"Jesus He Knows Me" is a song by English rock band
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
from their 14th studio album, ''
We Can't Dance
''We Can't Dance'' is the fourteenth studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released on 11 November 1991 by Virgin Records in the UK and a day later by Atlantic Records in the US. It is their last studio album recorded with drummer and s ...
'' (1991), released in July 1992 as the album's fourth single. The song is a satire of
televangelism
Televangelism ( tele- "distance" and "evangelism," meaning "ministry," sometimes called teleministry) is the use of media, specifically radio and television, to communicate Christianity. Televangelists are ministers, whether official or self-proc ...
, released in a period when several televangelists such as
Jimmy Swaggart
Jimmy Lee Swaggart (; born March 15, 1935) is an American Pentecostalism, Pentecostal televangelism, televangelist, southern gospel, gospel music recording artist, pianist, and Christian author.
His television ministry, which began in 1971, an ...
,
Robert Tilton
Robert Gibson Tilton (born June 7, 1946) is an American televangelist and the former pastor of the Word of Faith Family Church in Farmers Branch, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. At his ministry's peak in 1991, Tilton's infomercial-style program, ''Su ...
and
Jim Bakker
James Orsen Bakker (; born January 2, 1940) is an American televangelist and convicted fraudster. Between 1974 and 1987, Bakker hosted the television program ''The PTL Club'' and its cable television platform, the PTL Satellite Network, with h ...
were under investigation for promising financial success to their listeners, provided they sent money to them. The song reached 10 in Canada, No. 20 in the United Kingdom and No. 23 in the United States.
Background
Before the lyrics were added, the song's title was "Do The New Thing", possibly referencing Tony Banks' opening keyboard notes, which are heard again in the bridge. According to the behind-the-scenes documentary ''Genesis: No Admittance'', the first lyric Phil Collins wrote out of improvisation was the chorus line ''"Jesus, he knows me, and he knows I'm right"''. Following up that lyric logically took him to the idea of manic/fanatic Christians who believe that they are 'in touch' with the Almighty, which was best personified by
televangelists
Televangelism ( tele- "distance" and "evangelism," meaning " ministry," sometimes called teleministry) is the use of media, specifically radio and television, to communicate Christianity. Televangelists are ministers, whether official or self-pr ...
, many of whom finance their lavish lifestyles by conning believers out of charitable donations. Banks commented that while he likes the song, it's a bit more cynical than Collins's usual style of songwriting.
Release
Like all the singles from ''We Can't Dance,'' "Jesus He Knows Me" was released on two CDs as well as on vinyl editions. All formats featured the non-album track "Hearts on Fire" (later included on ''
Genesis Archive
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book o ...
No. 2 1976–1992'') as the primary
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
, while both CDs included an exclusive track.
The first CD contains "The Other Mix" of "I Can't Dance" (a
remix
A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
by
Ben Liebrand
Ben Liebrand () (born 27 September 1960 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands) is a Dutch dance music DJ and remixer. He has produced for artists such as Forrest and MC Miker G & DJ Sven and remixed tracks by artists such as Alexander O'Neal, Salt-N- ...
) and the second includes the rehearsal version of "
Land of Confusion
"Land of Confusion" is a song by the English rock band Genesis from their 1986 album ''Invisible Touch''. The song was the third track on the album and was the third track released as a single, reaching No. 4 in the U.S. and No. 14 in the UK in ...
". "The Other Mix" is named as such because another version, the "Sex Mix," had been released some months before on the "I Can't Dance" CD single. The second CD was the fifth disc in "The Invisible Series," a collection of Genesis CDs which featured live recordings as extra tracks. The single mix of "Jesus He Knows Me" has a louder chorus than the album version, making it more suitable for radio play.
"Jesus He Knows Me" was awarded one of
BMI's Pop Awards in 1993, honoring the songwriters, composers and music publishers of the song.
Critical reception
Geoff Orens from
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
viewed the song as "surprisingly gritty".
Larry Flick
Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...
from ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' wrote, "Once again, venerable band digs into its double-platinum ''
We Can't Dance
''We Can't Dance'' is the fourteenth studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released on 11 November 1991 by Virgin Records in the UK and a day later by Atlantic Records in the US. It is their last studio album recorded with drummer and s ...
'' opus and pulls out an instantly familiar, yet totally pleasing rock cut, tailor-made for play at several formats. Interesting twists come via a
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
-vibed break in the middle of the song and cutting lyrics. Be sure to check out the inventive music videoclip." Randy Clark from ''
Cashbox'' felt the song "is a more hard-drivin' Genesis, this time with a send up on
television evangelists
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...
, in contrast to the current hit
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
, "
Hold On My Heart
"Hold on My Heart" is a song by English rock band Genesis from their 14th studio album, ''We Can't Dance'' (1991). The ballad was released as the album's third single on 6 April 1992. The song reached number one on the Canadian ''RPM'' Top Singl ...
". Phil serves up either vocal style with equal ability and likeability." ''The Daily Vault''
's Christopher Thelen described it as "a slap in the face against television evangelists who are more concerned about fleecing their flocks than shepherding them, and contains some very sharp jabs against the more hypocritical ones." Kara Manning from ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' viewed "Jesus He Knows Me" as "a sharp indictment of televangelical piety."
Music video
The accompanying
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
for "Jesus He Knows Me" features Phil Collins as an unscrupulous
televangelist
Televangelism (wikt:tele-, tele- "distance" and "evangelism," meaning "Christian ministry, ministry," sometimes called teleministry) is the use of media, specifically radio and television, to communicate Christianity. Televangelists are minister ...
who lives like a millionaire thanks to donations from his followers. Collins has admitted that he was specifically parodying
Ernest Angley
Ernest Winston Angley (August 9, 1921 – May 7, 2021) was an American Christian evangelist, author, and television station owner who was based in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio from the 1950s until his death in 2021.
Ernest Angley was a native of Moores ...
in the video. According to Collins on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
,'' Angley was flattered by the parody and did not realize that his very occupation was being skewered. The opening monologue, which has been mistaken for a fictional scenario for the video clip, is based on an actual story Angley had told earlier in his career and which he recounted again in 2013. The comedic video also features band members Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford dressed as fellow evangelists. Collins, outfitted in an orange suit, tries to have his viewers raise $18,000,000 in one weekend because "the Lord told it to him." In the final minute on the video, money is thrown by parishioners and also rains down on the set of the fake program. As the toteboard reaches his goal, the amount of money shown increases to $18,000,000.
As the song fades out, Collins continues to preach before being dragged off the set by Rutherford and Banks, a reference to the ending of the video for "
".
In the video near the 1:40 mark people can be seen holding a sign reading "Genesis 3:25,"
but to the fact that the band had been together for twenty-five years and had had three members for most of that time.
In the original version of the video, the "toll-free number" referred to in the lyrics was shown as 1-555-GEN-ESIS.
This was covered up by a scroll bar in later edits of the video. (The
area code actually does not prefix any known toll-free telephone numbers.)
At the
The song was performed live on the 1992 ''We Can't Dance'' tour, although it was originally not going to be played because the band thought the live visuals were mocking religion. The band eventually decided to perform "Jesus He Knows Me" instead of "Living Forever," which was in the setlist at the time. Touring guitarist
* 7-inch and cassette single
# "Jesus He Knows Me" (single mix)
# "Hearts on Fire"
* UK CD1 and Australian CD single
# "Jesus He Knows Me" (single mix)
# "Hearts on Fire"
# "I Can't Dance" (the other mix)
* UK CD2
# "Jesus He Knows Me" (single mix)
# "Hearts on Fire"
# "Land of Confusion (rehearsal version)
. The song was originally intended to be used in the 1995 ''
was used instead.