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CROSSOVER CHR/INSPIRATIONAL SONGS YOU COULD GET AWAY WITH ON A RELIGOUS STATION!

Hello to all. I love this thread. I run a part 15 here in Altamonte Springs FL and I kid you not, it went from my sweet lord to flood by jars of clay then between you and me by relient k which was a cover version of dc talk. My station goes from Christian rap to secular music to whatever. I may throw together a playlist of the songs listed on this topic and run it on my pt 15 one day.
 
I hope you're playing Leon Patillo's version of My Sweet Lord, or some other Christian artist that leaves out the Hare Krishna references rather than George Harrison's. :)
 
nightfly61 said:
I wonder if there is enough out there to fill a whole format like this? I wonder if there's any religous stations out there that throw in a "Classic Hit" now & then? I may have the makings of the nation's first Jacked out religous station!
Eye In The Sky-Alan Parson's Project
Jesus is Just Alright-Doobies
What Is Life-George Harrison
My Sweet Lord-George Harrison
All Those Years Ago-George Harrison
Honestly-stryper
Amazing Grace-Judy Collins/Royal Dragoon Guards
Flood-Jars of Clay
Shine-Collective Soul
Jesus Christ Superstar-Murray Head
Every Heartbeat-Amy Grant
Amen-Impressions
Joy To The World-Three Dog Night
Mountain of Love-Johnny Rivers
Everything Is Beautiful-Ray Stevens
Jesus He Knows Me-Genesis
Dominique-The Singing Nun :D
I highly doubt if Sister CHRISTIAN would cut it ;D
.....can you think of some?
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My Sweet Lord was a deception. Does NOT belong on Christian radio!
Flood was originally a Christian song. WCIE discovered it, then we followed them, then the alternative station in Daytona, then 99X Atlanta - within a couple of months they were top-40
We played Shine on the air. Took some heat for it, too.
Anything Jesus Christ Superstar - too much heresy.
Amy Grant is a Christian artist. We played anything she put out.
Spirit in the Sky - no way. Heresy. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Jesus is Just Alright - DC Talk did it better.
Between you and and me - DC Talk is a Christian song. Most Christian stations deleted the interlude which was the testimony. We played it, WCIE played it, all secular stations played it. Figure that one out!
We pushed the limit some with "Hold on Loosely" by .39 Special - best corollary on I Corinthians 13 I have ever heard! But we had to hide the CD cover from station management.
I don't know about some of the others above - I'd have to study the lyrics. But anything Stryper did is OK.
 
I have 2 Linkin park songs for you. What I've done and leave out all the rest. I also have two MJ songs for you. Human nature and man in the mirror. Also crossroads by bone thugs and harmony. Yes I know there is some vulgarity in that song but you can play the clean version. I do play the George Harrison version and yes I was aware of the Hare Krishna in it. I'm a Christ follower myself. I did not say I was strictly a christian station. I do keep the station I run clean. I play clean versions of songs whenever possible. I have also played god's not dead on my station and a few other newsboys tracks. I also love playing Just say Jesus as well. I loved flood since it came out in 95. I remember there was 2 versions of that song.The standard album version and a version that had a harder guitar sound on it. Was that a single version? I can't find that one anywhere. Also a lot of stations would take out the violin solo in that song. WTKS used to play the full version on alternative weekends. I think z 88.3 plays that one at times. I love hearing that song on the radio for some reason.
 
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austingrace said:
I have 2 Linkin park songs for you. What I've done and leave out all the rest. I also have two MJ songs for you. Human nature and man in the mirror. Also crossroads by bone thugs and harmony. Yes I know there is some vulgarity in that song but you can play the clean version. I do play the George Harrison version and yes I was aware of the Hare Krishna in it. I'm a Christ follower myself. I did not say I was strictly a christian station. I do keep the station I run clean. I play clean versions of songs whenever possible. I have also played god's not dead on my station and a few other newsboys tracks. I also love playing Just say Jesus as well. I loved flood since it came out in 95. I remember there was 2 versions of that song.The standard album version and a version that had a harder guitar sound on it. Was that a single version? I can't find that one anywhere. Also a lot of stations would take out the violin solo in that song. WTKS used to play the full version on alternative weekends. I think z 88.3 plays that one at times. I love hearing that song on the radio for some reason.
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I know what you are talking about with the harder guitar version. My guess is that it was an enhanced version done by a station - not by Jars of Clay. There was a suspicious lag in the guitar a couple of places. It doesn't take much for a station to take an existing song and use a local musician to enhance it. It is rare, but has happened before. I think there was a version of "All These Things" by the Uniques that did it.

Our local "high school football" semi-pirate "translator" station plays a mix of secular oldies, Christian, and whatever. They bill it as "safe for the family", but then played the "funky s__t" version of Steve Miller (oops!!!). I think it is the responsibility of stations playing these family versions to keep profanity and sexual references off the station. Just my opinion.

A station in Orlando - WMMO - is the one that played the full version of Between You and Me, and full version of Flood, when the Vero Beach Christian station cut out the interludes. I knew the guy over it - never asked him why.
 
Z 88.3 here in Orlando has done that. They have added the word Orlando to that start a fire in my soul song and everything you do by Stephen Curtis Chapman. Also WEJF in Palm Bay and WPIO in Titusville plays older secular love songs on Friday nights. Is 90.3 in Palm bay a direct simulcast of WPIO? I was just a little curious.
 
Bongwater said:
We aren't talking about CCMs in particular, but the mostly preachy, hellfire and brimstone stations (R.W.Shambock, Bob Larson anyone?) that mostly play that redneck gospel stuff sung by old white guys with giant pompadour wigs the size of bean bag chairs.

Are there even stations still like that anymore?
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Spoken by someone not from North Carolina.
 
nightfly61 said:
One more thing I've wondered for years about...
(Other than "Tubular Bells for obveous reasons)...why couldn't instrumentals be played on religous stations? There never were wupposed to be words, so how can they be considered "evil" of "offensive"
I mean the gospel folks could have a little fun every so often & hear "Alley Cat", "Popcorn", "Pink Panther Theme", etc.
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"Amazing Grace" by Bob Snyder and "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" by Pete Fountain.
 
Phil Keaggy (My favorite Christian artist) does tons of instrumentals, everything from classical to rock, and has several instrumental albums out.
 
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rbrucecarter5 said:
Spirit in the Sky - no way. Heresy. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Jesus is Just Alright - DC Talk did it better.
We pushed the limit some with "Hold on Loosely" by .39 Special - best corollary on I Corinthians 13 I have ever heard!
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"Hold On Loosely"? The song is just about a girl and has the word 'damn' in it. How did that pass your filter?

Re: Spirit In The Sky: written by a Jewish guy in 15 minutes.

I always liked the Byrds' version of Jesus Is Just Alright.
 
boombox4 said:
"Hold On Loosely"? The song is just about a girl and has the word 'damn' in it. How did that pass your filter?

Re: Spirit In The Sky: written by a Jewish guy in 15 minutes.

I always liked the Byrds' version of Jesus Is Just Alright.
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Look more closely at the lyrics of Hold on Loosely - it is an expansion of the concepts in I Corinthians 13. I played it on air because I had a tremendous problem with possessiveness and jealousy that ruined relationship after relationship. Hold on Loosely dramatically impacted me, and the concepts of the lyrics are very much in line with Biblical principles. I am not alone in this - two other shows on the station agreed it was appropriate. We did a disclaimer, explained the spiritual concept - and audience response was great! As for "damn" - I think that argument was settled in 1939 with "Gone With the Wind". There are a lot of words we couldn't broadcast, but that one was OK. After all, many of the preachers used it and the term "damnation" on their preaching tapes.
 
This is not a CHR song but what about i alone from Live? I heard that song on my pt 15 fm today and it made me think of this topic. I'm thinking of starting a general topic like this that is not limited to CHR songs. Another one for you is my own prison from Creed.
 
I just heard the Leon Patillo version and I seriously enjoyed it. He sounds like Aaron Neville and Stevey Wonder. I was not sure if I was going to like it but I really did. I'll add it to the playlist for my Pt 15 for sure.
 
Man oh man!!!!! Freakign classic topic here my friends. I was inspired to bring this thread back because of the song Thy Will Be Done by Hillary Scott from lady Antebellum. So what "secular" artists have crossed over to Christian? Just curious.
 
austingrace said:
So what "secular" artists have crossed over to Christian? Just curious.
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Dan Peak from America crossed over. I don't include Bob Dylan because from all accounts, it was a temporary conversion. I know BJ Thomas tried for a while.
 
I'd figure I'd address this whole thread.

The artists I can confirm I've heard on both Christian/Mainstream stations are

The Fray ("How To Save A Life", already mention, was their first crossover hit, there have been a couple more)

Switchfoot (Their album "The Beautiful Letdown" put them on both the Christian/Mainstream map at the same time; the band by my count has the most crossover singles of any Christian/Mainstream artist with at least 10 appearing on at least one Christian and one Mainstream chart)

MercyMe ("I Can Only Imagine", already mentioned, peaked at #33 on American Top 40 when Casey Kasem was host)

NEEDTOBREATHE (A few of the band's songs have been used in the score/soundtracks of TV shows/movies, band also gets Hot AC/Triple A airplay)

DC Talk ("Jesus Freak" and "Between You And Me", both already mentioned, put them on the mainstream map, Between You And Me peaked at #12 on AT40 spinoff Casey's Top 40)

Jars of Clay ("Flood" and "Unforgetful You" both had videos on VH1 back in the day, "Flood" still gets Christian/mainstream radio airplay)

Lifehouse (At least half a dozen songs have crossed over, "Hanging By A Moment" put them on the mainstream map)

Sixpence None The Richer ("Kiss Me", mentioned earlier, aired on secular stations, "Breathe" aired on Christian stations)

Amy Grant ("Baby Baby", already mentioned, was her crossover hit)

Hillary Scott ("Thy Will Be Done", already mentioned, was her crossover hit)

Michael W. Smith ("Place In This World", already mentioned, was his crossover hit)

Kirk Franklin ("Stomp" was Kirk & his backing group's crossover hit, Kirk also sampled a piece of the the Kenny Loggins/Michael McDonald song "This Is It" for the song "Declaration")

Relient K ("Be My Escape" was their crossover hit)

Carrie Underwood (don't know about the rest of the country, but all the Nashville Christian stations have spun, pun intended, "Jesus Take The Wheel" into the ground)

There may be more, so you can fill in my gaps if I left any.
 
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