The following is one Very Important (and entirely opinionated) Public Service Anouncement.

Recently I purchased the new Backstreet Boys album, Never Gone. I bought it because, from eighth to about tenth grade, I was a fanatical BsB fan. Even after hearing the tracks at Borders and dissolving into a fit of giggles at every new line, I knew I had to buy it, either out of some childish loyalty to the band or because I figured it would be obnoxious to learn the lyrics to every song in just three days like I did in high school. This was probably a waste of $15, but I'm not particularly concerned by that at the moment.

I am concerned, though, after having listened to the entire album and studying the lyrics to several of the songs.

This is a Christian album, folks, disguised as horrific boyband revival pop.


Example #1: Incomplete

"Empty spaces fill me up with holes
Distant faces with no place left to go
Without you within me I can’t find no rest
Where I’m going is anybody’s guess

I’ve tried to go on like I never knew you
I’m awake but my world is half asleep
I pray for this heart to be unbroken
But without you all I’m going to be is incomplete"


Example #2: Never Gone

"I walk alone these empty streets
There is not a second you're not here with me
The love you gave, the grace you've shown
Will always give me strength and be my cornerstone"


Example #3: Safest Place to Hide (this is my favorite)

"When this whole world gets too crazy
And there's nowhere left to go
I know you give me sanctuary
You're the only truth I know
You're the road back home

Can you see me, here I am
Standing here where I've always been
And when words are not enough
I climb inside your heart I'd still find
You're my safest place to hide
My safest place to hide"


These examples are the most glaring on the album, and not the entire songs. Between the use of religious imagery ("without you within me," the idea of being lost without "you") and wording ("pray," "sactuary," "believe," "cornerstone," "truth") and the fact that three of the five members of the band open their Thank-You's with Biblical text or thanks to God, I absolutely do not hesitate to believe that there is a heavy religious implication in these songs.


Now, I am not warning anyone not to buy it, if they are so inclined. In fact I would almost encourage them to buy it if they had any small reason to. It's entertaining, in that horrific boyband revival pop sort of way.

I am telling you all about this because a) I haven't posted in simply ages, darlings, b) I've grown ever so obnoxious over the past two months to believe that anyone actually would want to read this silly post, and c) somewhere, deep down in my soul, I despise the kind of Christian pop which merely imitates the secular beats and melodies, and here is this new secular album which doesn't even try to mask its imitations with grossly different lyrics (check "I Just Want You to Know" compared with Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone").

My point is that with very little effort, the Backstreet Boys could shift to performing for a Christian audience, just by capitalizing a few "you"s and scratching out the "oh baby oooo"s.

So why don't they start pushing these out to a Christian audience?

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