- Included among the Record Descriptions of Favorite Albums (Part 1).
- To my mind, one of the most startling Christian rock songs is “Personal Jesus” by the English electronic rock band Depeche Mode.
Depeche Mode – Violator (1990): To my mind, one of the most startling Christian rock songs is “Personal Jesus” by the English electronic rock band Depeche Mode. With its somewhat flippant title, I originally thought that the song might be mocking as well; but the heartfelt lyrics leave no question: “Reach out and touch faith / Your own personal Jesus / Someone to hear your prayers / Someone who cares / Your own personal Jesus / Someone to hear your prayers / Someone who’s there”. “Personal Jesus” was the first single from Violator, and that album propelled them to worldwide success, reaching #7 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Other singles from the album are “Enjoy the Silence”, “Policy of Truth”, and “World in My Eyes”.
The album’s liner notes make clear that faith is important to the band, as did their next album, Songs of Faith and Devotion – which topped the album charts in the U.S. and the U.K. – and The Devotional Tour that supported the album. Depeche Mode has sold 100 million albums, making them the most successful electronic rock band in history and one of the biggest selling rock bands of all time.