Fifty songs. Fifty artists. Fifty stories of faith.
“Country music is three chords and the truth” noted songwriter Harlan Howard famously said. But truth, and specifically biblical truth, exists in many other music genres, too.
The Rock, Pop, and Country Gospel explores the spiritual heart of popular music through an eclectic collection of fifty songs (see below), some of which you know by heart, and a few you probably don’t.
Delve into the fascinating stories about how each song in this multi-genre collection came to be written, and see how God and His message of love, hope, and encouragement can be found within their lyrics.
As a book with broad appeal, The Rock, Pop, and Country Gospel has been selected as a finalist in both the Next Generation Indie Book Awards (Christian Non-Fiction and Inspirational Non-Fiction categories) and the National Indie Excellence Awards (Christian Non-Fiction and Music categories).
“I am so impressed with how interactive this book is- being able to scan a [QR] code and immediately pull up the song on Spotify makes the experience so immersive.”
Songs and scripture featured in the book
“I Would Die 4 U” (Prince) / Isaiah 55:8-9
“Hallelujah” (Jeff Buckley) / Psalm 51:17
“Family Bible” (Willie Nelson) / Psalm 78:4
“Life Is Sweet” (Jennifer Nettles) / 2 Corinthians 9:8
“Hey God” (Bon Jovi) / Psalm 13:1–2
“Learn to be Still” (The Eagles) / Isaiah 30:15
“Beer With Jesus” (Thomas Rhett) / Matthew 6:9–13
“Hit ‘Em Back” (Shemekia Copeland-K.W. Shepherd) / Matthew 5:43–44
“One of Us” (Joan Osborne) / Hebrews 2:14–18
“One Day at a Time” (Joe Walsh) / Matthew 6:31–34
“Something in the Water” (Carey Underwood) / Romans 6:3–4
“Dust in the Wind” (Kansas) / James 4:13–14
“Jesus is Just Alright” (The Doobie Brothers) / Hebrews 1:1–5
“I Won’t Back Down” (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) / 2 Thessalonians 2:15
“Party in Hell” (Aaron Lewis) / Matthew 10:28
“You Found Me” (The Fray) / Psalm 139:1–3
“What I’ve Done” (Linkin Park) / Romans 3:26b
“Believe” (Brooks & Dunn) / Hebrews 13:14
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Simon and Garfunkel) / John 15:12–13
“Looking East” (Jackson Browne) / John 14:6
“When I Get Where I’m Going” (Brad Paisley-Dolly Parton) / Matthew 17:3–4
“Pocketful of Sunshine” (Natasha Bedingfield) / James 1:2
“Notbroken” (The Goo Goo Dolls) / 2 Corinthians 4:8–9
“I Saw God Today” (George Strait) / Romans 1:20
“Do It Again” (Sheryl Crow) / Proverbs 3:5–6
“Gotta Serve Somebody” (Bob Dylan) / Luke 1:38
“Three Wooden Crosses” (Randy Travis) / 2 Timothy 1:9
“Where the Streets Have No Name” (U2) / Revelation 21:1a, 3–4
“Nothing Else Matters” (Metallica) / Philippians 3:8–9
“Straight to Hell” (Darius Rucker) / 1 John 3:1a
“One Love” (Bob Marley) / Hebrews 4:13
“Simple Man” (Lynyrd Skynyrd) / 1 Timothy 6:9–10a
“Unanswered Prayers” (Garth Brooks) / Jeremiah 29:11
“By the Water” (Cari Lacey) / John 6:44
“Jesus” (Queen) / Ephesians 4:21–24
“I Saw the Light” (Hank Williams) / John 1:4–5
“Are You Gonna Go My Way” (Lennie Kravitz) / John 15:12–14
“Tears In Heaven” (Eric Clapton) / Revelation 21:3–4
“Spirit In The Sky” (Norman Greenbaum) / Romans 5:1
“The Seeker” (Dolly Parton) / Luke 12:31
“By the Grace of God” (Katy Perry) / 1 Peter 5:10
“Everything” (Lifehouse) / Mark 12:29–30
“Savior’s Shadow” (Blake Shelton) / Psalm 91:1–2
“Dig Down” (Muse) / Luke 6:47–48
“Shine” (Collective Soul) / Jeremiah 29:13
“Long Black Train” (Josh Turner) / 1 Corinthians 10:13
“Stand By Me” (Ben E. King) / Psalm 23:4
“Let It Be” (The Beatles) / Luke 1:38
“Higher Love” (Steve Winwood) / Ephesians 3:17–19
“New Again” (Brad Paisley-Sarah Evans) / Revelation 21:5
“Inspiring, encouraging, and puts a song in your heart that helps to deal with whatever story you’re living out.”