Top 20 Christian Rock Songs

The other day I decided to burn a CD of my favorite Christian rock/alternative/metal songs. The criteria: "If I could only listen to one CD of Christian rock for the rest of my life, what songs would I put on it?" It was a tough question when you have as much music as I do, but I managed to cut the list to 20. 78:25 minutes of music. I'll list them in order, though the order is pretty fuzzy in my mind until the top 5 or so. I'll link each one to the CD's page on Amazon so you can check it out if you're unfamiliar. Here it is, starting with #20:

20. Honor And Integrity, Staple.
The newest song on this list. I had to include a song from Staple since Darin Keim, who went to Lakers and most of you should remember from high school, is the lead singer. Great music, better lyrics. Example: "I've tried to show the world how great a man can be, but this great man I've charaded is the farthest thing from me."

19. Chase The Sun, The O.C. Supertones.
Not a typical Supertones song because it's not really ska until at halfway through. Really catchy. Typical great Supertones lyrics.

18. Pitiful, Blindside.
I had heard Blindside before their 2002 album "Silence", but they hadn't really clicked with me. Since "Silence", they've been my favorite band. This is a cutting song about our own sin nature.

17. Might Have Ben Hur, Switchfoot.
"This one goes out to Charlton Heston." This one almost deserves to be here for the title alone. Switchfoot is a good band, but their first CD, "Legend of Chin", was amazing. The title, once you get past the pun, explains this song perfectly.

16. Flood, Jars of Clay.
One of the best-known and most notable Christian rock songs. Few songs from Christian bands make a mainstream impact, but everyone heard this song. Nothing complicated here, just some drums and acoustic guitar, but it's very effective and memorable.

15. Sleepwalking, Blindside.
Another great Blindside song, my favorite off of "Silence".

14. Dandelions, Five Iron Frenzy.
FIF is known for being pretty silly, a good example being the "These Are Not My Pants" rock opera on this CD. Not his song, which is a great metaphor about how God loves us even though we have nothing to give. "You see flowers in these weeds."

13. Breakfast, Newsboys.
"Take Me To Your Leader" is the best Newsboys album. This song is a perfect representative of that album. The tune is catchy, the lyrics are very creative: "When the toast is burned and all the milk has turned and Captain Crunch is waving farewell, when the big one finds you may this song remind you that they don't serve breakfast in Hell."

12. Life And Love And Why, Switchfoot.
Another great song off of "Legend of Chin". "Could it be true, can life new, can I be used, can I be used?"

11. Where Zero Meets 15, Five Iron Frenzy.
The first song off the first ska CD I ever bought. In my opinion "Upbeats and Beatdowns" was FIF's best effort; it had a great punk/ska sound and a great mix of humor and seriousness, which this song shows off well.

10. Return Of The Revolution, The O.C. Supertones.
The Supertones have done a couple songs that I think of as "fight" songs where they talk about spiritual warfare, encourage us to learn about our faith, and call us to the frontlines. This is the best one, especially live. "So what about you? Will you join us?"

9. Staring At A Bird, The Waiting.
This song paints a very clear mental image for me. It's kind of hard for me to explain, you'll just have to check it out.

8. Where The Sun Never Dies, Blindside.
I've already said how great Blindside is, so I'll skip that part. A song about Heaven. Even if you don't like harder music, you could probably still enjoy this one.

7. Shine, Newsboys.
One of the most notable songs in modern Christian music. From a time when the big 3 (DC Talk, Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline) had just started changing the Christian music scene. Again, very catchy riffs and amzsingly creative lyrics. Go with the original album version, not any of the remixes or re-recordings.

6. Chem 6A, Switchfoot.
Switchfoot again. A very catchy song with a great guitar riff. Less content than most of the other songs on this list, but more likely to stick in your head.

5. Lay It Down, The Benjamin Gate. This song starts with my favorite guitar riff ever. No one else sounds like the Benjamin Gate. Distorted guitars, a bit of electronica, and Adrienne Liesching's amazing voice (She sounds better just speaking with that South African accent, wow). One of the few songs that I almost always have to play twice.

4. Unite, The O.C. Supertones.
One of the best known and most popular Supertones songs. Features the first appearance of guitar riff that shows up many times in Supertones music. Another "fight" song, calling for unity: "The problem's not Hollywood, the problem's not Washington, the problem's a weak, divided church of schismed Christians." As good as the original was, the live version is that much better.

3. Lost The Plot, Newsboys.
"Once we could hear You, now our senses are shot. We've forgotten our first love, we have lost the plot." Not a typical Newsboys song, the lyrics don't show the sense of humor that you see in most of this album. It's a down song, very powerful and affecting. Possibly their best song.

2. Some Kind Of Zombie, Audio Adrenaline.
"Some Kind of Zombie" didn't sell as well as many of Audio A's other albums; I've heard it said that putting a happy cover on it and calling it "Chevette" might have made a difference, but it doesn't change the fact that this is a great CD. The song is catchy with a different sound then the other songs on the album. Another one I can't explain well, so check it out.

1. Jesus Freak, DC Talk.
I remember what I thought the first time I heard that this song was sung by DC Talk: "That's DC Talk!?!" This is not the DC Talk from "Free At Last". This is the best song off the single most important Christian rock album ever. It's to Christian music as Teen Spirit from "Nevermind" is to mainstream rock n' roll. A must own CD.