Songs That Could Be Sermon Titles

Ryan Adams, John Moreland, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

“papa don't preach”

—Madonna

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This week’s song recs from Mat, Kody, and Adam will preach. Literally, we think they could be great sermon titles. Our Bonus Track guest elaborates on our theme a little more and includes his curated list of great songs that also make great sermon titles. Enjoy!

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Love is Hell by Ryan Adams (Mat)

This is the one that got away… I didn’t actually have the guts to use this as the title for my sermon on 1 John 4:7-12, but I did quote this song, and Isbell’s song that seems to allude to this song, and Ruston Kelly’s song “Black Magic” that says “Love is hell and nothing more than black magic.” I won’t preach the whole sermon here, but the gist was this: “Let’s tell the world about Love Himself, who tasted Hell for them, in order that they might know the perfect, pure, wonderful love of God.”

Also available on Apple Music.

Cheap Idols Dressed in Expensive Garbage by John Moreland (Kody)

This song title would be excellent for a sermon on idolatry. Ironically, it was inspired by a social media account featuring preachers draped in designer clothing. It’s hard for me to describe this song. It packs a punchy, prophetic vibe to match Moreland’s typical prophetic lyrics. If James the brother of Jesus wrote a song, it would sound like this (James 5:1-6).

Also available on Apple Music.

Hell’s Itch by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (Adam)

Find the source of this deep remorse

Buried deep inside me like a sunken horse

Rooted below in the innermost abyss is a

Fathomless unscratchable ooh itch

This week was a challenge, but I have recently crossed paths with King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s music and one of the tunes from their jam-centric album Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms, and Lava really felt like it worked. Hell’s Itch is a slow winding tune that describes the feeling of a deep itch. Certainly, we should all try our best to avoid Hell’s itch, Amen?

Side Note: If you don’t know about King Gizzard, they are an incredibly interesting Australian band that has somehow released 25 albums in just one decade. Their sound morphs with each release and the aforementioned album title is an acronym for each of the Greek scaling modes of music. Trippy stuff.

Also available on Apple Music.

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Bonus Track: Great Songs That Make Great Sermon Titles by David Simmons

I have always been a sucker for a good title. Juliet might not have put much stock in a name, and popular wisdom teaches us not to judge a book by its cover, but I find in practice that I am often intrigued by a great name or title and I love a well-designed book or album cover.

In this vein (and myself already in the habit of making playlists and sharing music with my good friend and pastor, Mat), the idea for a playlist of great songs that also make great sermon titles came naturally enough. Whether or not Mat will ever preach a sermon entitled “Is This It?” or “I Fought the Law” remains to be seen, but a man can dream.

On the one hand, almost any song title can be finagled into a sermon title if one applies enough force and creativity. However, I have tried to only include song titles that seem like relatively obvious sermon titles on their own, titles that wouldn’t cause a member of the congregation at the small town Southern Baptist church I attend to bat an eye.  

On the other hand, I tend to agree with CS Lewis and others who suggest that everything (every song, every title) is pointing us toward God in one way or another. That is the gist I went for with this playlist; songs that sound like sermon titles but the lyrics of the songs don’t actually constitute sermons but then again maybe subtextually they are sermons. If that makes any sense.

One song I couldn’t include in the playlist (because the artist is not on Spotify) is “The Good Intentions Paving Company” by Joanna Newsom. Perhaps that title is a little too on the nose, but I look forward to that sermon one day. I have definitely put in my time with that company.

The playlist is still a work in progress; please, please make suggestions if you have any:

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David Simmons is a radiologist by trade. He resides in Gadsden, AL, with his beautiful wife Stephanie and their three amazing kids. The first CD he ever purchased was Cooleyhighharmony by Boyz II Men. He first heard “Piano Man” on his clock radio as a young child and immediately ran downstairs and asked his parents if they knew the name of the woman who sang it. He loves to connect with people over music, particularly in a tropical setting. He has been fortunate enough to see many amazing musical acts in his life and could never pick a favorite concert, but the best voice he has ever heard live belonged to Neko Case.

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What other songs make for great sermon titles? Let us know what comes to mind.

—TheMusicSwap