Radio invaded by xian music...freaking

[Never]

Ok, I'm driving down the highway today coming back from a Dr's appointment. I don't have a favorite radio channel so I decide to change from Disney where the kids had it and turn on a Clear Channel Station technically listed as adult comtemporary, but this is the one that the high school kids listen to. They play whatever is popular and I actually haven't listened to them much lately. This is where you can hear Eminem uncensored, etc.

The freaky part - they are playing Christian music. Two in a row even. I mean serious stuff. I keep it on to verify I have the right station. I e-mailed them when I got home. The e-mail & response are below. I looked up the lyrics to the song they named and have a link to that as well. Has anyone else noticed this? Did it bother you as much as it did me? Not that popular music is anything to miss, but am I going to have xian music shoved at me from every station? *eep*

link to lyrics: http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/lyrics/ICanOnlyImagine.asp

e-mails:
Yes, the song is called "I Can Only Imagine" the artist's name is Mercy Me. We go by the Radio and Records top 40 and evidently the song is climbing up the charts and is playing on VH1 as well. The song is becoming very popular. We only play it in the afternoon during the week and all day on the weekends. You'd be surprised at the number of Christian artists we already play. Creed, Stacie Orrico and so forth, so evidently Mercy Me is crossing over too.
You don't need to worry about your radio being possessed anymore--as long as you leave it on 102.1-FM! :)
Thanks for the e-mail
Rachel Green

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, August 11, 2003 2:05 PM
To: Subject: Reality check - Christian music????


I was driving home from Marietta today between 4:30 and 4:45 and turned to 102.1 The River on my car radio. It was Christian music. I listened to several songs to be sure and even heard the spot that says "102.1 The River" in between them. Am I losing my mind, was my car radio posessed by aliens - were you really playing that? I get home and your playing "normal music" again. My kids think I'm nuts.
Help.

[DonnieDarko]

Sometimes at work a radio is playing the local "lite" station, mainly adult contemporary and older songs. I've heard this song played a few times though. After a couple of times I realized it was a Christian song and I had to laugh out loud at one part of it:

Will I stand in Your presence or to my knees will I fall

Now every time I hear this silly song I imagine this guy meeting Jesus in heaven and falling on his knees to blow him.

[Captain Howdy]

Oh, don't y'all just looooooooooove the land of the free?


Seriously though. They're allowed to, but isn't very nice now is it. This is so Hell's Bellsy it's gives me the shivers

[lowmagnet]

Creed isn't a Christian band. The band admits that they are somewhat 'spiritual' but that their message is a personal one, not a religious one.

Same with Evanescence. They viewed their past links with Christianity as a 'youthful indiscretion'

But Clear Channel has very little to do with popularity and everything to do with what the 'independent promoters' (paid by record companies) decide is hot (which record companies pay more to them) or not (which is why so much good music gets ignored)

[Jamie_L]

Well, for me it's been the constant air play for Live's new song Heaven. Although the song is somewhat anti-religion, it's definitely a profession of belief. Musically, it's even a good song, which gives me a bit of a love-hate relationship with the song. Espcially when I can sympathize with a sense of wonder and amazement about interacting with my children. Yet, once again, it's a reminder that I'm part of a vanishingly small minority that most people don't understand, and generally don't even respect.

As I said in a different post, it's lonely out here on the fringes.

Jamie

[Evil Milkman]

Where I live in Southern Illinois there is a really good station called 102.1 The Alien. They play both secular and religious music, but it's alternative/pop punk which is pretty decent. Granted, they do play some pretty shitty music sometimes, but mainly it's fairly good.

[ohwilleke]

I sympathize. Here in Denver, for about six months we had a techno station. Then, one day, without warning, it suddenly became a hard core country station. Not one word from a DJ about the impending end, just boom, this doesn't sound like my station anymore.

One of the generally pop stations has also started putting one clearly out of format country song into its rotation.

Twice in a row, I could see how you feel. And, the response you're getting makes it look like it is going to persist.

I don't know where you live in Ohio. But, Southern Ohio did have a pretty good alternative station (WOXY I think) for a while.

[Trecker]

Seems obvious to me that one should avoid Clear Channel at all costs, promoting the smaller stations, NPR, and your own recorded music. You don't really need them. They need you.;)

[Maverick]

I ran into the same problem while in Alabama this past week. I searched the dial trying to find a non-country, non-christian station. I finally find a station I like, then after about a half hour "I can only Imagine" comes on. My first thought was "what the hell is this xian crap doing on a Top 40 station".

I wrote it off as a southern thing, so I am a bit disturbed to find it happening in Ohio.

[Buddrow_Wilson]

I rarely listen to the radio anymore and when I do its likely to be a news/talk station. Much of my music is not popular enough or is too "racy" to be broadcast anyway.

I enjoy the portability of MP3s.

[atheist_in_foxhole]

I always laugh when that idiotic "I can only imagine" song comes on, because after all, Jebus IS imaginary.

[Ricomise]

Here in Tampa, ClearChannel owns all the radio stations. (From classic rock to hip-hop and adult contemporary and every "format" in-between.)



Well, for me it's been the constant air play for Live's new song Heaven

Man, this song gets to me too. I really like the music, so much so that I find myself singing the damn thing without realizing it. But the lyrics, which is what usually attracts me certain songs, are too "spiritual" for me.

[lhiuvme]

Well, for me it's been the constant air play for Live's new song Heaven.

Being a huge Live fan from albums 1-3, I have been very disappointed with the quality/creativity of their music in the last 3 albums ("Birds of PrAy" being the last, great pun!)

Listening to Ed wrestle with spirituality was so much more fun than listening to him brag about his non-traditional spirituality

From Operation Spirit, Mental Jewelry (their first album as Live)

"Heard a lot of talk about this Jesus
A man of love, and a man of strength
But what a man was two thousand years ago
means nothing at all to me today"

Strong words. "Heaven", is an insipid sham of a song compared to the older stuff.

lhiuvme

[cjack]

Originally posted by atheist_in_foxhole
I always laugh when that idiotic "I can only imagine" song comes on, because after all, Jebus IS imaginary.

It always stikes me as as a "hey, I can't wait to die" song!

Country radio is being more or less invaded by "Jesus" songs, too. There's "I Can Only Imagine" by Jeff Carson, "Three Wooden Crosses" by Randy Travis, "Help Pour Out the Rain" by Buddy Jewel, "A Few Questions" by Clay Walker, and "Streets of Heaven" by Sherrie Austin, all in heavy rotation on a station near you.


Its pretty sickening, and even our very religious assistant program director is at the point of throwing up his arms and saying "not another JESUS record!"

:rolleyes:


p.s. It's nice to see that folks outside the radio business are learning about the evil that is Clear Channel.

[Trecker]

Originally posted by cjack
............
Country radio is being more or less invaded by "Jesus" songs, too. ..........................................................

p.s. It's nice to see that folks outside the radio business are learning about the evil that is Clear Channel.

Amen!:) I personally, would much rather listen to good Gospel music than the typical pap that is passed off for songs in popular music.

[Anti-Creedance Front]

I seriously, seriously doubt that a Christian contemporary song would climb the charts among the ranks of Creed and Stacie Orrico. "Worship songs" that openly talk about Jesus never make it to the top. P.O.D. hints at it with Satellite and Alive, but they don't say anything religious the whole song. If they blatantly referred to Jesus in those songs, few non-Christians would listen to them. As I noticed with mp3.com a while ago, it seems that evangelical Christian organizations pour a lot of money into promoting their stormtroopers in all genres of music. I see way too much of it in METAL, the supposed "most Satanic genre of all".

[RalphyS]

Although I am a firm disbeliever I love the music of both Creed and Live.

And although Creed confesses to be a non-Christian band their lyrics on their last album are very hard to interpret otherwise than Christian-based, I could still do that with my favourite album of theirs "Human clay". Nonetheless I still like their music and I have no problem with good Christian music on the radio. I'd rather listen to good Christian music than bad atheist music.

Btw how is Live's 'Heaven' anti-religious?

PS Tool still rules and Eulogy is my favourite atheist song.

[Dreaming Skin]

I'll tell ya what's maddening here in the Carolinas. As everyone in the country knows, Miss Clay Aiken is from Durham, North Carolina. I just want to put my face through the windshield as the stations around here play him endlessly, particulary that overwrought "Lift Me Up" song. If that's not a xtian song, I'm not sure what is.

[brighid]

I am glad that I am not the only one with a love/hate relationship with the Live, "Heaven" song. It's a catchy tune and I do really like Live, but all the faith crap just really disappointed me. Now, I have the lyrics to that damn song in my head ... thanks and I left all my good CD's at home today ...

Brighid

[Never]

Yesterday, I had it on the channel that usually just plays older rock tunes (REO, Journey and such). They were playing an obviously xian song though I didn't catch the name.
Day before that at work, co-worker is playing a totally xian CD.
I'm feeling surrounded.
Guess I better keep it on Disney.