Is Pop Music Finding God On The Corner Of First And Amistad?

It was early this year that soft pop-rock band The Fray released the first single off of their self-titled sophomore album, "You Found Me" The Denver-based band, led by Isaac Slade found themselves questioning not God's existence, but God's motives and timing. "Where were you when everything was falling apart... just a little late, you found me" is the taunt raised towards a distant Almighty found loafing with a cig in hand at a street corner.

Meanwhile, Regina Spektor (like The Fray, an alumni of the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack cliche) had been readying her new disc, Far, to be released next week. Lead single "Laughing With" doesn't question the Supreme Being's existence either, in fact it doesn't ask a lot of questions. It tells us the no one is laughing at God when "the doctor calls and says 'I've got some bad news, sir'" or "when they're hungry or freezing or so very poor." Why? Because "no one's laughing at God, we're all laughing with God." In fact, Regina's presentation of God as an empathic deity stands in direct contrast to Isaac's God-Come-Lately.

It's not the first time God has shown up in pop music, but I've been noticing it a bit more in recent months. Lily Allen's latest disc, It's Not Me, It's You included the "God is one of us" ditty "Him" which found God paying his taxes, listening to Creedance Clearwater Revival and shaking his head at religious violence. Katy Perry wonders if "when I pray, am I just sending words into outer space?" on "Lost" from One Of The Boys. It's a very adult question, one that fits the vibe of that prodigal-child-in-LA song. And recently Carolina Liar dropped their debut single "Show What I'm Looking For" which featured the chorus "Save me, I'm lost/Lord, I've been waiting for you."

I'm not surprised that an interest in spiritual matters has made it's way into mainstream music. It seems to happen in an explicit way every few years, and with so much economic turmoil and civil rights debate it seems like it couldn't not happen. I read a fascinating book about a year ago, which I start a post about but never finished. It's called I'll Take You There: Pop Music And The Urge For Transcendence, and the premise was that we all have an inner yearning for enlightenment and transcendence, and artists often exhibit that urge through music. Not only through words but also through instruments, arrangements and stage antics.

I think part of our current urge, as a people on the verge of frightening changes in gender politics, ecology and financial matters, is a questioning of God's place in this. Is God still there? Does God exist anymore? Where can we find God? Not because we don't want God, but because we truly don't know anymore.