Faithless ~ God is a Dj ~

The final blog post I shall be submitting onto ‘One Love’ is inspired by the Faithless club track namely ‘God is a Dj’. The track can be shown below. The club track lyrics states that ‘This is my Church’ meaning the club scene.

The club has been described as a new way of discovering spiritual expression, a new way to worship laden with religious imagery. The Dj is likened to God, the creator, who uses his mixes to spiritual enrich the listeners. The club is the follower’s temple, the place they take part in the rituals. Radio one picked up on this trend using the slogan ‘Clubs are the new church.’ Ibiza the holy land for clubbers housing some of the biggest clubs in the world, the scene there encourages its visitors to lose themselves and reflect on the larger questions in life. Clubbers often experience overly worldly experiences, with the use of strobe lights, booming base and repetitive movements.

While the club sound can differ, the scene represents common values of freedom, spirituality and expression. This is comparable to religion in the sense that many religions have common values but the way they practice often differ. The song Faithless song lyrics site that ‘this is where I heal my hurt’ and ‘Solutions and remedies, enemies becoming friends.’ Things that we all hope to find through spiritual expression. ~ One Love x

Madonna ~ Like a Prayer ~

This is song pushed the boundaries like never before in the music and entertainment business. Unlike the rest of music discussed in this blog, this post looks at the music video more than the lyrics itself. Released in 1989, it shocked, disgusted and stunned the world. However people were also amazed, excited and transfixed on the piece of music and the video that went with it. These reactions are still common today when people view the video for the first time; it remains as one of the most controversial music videos ever released.

The song, which was inspired by Madonna’s own Catholic upbringing, changed the way the Madonna was viewed; she was transformed from a pop singer to an Artist. The video showed below shows a woman who witnesses a murder and hides out in a church for safety. The video is full of Catholic symbols, saint images, choirs, crosses and ritual objects. The Controversy lies in a number of images that upset many people such as a burning cross, numerous sexual innuendos in both dance and the lyrics, as well as the way she appears to be singing towards God and making love to a saint offended many. Lyrics that refer to religion include lines such as ‘heaven help me’, ‘Just like a prayer I’ll take you there’ and ‘let the choir sing’. However it is the video that manages to be so controversial and notoriously remembered. Madonna described the video as the story of a young woman so in love with God that it is almost as though he is really a male figure in her life.

The Catholic Church, The Vatican and various other religious groups protested against the video and the soft drink Pepsi cancelled their contract with Madonna for advertising, not wishing to be associated with the upset over the video.~ One Love x

~ Gospel Music ~

Gospel Music is the term given to a certain type of music that is used for expressing the Christian faith. It is often used as an alternative to the traditional hymns used in Christian Churches. Gospel music often differs depending on the social and cultural context. Gospel music is often associated with the Black community, particularly finding its origins in America. The aim of Gospel music is to praise, worship and thank God normally in a joyful tone, often involving clapping and dancing along to the music.~ One Love x



Black gospel is the most famous type of gospel music. It is associated to soul music and many of the legends of soul started off by singing in Gospel church choirs. It is this connection to soul music that makes it of interest to me and this blog. It has allowed the gospel Christian music to cross over into mainstream music. Soul music like Gospel music that it originates from, has catchy rhythms, handclaps and dance moves that parallel the gospel sound. One other characteristic that connect soul music to gospel is the use of a choir and lead singer often having dialogue type lyrics between the two.

Sister Act xXx

For me, I think it would strange be to talk about religion and music without referring to the film Sister Act. Sister Act is an American Comedy film made in 1992 starring Whoopi Goldberg. The film has remained firm as a classic fun musical that is still enjoyed today. A less successful sequel followed in 1993 and the original film has been formed on stage many times by both big productions and minor productions such as in schools. It is currently touring as a musical production in the UK soon to hit Broadway again later this year. Here is the link to the touring Sister Act show: http://www.sisteractthemusical.com

The storyline involves a Reno casino singer who had an affair with a gangster witnesses a murder and is put into police witness protection in a small convent that’s church has a little congregations and is disconnected from the neighbourhood. She pretends to be a nun; the only persons knowing her real identity are the police detective that placed her there and the head sister in the convent. Whoopi’s character finds it hard to adapt to the quiet live in a strict convent and is placed in the choir to try to fill her time there. There she finds that she is of use and can help the women there to become a choir with soul, her music of choice. Her passion for music is a great influence on the other nuns and she starts to encourage them to face the community and help clear it up. During there first performance during a service, youths in the community hear the music from the new choir and come into the church to investigate. The priest is so over come by joy that people were moved to enter the church due to the choir, and thoughts from the head sister to banish Whoopi Goldberg’s character, Deloris, is disregarded. The work to turn the parish around spread so far that the Pope decides to visit them on his tour. A leak in the police department alerts the gangster to where Deloris is hiding and they kidnap her. The nuns find out her real identity and feel touched by what she has done for them despite not being a real nun, fly to Reno to help her. They manage to rescue her and she makes it back to sing for the Pope before returning to her casino singing career.



The film despite the light heartedness of the movie is full of religious thought and practice. One of the most significant parts of the movie is when the youth of the neighbour first approach the church due to the choir’s new sound. It sums up the very reason for this blog, showing how music can speak to people spiritually. Please see the Clip below:-



The music that the character Deloris creates is mixing traditional church hymns with the music of Motown soul. The sound is more gospel than what was previously sang in the church that the sisters finds speaks more to the wider community. The people in the neighbourhood can relate to the new choir music and can find their own religious thoughts inspired by the music that the character Deloris creates. Below is my favourite of the songs from the film as it uses a Motown classic song and replaces the word ‘Guy’ with ‘God’ giving the song a whole new meaning.~ One Love x

2Pac ~ Changes

Rapper 2pac or real name ‘Tupac Amaru shakur’ was one of the best selling music artists worldwide at the time of his death September 1996. People often remember him not just for his lyrical brilliance, immense rapping ability, acting roles but also the responsibility he took on as a social activist. His music is often full of his own experiences of hardship faces problems with racism, gun and drug crime, ghetto violence and notoriously his involvement in the extreme hip-hop rivalry between east coast and west. He is idolised by those in the industry and fans alike. Even those outside of the Hip-Hop circle and fan base, recognise the influence and significance Tupac has had, Harvard university runs a course tom analyse the impact the man had both on music and society, the course is entitled, “All Eyez on Me: Tupac Shakur and the Search for the Modern Folk Hero.” Although Tupac never declared commitment to a particular religion, his lyrics were filled with declarations to believing in God and religious expressions.

One of tupac’s most influential songs ‘changes’ speaks to many people about spirituality in a modern urban context. God or a particular religion isn’t mentioned in this song unlike many other of Tupac’s songs. However for me it is the most significant as the ethically questions addressed in the song are the ones that directly affect people in contemporary culture. People can relate to the lyrics, to the anger behind them and what Tupac is trying to achieve by his music. ~ One Love x

Where is the Love? ~ Black Eyed Peas

One song that I have always found particularly religiously questioning and motivating is ‘Where is the Love’ By the Black Eyed Peas. The song basically looks at the world, all the terrible and upsetting things around us and asks WHY>?  This quote from the song is just one of the evil things in the world the song addresses,  “Nations droppin' bombs, Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones, with the on goin' sufferin' as the youth die young so, ask yourself is the lovin' really gone?” The song asks the question of ‘Where is the love’ to promote the listener to look at their own actions and the values they hold to see how it might be impacting the effect on the world as a whole. The chorus aims the question of love towards God, “Father, Father, Father help us, send us some guidance from above 'Cause people got me, got me questioning' Where is the love?” The need for guidance from God is clear and one most of us ask during times of suffering, even people who normally would not class themselves as religious. This is a common way of ‘using’ religion in contemporary society. We naturally look to religion in times of suffering for comfort and answers. However many ignore religion in everyday life, when things are fine in our own world.~ One Love x

The Streets!

The logical way to now proceed with this blog is to move on to look at modern urban and chart music. Many modern music artists both in Britain and otherwise continue to see religion and spirituality as a focus and theme in their music. A number of tracks stick out in my mind as significant when I think of fairly recent popular music. Each of these has held a certain religious sense of meaning and importance too many people. The first is from an Artist who is not only a lyrical genius but he’s also someone I’m a massive fan of. Mike Skinner ‘The Streets’ I know from personal experience is amazing live and many of his works are regarded both as cult classics and as some of the most forward thinking musical pieces of this generation.





Many of his tracks offer some form of spiritual guidance or meaning for the listeners as he talks about urban living, struggles and everyday life that many people especially young people can relate too. The songs that speak most about spiritual feelings and religion are ‘Turn the page’, ‘stay positive’ and ‘Never went to church.’

Turn the Page has been described as modern poetry, lyrical master and inspirational. You only have to read the YouTube clip comments to see how many people can relate and respond to lines such as “Actions speak louder than words, Stand by me my apprentice, be brave, clench fists.” “Once more before the Lord judges over all of us, Cos in this place you'll see me.” And “In the afterlife gladiators meet their maker.” One of the comments on YouTube is from a college student who openly admits that they used Mike Skinner’s lyrics from ‘Turn the page’ as his poetry assignment. The student states that they received an A grade and the teacher had tears in their eyes when he read it out to the class. For me this example shows that the song holds relevance for each individual listener and people are clearly moved by the spiritual and emotional lyrics.

Stay Positive is an inspiration track that relates to spirituality and faith by the notion of having hope. One line at is particular relevant is “no-one blames you, it's that world out there that's fucked you, your no less of a person and if God exists, he still loves you.” The Song as a whole is about when your world looks like its crumbing away, hitting rock bottom, to remember to have optimism and that one day things will be better. Mike Skinner is trying to advise that “Positive steps will see your goals.” This is basically a religious thought and particularly a Christian message, good works and positive thinking will bring good into the world. This track is a good tune to play when you feeling down to uplift and help you through your struggles. So as the Song says, “go see your mates, and when they don't look happy, play them this tape.”

Never went to church is an extremely emotional song especially for those that have lost a partner, which is who Mike Skinner is aiming the lyrics towards his decease father. He opens the song with the statement, “Two great European narcotics, alcohol and Christianity.” This introduces the tone of the song, narcotics are traditional drugs to dumb and lose yourself in. Skinner is looking to both alcohol and Christianity as a way of coping with the loss his feeling. He explains that church and religion had never been a part of his life until his father passed died and now he’s found himself looking at faith, “but it's hit me since you left us and it's so hard not to search.” He continues to stress that his search into religion is a way of dealing with his hurt and confusion with the afterlife, “I never cared about God when life was sailin' in the calm.” He ends the song with the crucial statement of “I'm gonna see a priest, a Rabbi and a Protestant clergyman, you always said I should hedge my bets.” To me this ending comment is important as it address the way many people look upon spirituality and religion in the modern world; we are now very anti-intuitional religion and often hold more personal and individual faiths, often with theology based in many different traditional religions.~ One Love x