Songfacts®:

• On July 1, 2023, AJR's Jack, Adam and Ryan Met took to their social media platforms to share heartbreaking news about their father, Gary. They revealed that he had been battling a severe illness for an extended period.
  
  AJR wrote "God Is Really Real" when Gary fell ill. The lyrics reflect the profound impact of witnessing their father's deteriorating health.
• In the first two verses, singer Jack Met portrays their father confined to a bed while they embark on international performances. Despite their dad's declining health, the world continues to move forward, seemingly oblivious to the magnitude of their family's struggle.
• While the AJR Brothers don't adhere closely to religious practices, they identify themselves as culturally Jewish, acknowledging their deep-rooted religious heritage. In the chorus they contemplate how we often seek solace in a higher power during moments of profound sorrow.
  
  God is really real when you really, really need Him
  Karma just appears when you suddenly believe it
  
  The impending loss of their father reminds the Met brothers that a higher power exists and prompts them to reflect on how they've neglected that spiritual connection in the past.
• The third, fourth, and fifth verses delve into the brothers' internal struggle as they confront their father's impending demise. They grapple with the notion that they had always seen their father as invincible, believing that such heartbreaking circumstances only happen to other families, not their own.
  
  The song concludes with the brothers' heartfelt wish for their father to one day rise from his bed. They yearn for the opportunity to sing him this song they created especially for him.
• Originally written when their father first fell ill, "God Is Really Real" was slated for AJR's fifth album, but the brothers felt an urgency to release the song so that their father could hear it before he died. Consequently, they released it as a single on July 3, 2023.
  
  On the same day, later in the evening, the brothers shared the heartbreaking news that their beloved father Gary had passed away.