It’s no secret that a lot of Christian music is often pretty cheesy. From the over-the-top praise and worship anthems to the saccharine love songs, there’s no shortage of cringe in the genre.
There are several reasons why Christian music often veers into cheesy territory. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the reasons why many people, including Christians, find a lot of mainstream Christian music to be cringeworthy.
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Reasons Why Christian Music Is Cheesy
It’s a matter of taste, of course, but there are some specific reasons under the surface that make a lot of Christian music less than palatable for many listeners. Here are some of the main reasons:
1. The Lyrics Are Often Simplistic And Cliché
Christian music is notorious for its simplistic, clichéd lyrics. When every other song is about falling in love with God, it can start to feel a bit one-note. Though that said, most mainstream pop music is about love, so this isn’t just isolated to christian music!
Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely a time and a place for simple, declarative lyrics. But when that’s all you’re ever hearing, listeners will get bored of hearing the same lyric format over and over again.
2. It Doesn’t Sound Good On Many Genres
I’m going to be specific with this one. Rock music and synth-pop do not go well with overly religious lyrics. It just doesn’t work. I’m not sure why, but it sounds really awkward when someone is trying to talk about God while belting out power chords or dance beats.
This is not the case on all Christian songs though. There are some Christian rappers and hip-hop artists like Lecrae and NF who have found a way to make their music and lyrics work together. But for the most part, rock and pop just don’t mix well with religious messages.
3. It’s Often Poorly Produced
There’s just no getting around it, a lot of Christian music is pretty bad when it comes to production values. This is probably due to the fact that many Christian artists are unsigned and have to produce their own music.
As a result, they often don’t have the budget to hire professional producers or engineers who can make their music sound as good as it possibly can.
4. It Doesn’t Click With The Trend
In an industry where trends are everything, Christian music often falls flat because it doesn’t click with what’s currently popular. This is probably due to the fact that most young listeners prefer secular music that is more edgy and rebellious.
Christian music often comes across as too safe and clean cut to appeal to this demographic. Even if a Christian artist is making great music, it’s often overshadowed by the fact that it doesn’t fit with what’s currently trending.
5. The Duration Is Often Too Long
Have you ever noticed that a lot of Christian songs are really long? It’s not uncommon for a Christian song to be five minutes or more in length.
This is probably due to the fact that gospel or worship songs are often designed to be sung in church settings where they can be played for an extended period of time.
But when these songs are played on the radio, they often seem to drag on and on. This is likely due to the fact that many Christian songs are not edited down to fit the standard three-minute pop song format.
How Could Christian Music Be Improved?
In order for Christian music to be improved, it needs to be more creative and innovative. It needs to find a way to appeal to young listeners without sacrificing its core message. This means working on things like production values, songwriting, and overall musicianship.
Additionally, Christian artists need to start taking more risks and pushing the envelope a bit instead of playing it safe all the time. Most are repetitive and lack the depth and creativity that secular artists often display.
Christian music would benefit from being more introspective and thought-provoking instead of always being so heavy-handed with its religious messages.
Final Thoughts
Christian music has the potential to be great, but it often falls short due to its cheesiness factor. If Christian artists can find a way to make their music more creative and innovative, then it has the potential to appeal to a wider audience.
But as it stands, Christian music is often too safe, repetitive, and poorly produced to be truly great.
