Love Like Jesus

Album: Live (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Love Like Jesus" was written by the brothers that make up the band, Joel and Scott Owen, with help from a Nashville studio musician. Speaking to us about outside collaborations in 2012, Joel said that "in the last year or two, we've really started working with other people. It's been surprisingly inspiring."
  • The brothers were supposed to meet a musician in the studio to work on a final song before they had to fly out of Nashville. With only a few hours left, there was still no sign of him - until a phone call revealed that the musician had just learned that his wife had been diagnosed with cancer. Nevertheless, the musician showed up at the last minute, and "Love Like Jesus" was written on the spot.

    "We ended up writing this powerful song in under an hour," said Joel. "There was so much emotion in the room, so much weight."
  • The song explores how important it is to have compassion in life: not just when it's convenient, but all the time, to the maximum degree possible. No matter how miserable things seem, it suggests, love and compassion for all things will make everything better.
  • The song appeared as part of the act's live show in 2012.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gary Louris of The Jayhawks

Gary Louris of The JayhawksSongwriter Interviews

The Jayhawks' song "Big Star" has special meaning to Gary, who explains how longevity and inspiration have trumped adulation.

Vince Clarke

Vince ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

An original member of Depeche Mode, Vince went on to form Erasure and Yaz.

Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers

Bill Medley of The Righteous BrothersSongwriter Interviews

Medley looks back on "Unchained Melody" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" - his huge hits from the '60s that were later revived in movies.

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse Pop

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal Tap

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal TapSong Writing

Based on criteria like girlfriend tension, stage mishaps and drummer turnover, these are the 10 bands most like Spinal Tap.