"What If Jesus Comes Back Like That" is a song written by Pat Bunch and Doug Johnson, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer

Collin Raye Floyd Elliot Wray (born August 22, 1960), known professionally as Collin Raye and previously as Bubba Wray, is an American country music singer. He initially recorded as a member of the band The Wrays between 1983 and 1987. He made his solo debut ...

. It was released in November 1996 the fifth single from his album '' I Think About You''.

Content

The song is in E

mixolydian Mixolydian mode may refer to one of three things: the name applied to one of the ancient Greek ''harmoniai'' or ''tonoi'', based on a particular octave species or scale; one of the medieval church modes; or a modern musical mode or diatonic sca ...

(an

E major E major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, F-flat maj ...

scale with the seventh tone lowered by a half-step). Its main chord pattern is E-D/E-A/E. In the song, the narrator questions how people would react to

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

returning in the modern day as a

hobo A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps, and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; a bum neither travels nor works. Et ...

or a child born of a drug-addicted parent.

Critical reception

Deborah Evans Price of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' gave it a positive review, saying that it "may be his most risky venture yet... a great song, that deserves to be rewarded."

Chart performance

The song entered the

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart dated November 25, 1995, peaking at No. 57 on the December 16, 1995, chart. It spent 11 weeks on the chart in this timespan, receiving unsolicited airplay alongside Raye's then-current single " Not That Different". Upon its official release as a single, it re-entered in November 1996, reaching a new peak of No. 21 on the January 4, 1997, chart. Overall, it spent 22 weeks on the charts between its two runs.

References

{{Collin Raye 1996 singles 1995 songs Collin Raye songs Songs written by Pat Bunch Songs written by Doug Johnson (record producer) Song recordings produced by Paul Worley Epic Records singles Songs about Jesus