Songs That Changed You is a faith-based program that invites guests to share their personal stories of how music has transformed their lives and brought them closer to God.
On this episode, host Aiden Grant was joined by Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer Paul Colman. Together they discussed how the song, The Great American Novel, had a lifelong impact on Paul’s love of music and his career as a Christian artist.
Faith And Contemporary Music
Paul is a member of the Paul Colman Trio, and for several years also played guitar for the Newsboys. He first heard The Great American Novel at just 11 years old, but remembers appreciating the irony of an artist like Larry Norman who could go from performing straight-up gospel, to something of a protest song.
Paul believes that in the sixties, Larry Norman was one of the first singers to combine songs of faith with contemporary music. ‘It really influenced me,’ says Paul, ‘because he taught me that I could write about anything. He absolutely was the biggest influence on my lyrics and in all aspects, a genius.’
Larry has a catalogue of over 100 albums, and the content was sometimes controversial. He was very politically attuned to what was going on in the world, and he wasn’t afraid to sing about it.
Writing About Culture
‘What I would like people to hear,’ says Paul, ‘is that Larry Norman had a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.’ That is in stark contrast to the last 20 years of Christian music, where Paul believes artists are more likely to have two Bibles and a concordance in their hands.
‘All the songs that are written are really just for people inside the walls of the organised and established church,’ he says. ‘Whereas Larry was up on everything. He was up on culture and he wrote about that culture. He didn’t land the plane like a good evangelical.’
Bridging The Gap
That’s why Paul thinks that Larry’s songs are so important. He says it breaks his heart that kids today growing up with a musical gift in the church, write songs telling God what He already knows. The majority of Christian music we hear at the moment is not bridging the gap and talking about real issues.
‘It’s being in the world, but not of the world,’ says Paul. ‘Being as wise as a serpent, gentle as a dove. I’ve always tried to base my lyrics on that, and it worked up until the worship movement.’
‘From then on, it’s been pretty hard to get a gig.’
Songs That Changed You – every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30pm western, 5:30pm eastern on V180 and on-demand in the free Vision Christian Media app.
