"Jesus He Knows Me" | ||||
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Single by Genesis | ||||
from the album We Can't Dance | ||||
B-side | "Hearts on Fire" | |||
Released | 13 July 1992 | |||
Format |
CD maxi 7" single 12" maxi |
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Recorded | March–September 1991 | |||
Studio | The Farm, Surrey | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 4:18 (single mix) | |||
Label | Atlantic, Virgin | |||
Songwriter(s) | Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford | |||
Producer(s) | Genesis, Nick Davis | |||
Genesis singles chronology | ||||
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We Can't Dance track listing | ||||
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"Jesus He Knows Me" is the second track on the 1991 Genesis album We Can't Dance and its fourth single. The song is a satire of televangelism, released in a period when several televangelists such as Jimmy Swaggart, Robert Tilton and Jim Bakker were under investigation for promising financial success to their listeners, provided they sent money to them. The song reached No. 20 in the UK and No. 23 in the United States.
Before the lyrics were added, the song's title was "Do The New Thing", possibly referencing Tony Banks's opening keyboard notes, which are heard again in the bridge. According to the behind-the-scenes documentary Genesis: No Admittance, the first lyric Phil Collins wrote out of improvisation was the chorus line "Jesus, he knows me, and he knows I'm right.". Following up that lyric logically took him to the idea of manic or fanatic Christians who believe that they are "in touch" with the Almighty, which was best personified by Televangelists, many of whom finance their lavish lifestyles by conning believers out of charitable donations. Tony Banks has commented that the song is a bit more cynical than Phil's usual style of songwriting.
Like all the singles from We Can't Dance, "Jesus He Knows Me" was released on two CDs as well as on vinyl editions. All formats featured the non-album track "Hearts on Fire" (later included on Genesis Archive No. 2 1976–1992) as the primary B-side, while both CDs included an exclusive track.
The first CD contained "I Can't Dance (The Other Mix)" (a remix by Ben Liebrand) and the second featured "Land of Confusion (Rehearsal Version)." "The Other Mix" is named as such because another version, the "Sex Mix," had been released some months before on the "I Can't Dance" CD single. The second CD was the fifth disc in "The Invisible Series," a collection of Genesis CDs which featured live recordings as extra tracks. The single mix of "Jesus He Knows Me" has a louder chorus than the album version, making it more suitable for radio play.
The song was performed live on the 1992 We Can't Dance tour, although it was originally not going to be played because the band thought the live visuals were mocking religion. The band eventually decided to perform "Jesus He Knows Me" instead of "Living Forever," which was in the setlist at the time.