"Jesus Freak" | ||||
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Single by DC Talk | ||||
from the album Jesus Freak | ||||
Released | August 1, 1995 | |||
Format | CD | |||
Recorded | 1995 | |||
Genre | Christian rock,Christian hip hop,rap rock, grunge | |||
Length | 4:50 | |||
Label | ForeFront | |||
Songwriter(s) | Toby McKeehan, Mark Heimermann | |||
Producer(s) | Toby McKeehan, Mark Heimermann | |||
DC Talk singles chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | |
Jesus Freak Hideout |
"Jesus Freak" is a song by the American contemporary Christian music group DC Talk. Released on August 1, 1995, it was the lead radio single from (and lends its name to) the group's fourth album. The song was written and produced by Toby McKeehan and Mark Heimermann. Lyrically, the song is about standing up for the belief in Jesus Christ in the midst of persecution. Musically, the song has been described as alternative rock and grunge, with many reviewers and critics noting a similarity to the sound of Nirvana. "Jesus Freak" earned DC Talk three GMA Dove Awards.
After the success of DC Talk's third album, Free at Last (1992), which was based primarily on hip-hop and pop oriented songwriting, the trio decided to innovate their style.Michael Tait, one of the members of DC Talk, said, "I was totally into rock and roll at the time [...] I really wanted to make a rock record." The band decided to focus on more rock-oriented music, with touches of rap and pop interwoven into the mix. Tait later explained, "We wanted to write songs that would hopefully touch a generation." DC Talk member Toby McKeehan, writer of the song's lyrics, wrote the song to be a bold declaration of love for Jesus Christ, even in the midst of persecution. In order to bring the hard-hitting reality of their message to the mainstream, DC Talk combined the raw lyrics with guitar-driven grunge-rock. McKeehan took the song's title from the derogatory 1970s term "Jesus freak" and turned it on its head; he noted that when he was looking up the word "freak" in the dictionary, he saw an entry that said "ardent enthusiast". Since the song and album's release, many of the group's fans have donned products with the term "Jesus Freak".
The first time the band performed the song live, McKeehan only had about a verse written. He later recalled, "We had not yet recorded it for our album, but we had a demo with one verse written. We thought it would be safe to try it [in South Africa]. We could not believe the immediate response it got."