DEAR GOD
“Dear God” is a song on the 1986 album Skylarking by English band XTC. It was not a part of the original Skylarking album, being originally released as a B-side to “Grass”; but after DJs across America picked up the song, Geffen Records decided to replace “Mermaid Smiled” with “Dear God”. The song was inspired by a series of books with the same title, seen by lead singer Andy Partridge as exploitation of children. The song was featured in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. (More from Wikipedia)
I am reminded once again of the late, great Peter Ivers and the crazed interviews he used to do with punk rock musicians on the New Wave Theatre show. When someone was starting to act like a smartass, Peter would get them to turn to the camera and give the answer again; and invariably, they would change their tune. In almost every case, no matter what anti-religious screed a rock musician is trying to perform, the idea that they are sending their bare ideas out into the universe gives them pause; and they back off from showing a completely disrespectful attitude – that is true I think even of XTC’s notorious “Dear God”, for example.
(December 2012)
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The less reverent tone of Jesus Christ Superstar heralded a more casual attitude toward the Bible and Christianity in popular music during the 1970’s that has accelerated somewhat since that time. Although there are a handful of rock songs having a mocking tone – “Dear God” by XTC and the Bed of Eyes song “Smart Religion” (“. . . is no religion”) from their album Crimp in the Facts are the only two that come to mind in my own collection – I see it mostly in band names.
(October 2014)
