Did you realize that it has been 25 years since Jars of Clay released their self-titled debut album (officially October 24, 1995)?
This from Wikipedia:
Jars of Clay is considered to be a landmark album in Christian rock, even though very few electric guitars were used in the production. It went on to become one of a select few Christian albums in the mid-1990s to achieve platinum status. The song "Flood" became an unexpected hit on mainstream pop and alternative rock radio, resulting in a brief period of mainstream popularity for the band during which they toured with artists such as Sting, The Samples and Matchbox Twenty, and were included in several movie soundtracks.
I just browsed my dusty rack of CDs and was flooded (pun intended) by some wonderful and quirky memories. For a fun stroll down memory lane, here are a few questions that I’d love to hear your answers to:
- What fun memories might you associate with the band Jars of Clay?
For me: Hearing Flood for the first time on a secular radio station and doing a double take to check which station I was listening to (although not quite the extreme reaction I had had to hearing an Amy Grant song a few years prior - ahh, yes, the beginning of the “crossover arguments”).
- Did you ever see Jars in concert? Where?
For me: Unfortunately, it wasn’t until later (2004) that I experienced them play live at Kings Island Theme Park outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. I remember listening to them as I was slowly pulled into the stratosphere on the Extreme Skyflyer ride, then going in to watch the rest of the concert after my heart rate (and stomach) calmed down. Awesome!
- What other bands and/or albums (CCM or otherwise) do you remember from this period?
For me: DC Talk “Jesus Freak”, BTR, FFH, PFR, AA (that’s Audio Adrenaline). Is it just my taste in music or did bands go a little heavy on the acronyms 25 years ago?
Post any thoughts or answers to these questions below as a comment, or just enjoy the thoughts they conjure up in your mind!
Comments
I've never been a huge fan of mainstream CCM (back then, I liked the more hardcore stuff like Death Before Dishonor, Dig Hay Zoose, Undercover), but Jars of Clay was one huge exception--I still listen to them regularly. I saw them in the early 2000s at the Weill Center in Sheboygan, WI. My double-take moment was when "Flood" was used as bumper music going to commercial during an NFL game where the rain was coming down so hard it was impacting play. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Wow! You brought back some of my late 90-early 2000 harder music memories! Demon Hunter, Project 86, Stavesacre, Skillet, POD. Thanks Chuck!
Coming out of the late '60s/early '70s hard rock genre, my husband and I welcomed Christian Contemporary artists like Jars of Clay, one of our kids' favorite groups too "back when", on local Christian radio, Family Life in Bath, NY. They and other groups, like the Newsboys which two of our children saw in concert, provided positive upbeat music and lyrics that kept our kids out of the heavy rock with overtones of drugs, etc. As a teen, I was turned off by a different local Christian radio station which was so sedate as to be boring and uninteresting, even though I love the old hymns of faith, and I turned to hard rock. I, too, heard a Jars of Clay song while grocery shopping, pausing to realize "How cool is that to hear their song on secular radio!"
What a fun post!
(1) The song 'I want to fall in love with you' was such a formative piece of music with me. For a good year or so, it was the vessel for my teenage angst, wanting to please God but also being desperate to fit in.
(2) I learned guitar in large part thanks to this album, playing these songs at campfires in early 2000's to impress Christian girls.
(3) When I worked at a Christian University in the mid-2010's, one of the funner projects that I had was coordinating mission and service-learning trips. For one of the trips, we sent a group of students down to Nashville, to serve and think about the intersection between faith and popular culture. I made a tonne of cold calls for them, helping them to connect with anyone willing to chat about faith and music. One of the guys from Jars of Clay (I forget who) agreed to meet with the students for coffee. When they came back, they were so impressed by his humility, hospitality, and eagerness to just get to know them. For some, it was the highlight of the trip!
When I hear 1990s and Flood, I think of They Might Be Giants.
Ah, yes of course! Another great album! "Birdhouse in your Soul", "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)", "Particle Man"... did you ever watch Tiny Toon Adventures?
Nope. Is there a connection?
Yeah. TMBG had two cartoon music videos featured on the Warner Bros/Stephen Spielberg animated show (Istanbul and Particle Man). Link to YouTube vid
Interesting. I had never seen that.
I will never not be intrigued by the concept of a prosthetic forehead on my real head. :)
I was never really in to the crossover stuff, although a couple of years ago I was representing World Renew at a Christian festival and Amy Grant was there. We were excited to hear her sing and one of the interns with us asked if she was a good singer, he'd never heard of her. Made me feel super old!
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