When Genesis Skewered Televangelism With ‘Jesus He Is aware of Me’

Genesis took direct intention at televangelists with their 1992 single “Jesus He Is aware of Me.”

Initially launched on the band’s 1991 album We Cannot Dance, the track’s construction got here earlier than any phrases have been written.

“Phil [Collins] was taking part in actually quick on the drums and I began taking part in a chord sequence on prime of it,” Tony Banks recalled in Genesis’ 1993 live performance movie The Means We Stroll. “I began taking part in this reggae rhythm on prime of what he was doing as a result of it was in the identical type of tempo, and switched to taking part in reggae beneath it, so we bought the center eight half, then the intro developed out of the center eight. I believe it really works fairly effectively.”

On the time, a number of notable non secular leaders had turn out to be embroiled in controversy. Jimmy Swaggart, the southern pentecostal preacher whose weekly sermons have been broadcast throughout the U.S., had been caught with a prostitute on two separate situations. Robert Tilton, pastor of the Phrase of Religion Household Church, allegedly swindled greater than $80 million out of followers through his Success-N-Life weekly non secular infomercial. In the meantime, Jim Bakker, the minister and former host of The 700 Membership and The PTL Membership, was convicted of fraud and accused of sexual misconduct.

It was in these controversies that Collins discovered lyrical inspiration.

Watch Genesis’ Video for ‘Jesus He Is aware of Me’

“I imagine in household / With my ever lovin’ spouse beside me / However she do not learn about my girlfriend / Or the person I met final night time,” the Genesis frontman sang in one of many verses, lambasting televangelists’ insincerities over household values. Later, Collins addressed non secular hypocrisy head on, singing: “Will not discover me practisin’ what I am preachin’ / Will not discover me makin’ no sacrifice / However I can get you a pocketful of miracles / In case you promise to be good, attempt to be good.”

The track’s subject material was additional amplified by its music video. In it, Collins and his bandmates performed completely coiffed televangelists, projecting household values on the TV display screen whereas having fun with an extravagant way of life behind the scenes.

Launched as a single on July 13, 1992, “Jesus He Know Me” reached No. 12 on the Billboard Sizzling 100. The tune was additionally positively acquired by critics, with Rolling Stone describing it as “a pointy indictment of televangelical piety.” Nonetheless, the monitor didn’t discover a everlasting place in Genesis’ dwell reveals. Regardless of being carried out extensively by the band throughout their 1992 tour, it by no means discovered its manner a Genesis set listing once more.