Jesus Freak (album)

Jesus Freak
Studio album by DC Talk
Released	November 21, 1995
Recorded	1995
Studio	Fun Attic Studio, Franklin, Tennessee House of Insomnia Franklin, Tennessee Sanctuary Sound Studio, Nashville, Tennessee Secret Sound, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre	Christian hip hop, CCM, alternative rock [1]
Length	57:53 [2]
Label	ForeFront/Virgin
Producer	Mark Heimermann, Toby McKeehan, John Mark Painter
DC Talk chronology
Free at Last (1992) Jesus Freak (1995) Welcome to the Freak Show (1997)

Jesus Freak is the fourth studio album by the American Christian rap and rock trio DC Talk, released on November 21, 1995, on ForeFront Records. ^[3] The style was a marked departure from the group's previous releases, incorporating a heavier rock sound and elements of grunge that was popular at the time.

The album was released to both critical and commercial acclaim. It peaked at number 16 on the Billboard 200 and six of the album's seven singles reached number one across various Christian radio formats. It won the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album.

Jesus Freak is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential albums in the history of contemporary Christian music (CCM). ^[4]

Background

After three albums of hip-hop oriented sound, including DC Talk's Grammy award-winning third album, Free at Last , which was based primarily on hip-hop- and pop-oriented songwriting, the trio decided to innovate and reinvent their style.

After three years, DC Talk returned with songs featuring a more alternative rock sound. Thus, the album's lead single, "Jesus Freak", was considered unexpected by fans and critics alike. ^{[5] [6]}

Michael Tait said, "I was totally into rock and roll at the time [...] I really wanted to make a rock record." ^[6] The band decided to focus on more rock-oriented music, with touches of rap and pop interwoven into the mix. Tait later explained, "We wanted to write songs that would hopefully touch a generation." ^[7]

Recording and production

Compared to DC Talk's other albums, Jesus Freak was, stylistically, an experiment. The album was a fusion of various musical genres, including pop, ^{[1] [8]} rock, ^[1] and grunge, ^[9] all combined with hip hop. ^{[1] [8]}

The title track, "Jesus Freak," is also of historical importance. It is believed to be the first link between grunge and rapcore in CCM. ^[10] The song was even played on some secular stations. ^[10]

In addition, the album contains two cover songs: "Day by Day," from the musical Godspell , and a heavily overhauled version of "In the Light" originally by Charlie Peacock. ^[2] Two spoken-word samples are also heard; "Mind's Eye" features the words of Billy Graham and "What If I Stumble" contains a quote from Brennan Manning. ^[2]

Lyrical themes

As with the genres, the themes of Jesus Freak are varied, ^[1] ranging from the spiritual–such as accepting Jesus, hypocrisy, ^[2] atheism–to the social, such as seeking forgiveness from a friend, ^[2] racism, ^[2] facing intolerance, ^[11] and acceptance. ^[2]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"So Help Me God"	Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, Kevin Smith, Mark Heimermann, Dann Huff	4:39
2.	"Colored People"	McKeehan, George Cocchini	4:26
3.	"Jesus Freak"	McKeehan, Heimermann	4:50
4.	"What If I Stumble?"	McKeehan, Daniel Joseph	5:06
5.	"Day by Day"	Stephen Schwartz, McKeehan, Smith	4:30
6.	"Mrs. Morgan"		0:57
7.	"Between You and Me"	McKeehan, Heimermann	4:59
8.	"Like It, Love It, Need It"	McKeehan, Smith, Heimermann, David Soldi, Jason Barrett	5:23
9.	"Jesus Freak (Reprise)"		1:17
10.	"In the Light" (Charlie Peacock cover)	Charlie Peacock	5:06
11.	"What Have We Become?"	McKeehan, Smith, Heimermann	6:09
12.	"Mind's Eye"	McKeehan, Tait, Heimermann	5:17
13.	"Alas, My Love" (hidden track)	Smith	5:18
Total length:			57:53

10th anniversary special edition bonus disc ^[12]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
14.	"So Help Me God" (Savadocious Junk Yard Mix 1974)	McKeehan, Tait, Smith, Heimermann, Duff	4:13
15.	"Jesus Freak" (Savage Perspective Mix)	McKeehan, Heimermann	4:42
16.	"What If I Stumble" (DoubleDutch Remix)	McKeehan, Joseph	4:19
17.	"Between You and Me" (fab Remix)	McKeehan, Heimermann	4:58
18.	"Like It, Love It, Need It" (dDubb Remix)	McKeehan, Smith, Heimermann, Soldi, Barrett	4:18
19.	"What Have We Become?" (dDubb Remix)	McKeehan, Smith, Heimermann	4:14
20.	"Mind's Eye" (1995 A Swing and a Miss Mix ft. Mark Heimermann/Unreleased Demo Version)	McKeehan, Tait, Heimermann	5:06
21.	"Jesus Freak" (1995 Gotee Bros. Freaked Out Remix)	McKeehan, Heimermann	4:40
22.	"Help!" (The Beatles cover; live)	Lennon-McCartney	0:59
23.	"Colored People" (Live)	McKeehan, Cocchoni	4:45
24.	"It's The End of the World (As We Know It)" (R.E.M. cover; live)	Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe	2:12
25.	"I Wish We'd All Been Ready" (Live)	Larry Norman	3:37
26.	"40" (U2 cover; live)	U2	2:37
27.	"In the Light" (Instrumental)	Peacock	5:21

Release

Jesus Freak was released on November 21, 1995. It debuted at number 16 on the Billboard 200, selling over 85,800 copies in its first week of release. ^[13] This number was the highest debut for a Christian album at the time. ^[14]

After the album, released through ForeFront Records, proved to be extremely successful, the band signed an exclusive distribution deal with Virgin Records. ^[3] The label made it a priority to promote the album to mainstream music fans. ^[3] Due to this promotional increase, "Between You and Me" became a hit for the band, managing to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Cross Rhythms	[15]
Entertainment Weekly	B+ (1995) [16] B (1996) [17]
Jesus Freak Hideout	[2]
Pitchfork	6.7/10 [18]

After the initial success of its release, Jesus Freak was RIAA-certified as Gold by its first month, for shipments exceeding 500,000 units. ^{[9] [19]} The album has gone on to sell over two million copies in the United States, ^[9] achieving double platinum certification by the RIAA. ^[19] Critical response to Jesus Freak was generally positive, and many of the album's singles were met with positive reception. For instance, "Jesus Freak" was the first non-AC song to win the Dove Award for Song of the Year. ^[10] The album also spawned several hit singles. Six of the album's singles became number-one hits across various Christian radio formats. ^[9] "Between You and Me" was even a cross-over hit on secular radio, peaking at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. ^[20]

Legacy

The album is considered one of the greatest and most influential Christian albums of all time and is viewed as a landmark of the 1990s alternative rock scene. ^[21]

It is one of the biggest-selling Christian albums of all time and has been certified double platinum in the United States and gold in Canada.

On June 20, 2006, Gotee Records released a ten-year anniversary tribute, Freaked! , featuring artists from record labels Gotee and Mono vs Stereo covering songs from the original album. ^[22] "In the Light" and "Jesus Freak" are both featured in Alive and Transported . In addition, the songs are still regularly sung in tobyMac, Kevin Max, and Newsboys concerts.

In 2006, EMI released a commemorative 10th-anniversary version of the album, Jesus Freak: 10th Anniversary Special Edition. This special edition contained a bonus disc of brand-new remixes, rarities, live tracks, and demos. ^[9] A single-disc remaster was released in 2013. ^[23]

For the 20th anniversary of the album in November 2015, SMLXLVinyl.com released a double lp 180-gram vinyl of the album. It was its first pressing on the format. ^[24]

Chart positions

Chart (1995)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200	16 [13]
U.S. Top Christian Albums	1

Year	Single	Chart	Peak position
1995	"Jesus Freak"	CCM Christian CHR	23
		CCM Christian Rock	1
		U.S. Bubbling Under Hot 100	10
	"Mind's Eye"	CCM Christian CHR	1
	Just Between You and Me"	CCM Christian CHR	1
		CCM Christian Adult Contemporary	1
		U.S. Billboard Hot 100	29 [20]
		U.S. Billboard Top 40	15
		U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	24
		U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 Tracks	11
1996	"Like It, Love It, Need It"	CCM Christian Rock	1
	"In the Light"	CCM Christian CHR	1
		CCM Christian Adult Contemporary	3
	"What If I Stumble?"	CCM Christian CHR	1
		CCM Christian Adult Contemporary	3
1997	"So Help Me God"	CCM Christian Rock	3
	"Colored People"	CCM Christian CHR	1
		CCM Christian Adult Contemporary	3
	"Day by Day"	CCM Christian Rock	3
	"What Have We Become?"	CCM Christian CHR	1
		CCM Christian Adult Contemporary	32

Personnel

DC Talk

• TobyMac – raps, lead and backing vocals
• Kevin Max – lead and backing vocals, poem (13)
• Michael Tait – lead and backing vocals, additional BGV arrangements (1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 12)

Musicians

• Mark Heimermann – programming (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13), Hammond B3 organ (1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 12), upright bass (3), additional vocal arrangements (4), Wurlitzer electric piano (5), pads (7, 12), finger cymbals (8), Moog synthesizer (8), acoustic piano (10), broom (12), keyboards (13)
• Dann Huff – programming (1), guitars (1, 3, 5, 7, 13)
• George Cocchini – guitars (2, 13)
• Chris Rodriguez – guitars (2, 4, 10)
• Oran Thornton – guitars (3, 5, 8)
• Sean Turner – guitars (3)
• Jerry McPherson – mandolin (4), guitars (11, 12)
• Brent Barcus – guitars (5), bridge arrangements (10)
• Dave Perkins – guitars (11)
• Jackie Street – bass (1, 2, 12)
• Otto Price – bass (2, 5, 7, 10), bridge arrangements (10), wah bass (11)
• John Mark Painter – bass (3, 4, 11), accordion (4), guitars (4)
• Brent Milligan – bass (8)
• Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass (13)
• Scott Williamson – drums (1, 11), drum fills (7), hi-hat (7)
• Aaron Smith – drums (2, 10)
• David Huff – drums (3, 5, 12)
• Shaun McWilliams – drums (4)
• Will Denton – drums (8), bridge arrangements (10)
• Todd Collins – bongos (1, 12), loops (1, 12), programming (3, 5, 7, 11, 12), drums (3), cowbell (3), percussion (4), congas (5, 7), tambourine (5), cabasa (7), vocals (9), brush snare (11), Akai MPC60 (13)
• Terry McMillan – percussion (2, 10, 13)
• Greg Herrington – loops (10)
• Denis Solee – flute (11)
• Ronn Huff – string arrangements and conductor (2, 10)
• Jason Halbert – bridge arrangements (10)
• Brennan Manning – ragamuffin intro (4)
• Charlie Peacock – guest vocals (10)
• Billy Graham – spoken word (12)

Production

• Dan R.Brock – executive producer
• Eddie DeGarmo – executive producer
• Toby McKeehan – producer, collage photos
• Mark Heimermann – producer (1, 2, 3, 5-13)
• John Mark Painter – producer (4)
• Joe Baldridge – engineer, mixing, collage photos
• Lynn Fuston – string recording
• Russ Long – additional engineer
• Todd Robbins – additional engineer
• Dave Dillbeck – assistant engineer
• Dan Fritzsell – assistant engineer (1, 2, 3, 5-13)
• Patrick Murphy – assistant engineer (1, 2, 3, 5-13)
• Ed Sharpe – assistant engineer (1, 2, 3, 5-13)
• Penn Singleton – assistant engineer (1, 2, 3, 5-13)
• Shane Wilson – assistant engineer (1, 2, 3, 5-13)
• Chuck Linder – mix assistant
• Ronnie Thomas – editing at MasterMix (Nashville, Tennessee)
• Ken Love – mastering at MasterMix (Nashville, Tennessee)
• Nate Yetton – A&R
• Kevin Max Smith – art direction
• Paul Venaas – design, layout
• John Falls – individual band photos
• Norman Jean Roy – back cover photography

Music videos

• Colored People
• Jesus Freak
• Day by Day
• Between You and Me

References

• McNeil, W. K. Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music. Routledge, 2005. ISBN   0-415-94179-2
• Taff, Tori. 100 Greatest Songs in Christian Music. Integrity, 2006. ISBN   1-59145-210-4

Notes

1. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Jesus Freak review". AllMusic . Retrieved October 28, 2008.
2. John DiBiase (February 6, 2003). "DC Talk, "Jesus Freak" Review" . Retrieved October 28, 2008.
3. Price, Deborah (November 23, 1996). "Virgin to Take DC Talk Mainstream". Billboard. p. 105. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
4. http://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/featured-stories/dc-talk-jesus-freak-turns-twenty/. CCM Magazine
5. Taff, pg. 6
6. Taff, pg. 8
7. Taff, pg. 9
8. John DiBiase (November 1, 2006). "DC Talk, "Jesus Freak Single" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
9. Farias, Andree. "Jesus Freak: 10th Anniversary Special Edition". Christianity Today . Retrieved January 15, 2007.
10. McNeil, pg. 99
11. Atwood, Brett (November 11, 1995). "DC Talk Aims to Turn Heads With Clip". Billboard. p. 85. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
12. John DiBiase (December 23, 2006). "DC Talk, 'Jesus Freak 10th Anniversary Special Edition' Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
13. "Artist Chart History – DC Talk". Billboard . Retrieved October 28, 2008.
14. "DC Talk's "Jesus Freak" makes history with biggest selling Christian music release in first week". Business Wire . November 29, 1995. Retrieved October 28, 2008.^{[ dead link ]}
15. Bellamy, Jonathan. "DC Talk Aims to Turn Heads with Clip" . Retrieved July 23, 2010.
16. Jamison, Laura (December 22, 1995). "Jesus Freak | Entertainment Weekly". ew.com. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
17. Browne, David (April 12, 1996). "Christian rock: A look at Jars of Clay,Jesus Freak, and Take Me to Your Leader | Entertainment Weekly". ew.com. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
18. Brad Shoup. "DC Talk: Jesus Freak Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved August 1, 2021.
19. "RIAA - Gold & Platinum". RIAA Web Site. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
20. "Between You and Me - DC Talk". Billboard.com. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
21. Staff. "DC Talk's 'Jesus Freak' Turns Twenty". CCM Magazine. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
22. John DiBiase (July 20, 2010). "Freaked! A Gotee Tribute to DC Talk's "Jesus Freak"". Jesus Freak Hideout.
23. dc Talk (April 23, 2013), Jesus Freak, ForeFront Records, retrieved February 7, 2016
24. Staff. "First Ever Vinyl Release of dc Talk's 'Jesus Freak' and 'Supernatural'". CCM Magazine. Retrieved February 7, 2016.