Jesus Is Just Alright
Encyclopedia
"Jesus Is Just Alright" is a gospel
song
written by Arthur Reid Reynolds and first recorded by Reynolds' own group, The Art Reynolds Singers, on their 1966 album, Tellin' It Like It Is.
The song's title makes use of the American slang term "all-right", which during the 1960s was used to describe something that was considered 'cool
' or very good. The song has been covered
by a number of bands and artists over the years, including The Byrds
, Underground Sunshine
, The Doobie Brothers
, Alexis Korner
, The Ventures
, DC Talk
, Shelagh McDonald
, and Robert Randolph (featuring Eric Clapton
).
The first cover version
of the song was recorded by the Los Angeles band
The Byrds on their 1969 album, Ballad of Easy Rider. The song was later recorded by The Doobie Brothers, who included it on their 1972 album, Toulouse Street
. The Doobie Brothers' version of the song was released as a single
in November 1972 and it became a hit
in the United States, peaking at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100
. In 1992, the Christian rock
and hip hop
group, DC Talk, released a version of "Jesus Is Just Alright" on their Free at Last
album. This version of the song went on to become popular on Christian radio
. Most recently, the song has been covered by Robert Randolph on his Colorblind
album, with guest artist Eric Clapton.
' version of "Jesus Is Just Alright" was recorded on June 17, 1969 during the sessions
for the band's eighth studio album, Ballad of Easy Rider. It was first released as part of that album but was subsequently issued as a single on December 15, 1969. The single stalled at #97 on the Billboard Hot 100 and failed to chart in the United Kingdom. Despite this lack of commercial success, The Doobie Brothers' later hit version of the song featured an arrangement that was heavily influenced by The Byrds' own recording.
The song was introduced to The Byrds by the band's drummer, Gene Parsons
, who had been present in the studio
when The Art Reynolds Singers had recorded it. The Byrds had added the song to their live concert
repertoire some months prior to the start of the Ballad of Easy Rider recording sessions and it had quickly become an audience favorite. In concert, The Byrds rendition of "Jesus Is Just Alright" began with a wordless vocal
introduction
that built up and led into the first iteration of the song's chorus
. This distinctive vocal
arrangement
had been devised by Parsons but once the band were in the studio, record producer
Terry Melcher
dispensed with this extended intro
, choosing instead to give the song a more pop
-oriented arrangement.
"Jesus Is Just Alright" became a staple of The Byrds' concert repertoire between 1969 and 1971 but appears to have been performed only rarely after that. Additionally, the band performed the song on the U.S. television programs Memphis Talent Party and The Midnight Special
in 1970 and 1972 respectively.
Besides its appearance on the Ballad of Easy Rider album, "Jesus Is Just Alright" can also be found on several Byrds' compilations, including The Best of The Byrds: Greatest Hits, Volume II
, History of The Byrds
, The Byrds, The Essential Byrds
, and There Is a Season
. Live recordings of the song are included on the expanded edition of The Byrds' (Untitled) album as well as on Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971
.
' version of "Jesus Is Just Alright" was first released on their second album, Toulouse Street
, in 1972. It was subsequently released in November 1972 as the second single from the album (b/w "Rockin' Down the Highway") and went on to become a U.S. hit, peaking at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1973. The single featured a shorter, edited version of the song compared to the one included on the album. The Doobie Brothers' version of "Jesus Is Just Alright" was one of a number of religiously themed songs to reach the U.S. charts during 1972 and 1973, along with "Morning Has Broken
" by Cat Stevens
, "Jubilation" by Paul Anka
, "Speak to the Sky" by Rick Springfield
, "Jesus Was a Capricorn" by Kris Kristofferson
, and "I Knew Jesus (Before He Was a Star)" by Glen Campbell
. The song continues to be a staple of playlist
s on classic rock
radio stations.
The band first became aware of "Jesus Is Just Alright" after hearing The Byrds' version and before long the song had been added to The Doobie Brothers' own live repertoire. As a result, the song's musical arrangement is very similar to the one used by The Byrds, although The Doobie Brothers' rendition does include an extra bridge
that the band added themselves. Although none of the individual band members were religiously inclined, the song went on to become very popular among Christians during the early 1970s, particularly those within the hippie
counterculture
that were involved with the Jesus movement
.
Guitarist
and singer
with The Doobie Brothers, Tom Johnston, has admitted in interview that he began to write another of the band's hit songs, "Listen to the Music", while singing "Jesus Is Just Alright" for a church group.
In addition to its appearance on Toulouse Street, the song can also be found on a number of Doobie Brothers' compilations, including Best of The Doobies
, Listen to the Music: The Very Best of The Doobie Brothers, Long Train Runnin': 1970-2000, Greatest Hits
, and The Very Best of The Doobie Brothers
. Live recordings of the song appear on the Farewell Tour
, Rockin' down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert
, and Live at Wolf Trap
albums.
. It was the lead single for their 1992 platinum
-selling and Grammy Award
-winning album, Free at Last
. The band's primary songwriter
, TobyMac
(Toby McKeehan), retained the song's chorus but added a number of new verses
consisting of his own lyrics
. These lyrics were rapped
, as was usual with DC Talk's songs of the period, with the lead vocal
alternating between McKheehan's rapped verses and the sung chorus provided by Kevin Max
(then known as Kevin Smith) and Michael Tait
.
DC Talk's version also includes subtle lyric alterations, with the line "Jesus is just alright" being intermittently changed to "Jesus is still alright". Thus, DC Talk's recording can be seen as something of an update on the previous version. McKeehan changed the line in an attempt to express his feeling that Jesus was still alright with him even if many others did not share his beliefs. The song's lyrics also comment on the lack of acceptance and recognition that faith-based music often receives from mainstream radio. In addition to being musically based upon the earlier Byrds and Doobie Brothers' recordings, DC Talk's version of the song also features samples
of Madonna's
hit single
"Vogue" and the Snap!
song "The Power
".
In the audio commentary
of the Free at Last – The Movie bonus DVD
, Tait identified "Jesus Is Just Alright" as the song that DC Talk have performed most in their live shows. It has been played at every concert since 1992 and is the only song to be played on each of their four major headlining tours: Free At Last (1994), Jesus Freak – The Tour (Spring 1996), The Supernatural Experience (Spring 1999), and An Evening with DC Talk (Spring 2001).
The song's music video was shot entirely in muted sepia-tone
and featured DC Talk singing around three crosses in a desert, surrounded by musicians and dancers. It concludes with the band walking off into the desert sunset.
At the 24th GMA Dove Awards
in 1994, "Jesus Is Just Alright" was awarded the Dove Award for Best Rock Recorded Song. DC Talk also became one of the first contemporary Christian acts to perform on late-night television when, in late 1993, the band performed "Jesus Is Just Alright" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Japanese radio promo
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written by Arthur Reid Reynolds and first recorded by Reynolds' own group, The Art Reynolds Singers, on their 1966 album, Tellin' It Like It Is.
The song's title makes use of the American slang term "all-right", which during the 1960s was used to describe something that was considered 'cool
Cool (aesthetic)
Something regarded as cool is an admired aesthetic of attitude, behavior, comportment, appearance and style, influenced by and a product of the Zeitgeist. Because of the varied and changing connotations of cool, as well its subjective nature, the word has no single meaning. It has associations of...
' or very good. The song has been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by a number of bands and artists over the years, including The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, Underground Sunshine
Underground Sunshine
Underground Sunshine was an American psychedelic rock band from Montello, Wisconsin. The group scored a hit single in 1969 with their cover of The Beatles' "Birthday", which hit #19 on the Cash Box chart and #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The group subsequently appeared on American Bandstand...
, The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
, Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner was a blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a Founding Father of British Blues"...
, The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
, DC Talk
DC Talk
DC Talk is the first studio album released from vocal trio DC Talk. It is the most hip hop-oriented of all of their albums as each later album gradually progressed into a more rock-centered sound. Michael Tait stated that their original goal for the album was to sell 10,000 units. It sold 7,142...
, Shelagh McDonald
Shelagh McDonald
Shelagh McDonald is a Scottish folk singer, song-writer and guitarist who released two albums before her abrupt and mysterious disappearance in 1971...
, and Robert Randolph (featuring Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
).
The first cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the song was recorded by the Los Angeles band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
The Byrds on their 1969 album, Ballad of Easy Rider. The song was later recorded by The Doobie Brothers, who included it on their 1972 album, Toulouse Street
Toulouse Street
Toulouse Street is the second studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1972 . Toulouse Street is the name of a street in the French Quarter of New Orleans.-Track listing:Side One...
. The Doobie Brothers' version of the song was released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in November 1972 and it became a hit
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
in the United States, peaking at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. In 1992, the Christian rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
and hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group, DC Talk, released a version of "Jesus Is Just Alright" on their Free at Last
Free at Last (dc Talk album)
Free at Last is the third studio album from DC Talk, which was released in 1992. Music videos were filmed for "Jesus Is Just Alright", "The Hardway" and "Luv Is A Verb"...
album. This version of the song went on to become popular on Christian radio
Christian radio
Christian radio is a category of radio formats that focus on transmitting programming with a Christian message. In the United States, where it is more established, many such broadcasters play popular music of Christian influence, though many programs have talk or news programming covering...
. Most recently, the song has been covered by Robert Randolph on his Colorblind
Colorblind (Robert Randolph album)
Colorblind is an album by Robert Randolph & the Family Band. It is the group's second studio album.-Track listing:# "Ain't Nothing Wrong With That" - 3:30# "Deliver Me" – 4:30# "Diane" – 3:28# "Angels" – 4:02# "Jesus Is Just Alright" – 5:26...
album, with guest artist Eric Clapton.
The Byrds' version
The ByrdsThe Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
' version of "Jesus Is Just Alright" was recorded on June 17, 1969 during the sessions
Studio recording
The term studio recording means any recording made in a studio, as opposed to a live recording, which is usually made in a concert venue or a theatre, with an audience attending the performance.-Studio cast recordings:...
for the band's eighth studio album, Ballad of Easy Rider. It was first released as part of that album but was subsequently issued as a single on December 15, 1969. The single stalled at #97 on the Billboard Hot 100 and failed to chart in the United Kingdom. Despite this lack of commercial success, The Doobie Brothers' later hit version of the song featured an arrangement that was heavily influenced by The Byrds' own recording.
The song was introduced to The Byrds by the band's drummer, Gene Parsons
Gene Parsons
Gene Victor Parsons is an American drummer, banjo player, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and innovative engineer, best known for his work with The Byrds from 1968 to 1972. Parsons has also released solo albums and played in bands including Nashville West, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Parsons Green...
, who had been present in the studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
when The Art Reynolds Singers had recorded it. The Byrds had added the song to their live concert
Rock concert
The term rock concert refers to a musical performance in the style of any one of many genres inspired by "rock and roll" music. While a variety of vocal and instrumental styles can constitute a rock concert, this phenomenon is typically characterized by bands playing at least one electric guitar,...
repertoire some months prior to the start of the Ballad of Easy Rider recording sessions and it had quickly become an audience favorite. In concert, The Byrds rendition of "Jesus Is Just Alright" began with a wordless vocal
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
introduction
Introduction (music)
In music, the introduction is a passage or section which opens a movement or a separate piece. In popular music this is often abbreviated as intro...
that built up and led into the first iteration of the song's chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
. This distinctive vocal
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
had been devised by Parsons but once the band were in the studio, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Terry Melcher
Terry Melcher
Terrence P. Melcher was an American musician and record producer, who was instrumental in shaping the sound of American West Coast rock music. His greatest contribution to the culture of the time was producing The Byrds' innovative hits "Mr Tambourine Man" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and his...
dispensed with this extended intro
Introduction (music)
In music, the introduction is a passage or section which opens a movement or a separate piece. In popular music this is often abbreviated as intro...
, choosing instead to give the song a more pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
-oriented arrangement.
"Jesus Is Just Alright" became a staple of The Byrds' concert repertoire between 1969 and 1971 but appears to have been performed only rarely after that. Additionally, the band performed the song on the U.S. television programs Memphis Talent Party and The Midnight Special
The Midnight Special (TV series)
The Midnight Special is an American musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981...
in 1970 and 1972 respectively.
Besides its appearance on the Ballad of Easy Rider album, "Jesus Is Just Alright" can also be found on several Byrds' compilations, including The Best of The Byrds: Greatest Hits, Volume II
The Best of The Byrds: Greatest Hits, Volume II
The Best of The Byrds: Greatest Hits, Volume II is the third greatest hits album by the American rock band The Byrds, but only the second to be released in the United States, since the earlier The Byrds' Greatest Hits Volume II had only been issued in the UK. The album was released in the U.S...
, History of The Byrds
History of The Byrds
History of The Byrds is a budget priced, double album compilation by the American rock band The Byrds and was released on May 18, 1973 by CBS Records . The compilation was released exclusively in Europe and the UK, peaking at #47 on the UK Albums Chart, but it was also available in the United...
, The Byrds, The Essential Byrds
The Essential Byrds
-Disc one:#"Mr. Tambourine Man" – 2:31#"I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" – 2:32#"All I Really Want to Do" – 2:04#"Chimes of Freedom" – 3:51...
, and There Is a Season
There Is a Season
There Is a Season is a four-CD box set by the American rock band The Byrds that was released on September 26, 2006 by Columbia/Legacy. It comprises 99 tracks and includes material from every one of the band's twelve studio albums, presented in roughly chronological order...
. Live recordings of the song are included on the expanded edition of The Byrds' (Untitled) album as well as on Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971
Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971
Live at Royal Albert Hall is a live album by the American rock band The Byrds, released in 2008 on Sundazed Records. The album consists of recordings from the band's appearance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England on May 13, 1971...
.
The Doobie Brothers' version
The Doobie BrothersThe Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
' version of "Jesus Is Just Alright" was first released on their second album, Toulouse Street
Toulouse Street
Toulouse Street is the second studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1972 . Toulouse Street is the name of a street in the French Quarter of New Orleans.-Track listing:Side One...
, in 1972. It was subsequently released in November 1972 as the second single from the album (b/w "Rockin' Down the Highway") and went on to become a U.S. hit, peaking at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1973. The single featured a shorter, edited version of the song compared to the one included on the album. The Doobie Brothers' version of "Jesus Is Just Alright" was one of a number of religiously themed songs to reach the U.S. charts during 1972 and 1973, along with "Morning Has Broken
Morning Has Broken
"Morning Has Broken" is a popular and well-known Christian hymn first published in 1931. It has words by English author Eleanor Farjeon and is set to a traditional Gaelic tune known as "Bunessan" . It is often sung in children's services...
" by Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
, "Jubilation" by Paul Anka
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...
, "Speak to the Sky" by Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield is an Australian-born singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a member of pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971 and then started his solo career with his début single "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia. In mid-1972, he relocated to the United States...
, "Jesus Was a Capricorn" by Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
, and "I Knew Jesus (Before He Was a Star)" by Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
. The song continues to be a staple of playlist
Playlist
In its most general form, a playlist is simply a list of songs. They can be played in sequential or shuffled order. The term has several specialized meanings in the realms of radio broadcasting and personal computers.-In radio:...
s on classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
radio stations.
The band first became aware of "Jesus Is Just Alright" after hearing The Byrds' version and before long the song had been added to The Doobie Brothers' own live repertoire. As a result, the song's musical arrangement is very similar to the one used by The Byrds, although The Doobie Brothers' rendition does include an extra bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
that the band added themselves. Although none of the individual band members were religiously inclined, the song went on to become very popular among Christians during the early 1970s, particularly those within the hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
counterculture
Counterculture of the 1960s
The counterculture of the 1960s refers to a cultural movement that mainly developed in the United States and spread throughout much of the western world between 1960 and 1973. The movement gained momentum during the U.S. government's extensive military intervention in Vietnam...
that were involved with the Jesus movement
Jesus movement
The Jesus movement was a movement in Christianity beginning on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s and spreading primarily through North America and Europe, before dying out by the early 1980s. It was the major Christian element within the hippie counterculture,...
.
Guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
with The Doobie Brothers, Tom Johnston, has admitted in interview that he began to write another of the band's hit songs, "Listen to the Music", while singing "Jesus Is Just Alright" for a church group.
In addition to its appearance on Toulouse Street, the song can also be found on a number of Doobie Brothers' compilations, including Best of The Doobies
Best of the Doobies
Best of The Doobies is the first greatest hits album by The Doobie Brothers. The album has material from Toulouse Street through Takin' It to the Streets, and is also a diamond record. The album was first released by Warner Bros...
, Listen to the Music: The Very Best of The Doobie Brothers, Long Train Runnin': 1970-2000, Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (The Doobie Brothers album)
Greatest Hits is a 2001 compilation album by the Doobie Brothers. Its 20 songs appear in chronological order of original release.-Track listing:#"Listen to the Music"#"Jesus Is Just Alright"#"Rockin' Down the Highway"#"Long Train Runnin'"#"Without You"...
, and The Very Best of The Doobie Brothers
The Very Best of The Doobie Brothers
The Very Best of The Doobie Brothers is a two disc greatest hits album by The Doobie Brothers released on March 13, 2007.-Track listing:Disc 1# "Listen to the Music"# "Jesus Is Just Alright"# "Rockin' Down the Highway"# "Long Train Runnin'"...
. Live recordings of the song appear on the Farewell Tour
Farewell Tour
Farewell Tour is the first live album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1983. . It documents what they thought would be their final concert. The front cover shows Keith Knudsen cutting the strings on John McFee's guitar as a symbolic gesture. Original lead vocalist and...
, Rockin' down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert
Rockin' Down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert
Rockin’ Down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert is the second live album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1996. .-Track listing:Disc 1#"Dangerous" – 5:58#"Jesus Is Just Alright" Rockin’ Down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert is the second live album by American rock band The...
, and Live at Wolf Trap
Live at Wolf Trap
Live at Wolf Trap is the third live album by US rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 2004.Wolf Trap is a National Park in Virginia, where the band performed live on July 25....
albums.
DC Talk's version
"Jesus Is Just Alright" is a Dove Award-winning single by Christian rock and hip hop band, DC TalkDC Talk
DC Talk is the first studio album released from vocal trio DC Talk. It is the most hip hop-oriented of all of their albums as each later album gradually progressed into a more rock-centered sound. Michael Tait stated that their original goal for the album was to sell 10,000 units. It sold 7,142...
. It was the lead single for their 1992 platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
-selling and Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning album, Free at Last
Free at Last (dc Talk album)
Free at Last is the third studio album from DC Talk, which was released in 1992. Music videos were filmed for "Jesus Is Just Alright", "The Hardway" and "Luv Is A Verb"...
. The band's primary songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, TobyMac
TobyMac
Toby McKeehan , better known by his stage name TobyMac , is a Christian recording artist, music producer, hip-hop/pop artist, singer-songwriter, and author....
(Toby McKeehan), retained the song's chorus but added a number of new verses
Song structure (popular music)
The structures or musical forms of songs in popular music are typically sectional, repeating forms, such as strophic form. Other common forms include thirty-two-bar form, verse-chorus form, and the twelve bar blues...
consisting of his own lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
. These lyrics were rapped
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
, as was usual with DC Talk's songs of the period, with the lead vocal
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
alternating between McKheehan's rapped verses and the sung chorus provided by Kevin Max
Kevin Max
Kevin Max Smith is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the Christian pop group dc Talk...
(then known as Kevin Smith) and Michael Tait
Michael Tait
Michael DeWayne Tait is a Contemporary Christian Music artist. Michael Tait met Toby McKeehan and Kevin Max while attending Liberty University in the late 1980s, and formed four-time grammy winning band DC Talk, with whom he released 5 acclaimed studio albums...
.
DC Talk's version also includes subtle lyric alterations, with the line "Jesus is just alright" being intermittently changed to "Jesus is still alright". Thus, DC Talk's recording can be seen as something of an update on the previous version. McKeehan changed the line in an attempt to express his feeling that Jesus was still alright with him even if many others did not share his beliefs. The song's lyrics also comment on the lack of acceptance and recognition that faith-based music often receives from mainstream radio. In addition to being musically based upon the earlier Byrds and Doobie Brothers' recordings, DC Talk's version of the song also features samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of Madonna's
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
"Vogue" and the Snap!
Snap!
Snap! is a German Eurodance project formed in 1989 by Frankfurt-based producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has been through a number of line-up changes over the years, but was most successful when fronted by rapper Turbo B, who performed on the UK number 1 singles "The Power" and...
song "The Power
The Power (Snap! song)
"The Power" is an electronic pop hit song by the German music group Snap! from their album World Power. It was released as a single in 1990 and reached No. 1 in the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, as well as the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Rap charts...
".
In the audio commentary
Audio commentary
On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
of the Free at Last – The Movie bonus DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, Tait identified "Jesus Is Just Alright" as the song that DC Talk have performed most in their live shows. It has been played at every concert since 1992 and is the only song to be played on each of their four major headlining tours: Free At Last (1994), Jesus Freak – The Tour (Spring 1996), The Supernatural Experience (Spring 1999), and An Evening with DC Talk (Spring 2001).
The song's music video was shot entirely in muted sepia-tone
Photographic print toning
In photography, toning is a method of changing the color of black-and-white photographs. In analog photography, toning is a chemical process carried out on silver-based photographic prints. This darkroom process can not be done with a color photograph and although the black-and-white photograph is...
and featured DC Talk singing around three crosses in a desert, surrounded by musicians and dancers. It concludes with the band walking off into the desert sunset.
At the 24th GMA Dove Awards
24th GMA Dove Awards
The 24th Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 1, 1993 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 1992. The show was held in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Barbara Mandrell.-Award recipients:*Artist of the Year**Michael English...
in 1994, "Jesus Is Just Alright" was awarded the Dove Award for Best Rock Recorded Song. DC Talk also became one of the first contemporary Christian acts to perform on late-night television when, in late 1993, the band performed "Jesus Is Just Alright" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
CD single track listing
U.S. radio promo- "Jesus Is Just Alright" (Album Version) - 4:41
- "Jesus Is Just Alright" (Funky, Wit Less Rap) - 4:08
- "Jesus Is Just Alright" (Still Funky, Wit No Rap) - 3:38
- "Jesus Is Just Alright" (With Original Blues Bridge) - 4:51
- "Jesus Is Just Alright" (Reprise) - 1:03
- "Yo! Ho Ho" - 4:14
- "Two Honks And A Negro" - 0:19
- "Free At Last Album Spot" - 1:01
Japanese radio promo
- "Jesus Is Just Alright" (Album Version) - 4:41
- "Jesus Is Just Alright" (Funky, Wit Less Rap) - 4:08
- "Jesus Is Just Alright" (Still Funky, Wit No Rap) - 3:38
- "Jesus Is Just Alright" (With Original Blues Bridge) - 4:51
- "Jesus Is Just Alright" (Reprise) - 1:03