"Dear God" is a song by the English
rock band
XTC
XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in ...
that was first released as a non-album single with the A-side "
Grass
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...
". Written by
Andy Partridge
Andrew John Partridge (born 11 November 1953) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who founded the rock band XTC. He and Colin Moulding each acted as a songwriter and frontman for XTC, with Partridge writing and sing ...
, the song lyrics grapple with the existence of
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
and the
problem of evil
The problem of evil is the question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God.The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,The Problem of Evil, Michael TooleyThe Internet Encycl ...
. Partridge was inspired by a series of books with the same title, which Partridge viewed as exploitative of children. The song was originally intended for the album ''
Skylarking
''Skylarking'' is the ninth studio album by the English rock band XTC, released 27 October 1986 on Virgin Records. Produced by American musician Todd Rundgren, it is a loose concept album about a nonspecific cycle, such as a day, a year, th ...
'', but left off due to concerns from Partridge and
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...
. After
college radio DJs across America picked up the song, US distributor
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.
Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...
recalled and re-pressed ''Skylarking'' with the track included.
Partridge was dissatisfied with "Dear God" as he felt the lyrics were not representative of his views on religion, which was partly the reason it was left off ''Skylarking''. The song's anti-religious message ultimately provoked some violent reactions. In the US, one radio station received a bomb threat, and in another incident, a student forced their school to play the song over its public-address system while holding a faculty member hostage. Partridge also received a plethora of
hate mail
Hate mail (as electronic, posted, or otherwise) is a form of harassment, usually consisting of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments towards the recipient. Hate mail often contains exceptionally abusive, foul or otherwi ...
. He stated that he "felt sorry" for whoever he upset, however, "if you can't have a different opinion without them wanting to firebomb your house then that's their problem."
The music video for "Dear God", one of the first to be directed by photographer
Nick Brandt
Nick Brandt (born 1964) is an English photographer. Brandt's work generally focuses on the rapidly disappearing natural world, as a result of environmental destruction, climate change and humans' actions.
Background and early career
Born in 19 ...
, received the 1987 ''Billboard'' Best Video award and was also nominated for three categories at the
MTV Video Music Awards.
In 2009, the song was ranked at No. 62 on VH1's ''100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s'', despite the fact that XTC had higher charting singles in the decade. In 2011,
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...
, who produced the original XTC recording of the song, recorded a
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
for his album ''
(re)Production''.
Background
"Dear God" is about a struggling
agnostic who writes a letter to
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
while challenging his existence.
The lyrical theme was inspired by a series of books with the same title, seen by Partridge as exploitation of children. Accordingly:
He conceived the music in a
skiffle
Skiffle is a genre of folk music with influences from American folk music, blues, country, bluegrass, and jazz, generally performed with a mixture of manufactured and homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a form in the United State ...
style
but while playing
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
' "
Rocky Raccoon
"Rocky Raccoon" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as the "White Album"). It was primarily written by Paul McCartney, although credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. M ...
", Partridge was inspired to move "Dear God" closer to that song's direction.
The string section was intended to evoke "a sort of a
Gershwin-y,
blues-y, '
Summertime' feel."
''
Skylarking
''Skylarking'' is the ninth studio album by the English rock band XTC, released 27 October 1986 on Virgin Records. Produced by American musician Todd Rundgren, it is a loose concept album about a nonspecific cycle, such as a day, a year, th ...
'' producer
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...
suggested hiring a child to sing the first verse and closing line.
He brought in eight-year-old Jasmine Veillette, the daughter of a friend of Rundgren. However, a boy lip-syncs her vocals in the
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
.
Release
The track did not appear on initial pressings of ''Skylarking'', but was included as part of the album's original planned running order, which was sequenced by Rundgren. According to Partridge, the track had been left off the album because Virgin A&R executive Jeremy Lascelles was concerned about the album's length, and Partridge was advised that the song may upset American audiences; "I reluctantly agreed because I thought I hadn't written a strong enough take on religion. I thought I'd kind of failed."
Rundgren had a different recollection, and said that Partridge demanded that the song be pulled because "He was afraid that there would be repercussions personally for him for taking on such a thorny subject. ... I called them and said, 'This is a mistake.'"
Partridge denied such accusations: "if you can't have a different opinion without
omebodywanting to firebomb your house then that's their problem."
Instead, "Dear God" was relegated as the UK-only B-side to ''Skylarking'' lead single "
Grass
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...
". It found popularity with American
college radio DJs who imported the single. US distributor
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.
Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...
were then "bombarded with enquiries about a song of which they knew nothing, recalled the album and re-pressed it with Dear God reinstated."
In June 1987, "Dear God" was reissued as an A-sided single in both markets, reaching number 99 in the UK and failing to chart in the US. Its success propelled ''Skylarking'' to sell more than 250,000 units.
Controversy
The song's anti-religious message inspired some violent incidents. In Florida, a
Panama City
Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...
radio station received a bomb threat for playing the song, and in New York, a
Binghamton High School
Binghamton High School, a combined high school of the previous Binghamton North High School and Binghamton Central High School, is a large public high school located in the center of Binghamton, New York. The school is culturally diverse, with ...
student forced his school to play the song over its public-address system while holding a faculty member at knife-point.
Some British shops refused to carry the single.
Partridge also received a plethora of
hate mail
Hate mail (as electronic, posted, or otherwise) is a form of harassment, usually consisting of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments towards the recipient. Hate mail often contains exceptionally abusive, foul or otherwi ...
, although all of it was from the US. He commented: "I really felt sorry for the people who got so ''upset'' at someone expressing an opinion that might be contrary to their beliefs, or at who might have another take on their beliefs. How could that make them so ''violent'', potentially?"
Although Partridge is an
atheist, he believes that
heaven and
hell exist metaphorically.
"Season Cycle", another song from ''Skylarking'', included the couplet "Everybody says, Join our religion, get to heaven / I say, no thanks, why bless my soul, I'm already there!"
He returned to biblical themes for "
Garden of Earthly Delights", a children's guide to the world that served as the opening track on their follow-up album, ''
Oranges & Lemons'' (1989).
Explaining the lyric "do what you want to do / just don't hurt nobody", he said: "I'm sure that's what heaven is, really. Heaven is not hurting anyone."
Personnel
XTC
*
Dave Gregory – electric guitar
*
Colin Moulding
Colin Ivor Moulding (born 17 August 1955) is an English bassist, singer, and songwriter who was one of the core members of the rock band XTC. Though he was less prolific a songwriter than his bandmate Andy Partridge, Moulding wrote their first t ...
– bass guitar
*
Andy Partridge
Andrew John Partridge (born 11 November 1953) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who founded the rock band XTC. He and Colin Moulding each acted as a songwriter and frontman for XTC, with Partridge writing and sing ...
– acoustic guitar, vocals
Additional personnel
*
Prairie Prince – drums
* Jasmine Veillette – vocals
Per Partridge.
Chart positions
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dear God (Xtc Song)
1986 songs
1987 singles
XTC songs
Songs critical of religion
Songs written by Andy Partridge
Virgin Records singles
Geffen Records singles
Song recordings produced by Todd Rundgren
Obscenity controversies in music
Christianity in popular culture controversies
Music videos directed by Nick Brandt