The Christian Life

The Byrds

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Release Year

1968

Genre

Styles

The Christian Life Review by Thomas Ward

Written by the Louvin’ Brothers, “The Christian Life” is one of the finest performances on Sweetheart of the Rodeo, sung with great skill by Roger McGuinn although even he is upstaged by the Gram Parsons’ sung first version (which is included on the CD remaster). “The Christian Life” is perhaps the antithesis of the rock and roll song – a song that alludes to the simple pleasures of Christianity. The lyrics are beautiful and McGuinn sings “My buddies tell me that I should have waited/They say I’m missing a whole world of fun” without any of the faux tongue-in-cheek that could have turned the song into a parody. As it stands, it’s a wonderful performance; controlled, precise, professional yet not devoid of real passion.

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