Godspell (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1973): Though it was written at a later time, Godspell actually beat Jesus Christ Superstar to the stage, opening in 1971 at a tiny off-off-Broadway theatre and gradually building up a following until ultimately reaching Broadway in 1976. Godspell recently celebrated its 50th anniversary on May 17, 2021. John-Michael Tebelak, a student at Carnegie-Mellon University wrote the conceptual outline of the play as a college assignment. He later brought in a fellow graduate from the college, Stephen Schwartz to write the music and polish the lyrics, which were taken almost verbatim from the Gospel of Matthew and other Biblical passages. William Ruhlmann, writing for Allmusic contrasts the two best known Christian musicals: “Though Godspell could be thought of as copying Jesus Christ Superstar, there was a crucial difference in viewpoint between the two works – Superstar was a skeptical, secular look at Jesus, while Godspell was devout, merely updating and musicalizing Christ’s story.” The musical was adapted into a movie called Godspell in 1973 – the full name of the movie is Godspell: A Musical Based on the Gospel According to St. Matthew – and this Godspell soundtrack album was also released. The film was shot in numerous deserted New York City locations, with the cast dressed in contemporary clothing. In a nod to Jesus Christ Superstar, the character of Jesus is wearing a Superman shirt during the film. The single “Day by Day” by the original off-Broadway cast, with Robin Lamont singing lead, reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972.
