I remember buying a 12" single of theirs with this song on the B side. It became a huge hit in Los Angeles on the alternative radio station KROQ 106.7 It asked many of the questions a lot of Christians had but we're afraid to ask.
This song was released as the B-side to the single "Grass." Some college radio stations started playing it & it was added to subsequent pressings of the album.
"Dear God" was a huge hit on the alternative radio stations that I listened to back then. 91-X in San Diego was all over it. It was the lead single from their ninth studio album, Skylarking, produced by Todd Rundgren. I have a vinyl copy of it stored away. The other tracks I remember from it are "Grass" and "Earn Enough for Us". Skylarking dropped between the two albums XTC released under the name of their spin-off band, The Dukes of Stratosphear, modeled after psychedelic pop groups from the 1960s. I have vinyl copies of those too. Trippy stuffers, check out "25 O'Clock" and "What in the World??...", and for a real pop treat, "Vanishing Girl". A few highlight songs from XTC's earlier years are "Senses Working Overtime", "Making Plans for Nigel", and "Generals and Majors". As for the atheism of "Dear God", I'm sure it ruffled some feathers, but it was the sex and violence in some of the other songs of the era that really set off the scolds. Hearing were held in Congress. John Denver joined Dee Snyder and Frank Zappa to testify in support of free speech. The whole flap eventually subsided when record companies agreed to slap "parental advisory" stickers on albums deemed suspect. Of course, rock bands loved having that stamp of street cred slapped on their records. It screamed out to all the rebel kids to buy the records that would peeve their parents. The first such stickered record that I remember, looking back now, was N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton. But I doubt it was the first new release with such a sticker. It's just the one that I remember.
Not a "her", it's actually a young boy singing those parts. Reflects questions a child might ask re: God. XTC was a British band and much like what I experienced in Canada, generally speaking, the public isn't as hard nosed about religion as the majority of Americans so the song was better received. More to the side of "he makes a good point", amongst the younger crowd anyway. That was my experience at least. This did get played by cutting edge radio stations including CFNY in the Toronto area, known as "The Spirit of Radio" and YES this is the station that inspired RUSH for their classic song.
This song was misunderstood by the religious-right, I'm sure many of whom never actually to listen to it. But in an era without the interswebs and social media, things never spiraled out of control. If it were released today, the shitstorm would rage for a news-cycle or two, before triggered people moved on to the next rage campaign.
I was never a fan of this group. Lesd singer annoys me for some reason. Maybes its his face when he sings. People swear by them who realy like them. I could never get into them. Its probably because the handful of hits they had were so overplayed. Like this one
You must travel in very exalted obscure-80s-cult-band circles if you've found any XTC song "overplayed". I think I've heard them on the radio maybe once in my whole life.
@@sylvanm4216 good observation. I was lucky enough to grow up in los angeles around KROQ, 91x and MarsFM. Legendary stations that all 3 played different parts of alternative music.
@@sylvanm4216 if u google search KROQ top 106.7 songs for 1986 and 1987, Dear God was #20 in 1986 and #7 in 1987. If i remember correctly, these were voted on by call ins from listeners over like a 2 wrels period. There is also a handful of other XTC songs that made the list others years.i think Mayor of Simpleton was top 20 for 1989 also
@@rediscoveryrecords1348 Ha! Well, I guess that would do it. Me, I grew up in an alt rock household listening to my mom's XTC albums, so I suppose I'm coming at it from a slightly different angle. I can definitely understand why Andy Partridge annoys some people, but it'd be sad to think of how diminished my musical life would be if I were one of them.
@@sylvanm4216 Its just my opinion. i do think they are creative, unique and good. Its just a personal thing. In the 1980s I was more into electronic music, new wave and nu romantic. Japan, depeche mode, the cure, ultravox, pet shop boys etc. Bands without a keyboard, sequencer or beat machine i felt were kind of old fashioned. and sort of behind the times. XTC felt like a different generations' music
For god so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him will believe in anything.
Love XTC. I can't remember if they got a ton of blowback from this song like Sinead O'Connor did.
This was a group that I since that i like since 1978 lots of great
This song is so good and you hit the nail with the instrumental and vocals and content. This song still resonates to this day! Great reaction!
I remember buying a 12" single of theirs with this song on the B side. It became a huge hit in Los Angeles on the alternative radio station KROQ 106.7
It asked many of the questions a lot of Christians had but we're afraid to ask.
Interestingly enough, this song (produced with the band by Todd Rundgren) was not intended as the single. It got played as a B-side and became a hit.
This song was released as the B-side to the single "Grass." Some college radio stations started playing it & it was added to subsequent pressings of the album.
"Dear God" was a huge hit on the alternative radio stations that I listened to back then. 91-X in San Diego was all over it. It was the lead single from their ninth studio album, Skylarking, produced by Todd Rundgren. I have a vinyl copy of it stored away. The other tracks I remember from it are "Grass" and "Earn Enough for Us". Skylarking dropped between the two albums XTC released under the name of their spin-off band, The Dukes of Stratosphear, modeled after psychedelic pop groups from the 1960s. I have vinyl copies of those too. Trippy stuffers, check out "25 O'Clock" and "What in the World??...", and for a real pop treat, "Vanishing Girl". A few highlight songs from XTC's earlier years are "Senses Working Overtime", "Making Plans for Nigel", and "Generals and Majors". As for the atheism of "Dear God", I'm sure it ruffled some feathers, but it was the sex and violence in some of the other songs of the era that really set off the scolds. Hearing were held in Congress. John Denver joined Dee Snyder and Frank Zappa to testify in support of free speech. The whole flap eventually subsided when record companies agreed to slap "parental advisory" stickers on albums deemed suspect. Of course, rock bands loved having that stamp of street cred slapped on their records. It screamed out to all the rebel kids to buy the records that would peeve their parents. The first such stickered record that I remember, looking back now, was N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton. But I doubt it was the first new release with such a sticker. It's just the one that I remember.
God didn't create Man, Man created God!
Always liked this song
Not a "her", it's actually a young boy singing those parts. Reflects questions a child might ask re: God. XTC was a British band and much like what I experienced in Canada, generally speaking, the public isn't as hard nosed about religion as the majority of Americans so the song was better received. More to the side of "he makes a good point", amongst the younger crowd anyway. That was my experience at least. This did get played by cutting edge radio stations including CFNY in the Toronto area, known as "The Spirit of Radio" and YES this is the station that inspired RUSH for their classic song.
Although the "kid" singer is played by a boy in the music video, the actual vocalist was a young woman named Jasmine Veillette.
@@sylvanm4216 I stand corrected.👍
It’s a little boy
I'd recommend listening to the Lawless version.
Big controversy song. Not so much now because well people at least on the Catholic side had enough and started asking questions.
This song was misunderstood by the religious-right, I'm sure many of whom never actually to listen to it.
But in an era without the interswebs and social media, things never spiraled out of control.
If it were released today, the shitstorm would rage for a news-cycle or two, before triggered people moved on to the next rage campaign.
I was never a fan of this group. Lesd singer annoys me for some reason. Maybes its his face when he sings. People swear by them who realy like them. I could never get into them. Its probably because the handful of hits they had were so overplayed. Like this one
You must travel in very exalted obscure-80s-cult-band circles if you've found any XTC song "overplayed". I think I've heard them on the radio maybe once in my whole life.
@@sylvanm4216 good observation. I was lucky enough to grow up in los angeles around KROQ, 91x and MarsFM. Legendary stations that all 3 played different parts of alternative music.
@@sylvanm4216 if u google search KROQ top 106.7 songs for 1986 and 1987, Dear God was #20 in 1986 and #7 in 1987. If i remember correctly, these were voted on by call ins from listeners over like a 2 wrels period. There is also a handful of other XTC songs that made the list others years.i think Mayor of Simpleton was top 20 for 1989 also
@@rediscoveryrecords1348 Ha! Well, I guess that would do it. Me, I grew up in an alt rock household listening to my mom's XTC albums, so I suppose I'm coming at it from a slightly different angle.
I can definitely understand why Andy Partridge annoys some people, but it'd be sad to think of how diminished my musical life would be if I were one of them.
@@sylvanm4216 Its just my opinion. i do think they are creative, unique and good. Its just a personal thing. In the 1980s I was more into electronic music, new wave and nu romantic. Japan, depeche mode, the cure, ultravox, pet shop boys etc. Bands without a keyboard, sequencer or beat machine i felt were kind of old fashioned. and sort of behind the times. XTC felt like a different generations' music