aka pastor guy: Top 100 Songs: #20-#11

Monday, March 30, 2026

It's the penultimate entry in my top 100 songs list...

The infectious rhythm coupled with the poetic lyrics sold me on this oddball band.
Twisted castles in her hair / Building mountains in the air / Making profits, lending loans / Ancient TV's, rotary telephones / But within this misty cave / Lies a painter, blind but brave / Paints the story of where we've been / Where we are, where we could be

It had been nearly a decade since Steve Taylor had recorded an album… and here he came with a super-group (Peter Furler, John Mark Painter, Jimmy A), leaning into a similar (though not identical) vibe as his previous band (Chagall Guevera). There's a lot of great cuts on the album - but none of them are as profound and epic as this song.
And didn’t I thank you from the dais? / And didn’t I do you good? / And didn’t I take up all your crosses / that were made of balsa wood?

Resurrection Band had a storied history as one of the first "heavy" CCM bands - not to mention their serious street cred as a part of JPUSA (Jesus People USA), a Christian intentional community & church living in and serving the people of the Uptown neighborhood in Chicago. Bringing in Ty Tabor (King's X) to produce their album Lament kicked their blues-influenced hard rock into high gear.

U2 has a bunch of incredible songs… but "Streets" is the one that stops me in my tracks any time I hear it.

I actually didn't know Song for America until I picked up their greatest hits album while in college… the first Kansas album I knew was Leftoventure. This is probably the prog rock-iest cut in my countdown - seeing as how it takes almost 3 minutes for a vocalist to show up. (Love this song.)

I just heard Steve Taylor perform this live a couple of weeks ago - and it was just as good almost forty years later.
I'll let Steve do the talking about the song he wrote: "I guess he [Jim Morrison] thought of himself as somewhat of a "tortured artist" who not only believe that genius justifies cruelty but that genius and selfishness are inseparable. And that's really how he lived his life. He was very cruel to the people who were close to him, even the people who loved him. So this song is just my thought about going to the grave, almost a stream-of-consciousness lyric. "Jim Morrison's Grave" asks the age-old question: Does artistry justify being a weasel? The last line of the song is, "The music covers like an evening mist/Like a watch still ticking on a dead man's wrist." Morrison left the world some intriguing music. As far as I'm concerned, that's not enough."

A brilliant and moving gospel-tinged appeal for Biblical truth when it comes to racism and justice.
What does it mean to have compassion for another? / How can I claim to love a God that I can't see? / If I can find the will to harm and kill my brother / Cause he neglected to look like me / I can speak the words of men and songs of angels / I can give all my possessions to the poor / But if your love can't move the mountain of my hatred / Somehow, I missed you, and I need you so much more

I first heard Andrew tell the story behind this song sitting in the fellowship hall of the church I pastored… he was playing a solo concert at our little church that night and I had the opportunity to talk with him. I can't do it justice - but you can listen to him talk about it as part of the tribute concert to Rich Mullins he hosted at the Ryman.
Through the years / I barely fell; / I mostly dove right in. / I drank so deep / From the shallow well / Only to thirst again.

The perfect match of Julie's voice and heart-rending lyrics.
You can have my heart, though it isn't new / It's been used and broken, and only comes in blue / It's been down a long road, and it got dirty along the way / If I give it to you, will you make it clean and wash the shame away? / You can have my heart, if you don't mind broken things / You can have my life; you don't mind these tears / Well, I heard that you make old things new, so I give these pieces all to you / If you want it, you can have my heart

A poignant reminder that everyone you meet is carrying something you can't see… by one of my favorite songwriters.
Life's just hard / No matter who you are / No matter who you think you are / It's a fiery ordeal / You play your cards / And you say a prayer / And you look for love / If you’re lucky you find it there / 'Cause love is where it starts / But it's just hard

aka pastor guy