Article September 8, 1997 Issue

Spiritual trend in popular lyrics

by Kim Shippey

Far too often, the subject of popular music conjures up unsavory images of the "sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll" lifestyle. Many of today's lyrics still reflect this milieu, along with the perennial themes of love won and lost, and, more recently, the glorification of death and suicide. There has, however, been a trend in recent years, even outside the realms of "contemporary Christian" music, to offer lyrics that explore spiritual themes, including the subject of God. We discussed these trends with two contemporary songwriters—a well-established record producer in New York and an aspiring young writer in Portland, Oregon.

Someone who, in his own career, made the leap from dependence on drugs to the healing experience of writing God-centered lyrics is Peter Link. In the 1960s he played the lead in the protest musical Hair on Broadway, and he now writes and produces songs and records with healing potential in the studios he owns on Forty-second Street. He has received the New York Critics' Drama Desk Award and two Tony nominations, and has a two-million-selling Gold Record to his credit. On Sunday mornings he teaches Sunday School in New York.

Peter told us that he welcomes the trend toward more positive lyrics and sees it as a natural backlash to the gangsta rap and sexually overt lyrics of today. "Songs have inspired mankind to move beyond their limitations throughout history," he said. "Why should this glorious purpose change now? Great songs have always lifted the heart, inspired the mind, and brought joy to the struggling soul."

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