Listening to Records: Beautiful Letdown

Disc 4 from Switchfoot.  This is the record that really switched them over to secular radio. 

I remember hearing "Meant to Live" on secular radio, on TV, on anti-drug PSAs, and they actually sold out on this record.  It's like, they weren't the two brothers and drummer, they now had Jerome Fontamillas on bass adding electricity and more heavier rock sounds, and while this album is still full of obvious Gospel references, this was when they started compromising with the world and stopped taking showers.

Even the Fish is cool enough to play this song.

I love this song.  It has a superb beat, you can dance to it, and it's true, we want to be more than fine.

Here's a classic Switchfoot song.  "We've been blowing up, we're the issue."  It's like a mix of old and new Switchfoot.

Here it is again.  I Dare You to Move.  It was on Learning to Breathe, it was on Walk to Remember, and now it gets an encore on this album but with a more grungier feel.

I wish Switchfoot could be this blatantly Christian today.  "I've got my hand in redemption's side."  This would be the album where they would lure people in with "Meant to Live" and then they'd hear this song and think of going to church.  But the problem is, they never mention Jesus by name and unless God awakens you, we Christians have to be specific about our message.  Of course, these guys were making music, not necessarily preaching, which is way more authentic than most Christian radio can boast. 

I used to skip this song when I played this album.  The title track that I used to think was slow and dragged on.  Today, I think I understand it.  Unless you rely on the Lord for your life and happiness, you're going to be beautifully let down by your friends, even the good ones, and the famous preachers and everybody because we all sin. 

This song makes me happy.  So many pop culture references and they even refer to their first album with "Life is still more than girls."

Another Christian song that is obviously Christian to me, but since they don't necessarily mention Jesus could easily be a love song.  But I know these guys are straight and they are referring to a "He."  This is so obviously about the Holy Spirit, and I love this song.

"If we're adding to the noise, turn off this song."  This reminds me of the song by 2nd Chapter of Acts called "Room Noise" but way rockier.  I did turn of Switchfoot for a good long time because they were so weak about the relationship to the Lord.  But now, they're the only band I can relate to because they truly rock, they have honest lyrics, and they don't have any songs that the label made them play because they needed something grandma could listen to.

The best song on the album.  Very obviously Christian and probably the last truly obviously Christian song they did.  I wish Jon would get back into that, although from experience, I do know that it is hard to just crank out songs at will.  You have to feel it.  And even if you can crank out lyrics, I'm fresh out of tunes.  And I'm done for tonight.