believe nobody has mentioned the only noteworthy thing about this song - it was produced by Adrian Belew, or King Crimson fame. I always wondered how that happened. Plus I want to know what Robert Fripp's reaction was, as I think this came out during the same time Crimson's mid 90s iteration was playing......I bet he just scowled.
A South Park reference AND a Duncan Sheik reference in the same video? Thanks Todd!!!
I was there when the title was incomplete.
Androman There was a FLOOD of comments about it
Nice job. Title: 10/10
Actually in 2014, being pro-gay marriage even among more liberal Christian religious circles was still a pretty big deal. Like BIG. I'm not shocked they got massive backlash for that from their fanbase. Liberal religious US Christians didn't come around on gay marriage until AFTER it was legalized in the States.
I've known about this song since it came out! They were big before Creed was even a thought!
GREAT video! I grew up listening to Jars of Clay and I think their music is still pretty good! BIG props to Todd for including the "lounge" cover of Flood that was also ubiquitous in the christian music scene in the 90's.
Flood and Crazy Times where the only songs from Jars of Clay that I have ever heard
I have two thoughts for this video: 1. As someone raised by the enormous megachurch evangelical church culture (and left), I definitely recognized nearly every song of theirs you played here, as I was of the right age to be into all of these Christian rock bands, and I was surprised at how much I remembered... not sure if that was pleasant for me to hear all of that again tbh but it was interesting to hear the history on these bands, as I never really looked into it when I was listening to them. 2. In 2019 I walked in a very small independently run coffee shop in Tokyo, like 4 tables and 1 guy working it... and they played nothing but mid-2000s Christian Rock for the next hour and a half that I spent there. I don't recall which specific bands they were but I wonder how many of those Christian Rock bands did get Big in Japan, or maybe this cafe owner/barista just really liked the genre.
Needtobreathe hits the charts... they’re a Christian band that plays some secular music...
Brad Stephens A few secular
What else are requests for?
I can respect a Christian band that makes music cuz they like it and have talent, not just to be cash cows. Speaking out about gay marriage was also respectable.
Weren't skillet switchfoot and relient k Christian bands too? And crowder? And Toby mac had some mainstream success too.
@ForeverDreamWithinADream Skillet I for sure a Christian band though they aren't preachy about it.
all of those are huge in the christian music world yeah they're all religious bands
You missed the biggest Cross over Success. Thousand Foot Krutch. They were later but they are played on ESPN and Local heavy Rock stations.
So was Lifehouse
@ForeverDreamWithinADream Skillet still are a Christian rock band
The first christian rock song I heard was in a japanese dating sim so that was kinda weird
Oh No which one omg also amazing blue badger icon
BemaniFan thank you! The game is called Ozmafia, It's on steam and I think the song is in the trailer there
I love Jesus! But I was young when this song came out and didn’t know it was christian alternative rock
THANK YOU!! Finally someone here that understands me.
A Todd in the Shadows reupload, praise tha lord!!
I actually remember this song. I even recorded it off the radio with my handy radio/Cd player/cassette player/recorder with two tape decks, for making mixtapes of very shitty sound quality but hours of work and dedication. Those mix tapes were full of 90s one-hit wonders. Tracy Bonham, Primitive Radio Gods, Amanda Marshall, Deep Blue Something, Tal Bachman, Martin Page, etc.
I think I even recorded Newsboys - the band all over the God’s Not Dead movies - who had their own 90s crossover hit, “Take Me to Your Leader”, which was much more pop than rock, while Jars of Clay obviously rocked more. I had NO idea EITHER was Christian until I think I read it in Rolling Stone or something. And remember Vertical Horizon? They WEREN’T Christian Rock/Pop but the rumour was that “Everything You Want” was all about Jesus. GASP. I really like “Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)”, which I listened to in my longing-filled college days.
ANYWAY, I want to close this long comment by saying - I LOVE Toad the Wet Sprocket. They are primo 90s hitmakers. Hootie & the Blowfish used to tour with them. Now, Hootie, there’s an interesting band - One ALBUM Wonders.
I’d love to see Todd explore that phenomenon.
You got your wish about Hootie. 🙂 Todd covered their second album on Trainwreckords. Super interesting to see such a massive fall from fame so quickly.
@@dvt1393 I saw! I own Fairweather Johnson. Thing is, I don’t remember that it was SO soon after Cracked Rear View came out. In my memory it was just a reasonable time. Shows how time collapses AND stretches in your memory as you age. I liked maybe two or three songs off Fairweather. But what I LOVED was their 1996 MTV Unplugged show. That should’ve been an album. Their Earth Stopped Cold At Dawn with Emmylou Harris was awesome, as was Gravity of the Situation. And their cover of I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You.
@@MegCazalet Oh wow, I had no idea there they did an Unplugged album. I am not too familiar with Hootie, but I've enjoyed the songs that I've heard from them. Which is mostly the big songs from Crack Rearview. I must have been the only person in the 90s to not actually own a copy of it. 😂 I'll have to check their Unplugged album out.
@@dvt1393 I don’t think it was released as an album, just an MTV special. I recorded it on VHS! 📼 You can find bits of it on TH-cam though. I like the live performances of their Fairweather Johnson songs way better than the album. The album was just dull.
What other one-album wonders are there? Artists that have a hit album with multiple hit singles, and then their sophomore album bombs? I know it’s famous for sophomore albums to not do as well, but I mean to just totally bomb after a huge first one. I’m sure there’s a discussion over on that Trainwreckords episode. Worth a watch again now, which will turn into a binge as always . .
What one-hit wonder or trainwreckord would you have Todd review?
That southpark reference had me laughing so much. The timing was perfect
I have their 07 album “The Long Fall Back To Earth”. It’s a decent LP. It has almost a U2 vibe.
I saw them play with Leigh Nash, from Sixpence None The Richer" in 2006. The highlight of the evening was when she sang "Kiss Me" and one of the jars (idk their names) busted out a melodica for the hook. The song she sang with them on Good Monsters (mirrors + smoke) was actually pretty catchy too.
The bait and switch christian band I accidentally loved in college was Lifehouse, and that album still pops into my head on long drives or during shower singing sessions. So, I forgive them for catfishing me.
That 2006 album sounds pretty good???
pinkpandamiranda one of my favorites. Heck, almost all of it's on TH-cam
It is! "Mirrors and Smoke" is one of the most painfully honest love songs you will ever hear, a duet with Leigh Nash from Sixpence None the Richer. It has a heavy Johnny/June Carter Cash influence. The rest of the album is great too. I could go in depth about every single song (don't like most CCM but I love Jars), but you should just listen for yourself.
It's one of my favs. Same with The Long Fall Back to Earth (2009) and Inland (2013). They have very different sounds to them, but some good songs in there.
Ignore the guyliner and you can appreciate it much better
Yeah that sounds like it could be a really solid alt-rock album. Gonna check it out now!
Man, ⠀ is a classic.
Jamal Mian. is way too overrated.
Khadijah Johnson I gotta agree. I don't get the appeal for .
I love that you unearthed the lounge cover of Flood.
I can't believe you haven't mentioned DC Talk's Jesus Freak. It was big enough to be included in Rock Band 4 DLC. And Some Kind of Zombie from Audio Adrenaline. Both these songs were better than Flood.
Jason Konas yes if there was a famous one hit in mainstream dc talk jesus freak
Wow! It was big enough to be on the 4th version of a games downloadable content? Wow :-(
Touché
First rule of Sanity Club is we do not talk about DC Talk. Second.....you all know the rest. ;)
Jason Konas I remember DC Talk’s Red Letters song and thought it was pretty good
I had a childhood diet of both secular and Christian music, so by the time this came out I definitely knew to expect mediocrity from Top 40 Christian acts. I remember being pleasantly surprised to learn the backstory, because I'd been enjoying it just fine as a mainstream alt song.
Even a lot of us Christians get weirded out by the "I'm in love with you Jesus" stuff. Seems like that imagery is a lot less weird to the godly ladies though, who woulda thought.
Also, yeah, Contemporary Christian music is honestly pretty garbage and seems to be dominated by a very small group of artists, most of which seemingly because they lead worship at huge megachurches. I personally listen to Christian music, but mainly just through a radio station called RadioU which plays mostly Christian metal, rock, and hip-hop (Yes, they do play the occasional Lecrae). And when I say "metal", I mean the scream-y stuff. Look up "August Burns Red" or "Silent Planet" - They aren't messing around. Not many radio stations have the balls to play that kind of heavy music, much less exclusively from Christian bands.
Circa 2006-era Jars Of Clay could easily pass as a Modest Mouse-type indie rock band!
As someone who grew up in the church I but really isn’t religious now, I prefer the fools gold Christian alternative to the bs Christian EDM they’re trying to turn out now. Maybe it’s a generational thing but my sisters listen to this stuff and it all sounds exactly the same except lamer and more confusing like actual EDM. At least with some of the Christian rock there was a difference in sound than the preachy worship stuff and to other songs in the genre. It’s not necessarily that good but I prefer it to the crap I listen to every time I’m in the car with my sisters
Juan Isasi haha google it it’s a wild ride there’s crappy top 10 lists of “CEDM” on youtube🙄😂
Brandon Roberts yeah for sure I jam out to those and a couple early switchfoot songs but yeah there are a few that stand out which is nice when everything you here is just acoustic muddy water
Shaelyn Fritzler There's a lot of good Christian rock
Or Christian trap which only has one good artist (Lecrae) but still I pine for the days for Kurt Franklin.
I like Fireflight
I remember hearing Jars of Clay on Q101 in Chicago, which was a rock station
Can't wait for the Dushwalla episode.
As someone with semi-Christian beliefs & a long lifetime history in the church, this is an awesome video. One of the biggest things I agree with is that I too hate hate hate praise music. I think God is probably overwhelmingly annoyed at us for continuing to sing about how great & powerful he is instead of volunteering at a shelter, or buying/donating food to a local food pantry.
Anyways, I love these crossover bands. Switchfoot, Lifehouse, & Jars of Clay are all great examples.
Keep it up buddy!
You forgot the title
The King Of The Internet, formerly known as GRC I honestly thought it was intended
This is the video that, when it first released, got me unironically into Jars of Clay. Turns out their self-titled album is actually pretty good, particularly if you decide to ignore the "I love you Jesus" songs and treat them as love songs which just happen to use religious imagery.
I guess the flood swept away the title
'Goodbye, Goodnight' off the album 'If I Left the Zoo' is a fire semi-jokey song that had this sort of silly sincerity. As somebody who was in youth group but was unsure in my "faith," Jars of Clay's generally less-blatant lyrics struck a chord with me and I was a big fan. I tried to like other Christian rock, but it was all utterly ham-fisted.
I agree with you! Me too!