Higher Calling Blues

This week's installment of 'i got them higher calling blues' features the sounds of Ira and Charlie Louvin and The Byrds.

The Louvin Brothers wrote and recorded the song on their 1960 album Satan is Real, while the Byrds covered itfor their seminal '68 album Sweetheart of the Rodeo. The song concerns the choosing of a Christian way over the the temptations of another. Straightforward and confident in its decision the song reflects that "my buddies shun me since I turned to Jesus/they say I'm missing a whole world of fun." However, the repeated declaration of "I like the Christian life" affirms the young man's decision.

Some folks might find it hard to get behind such a blunt religious song, especially if your beliefs don't follow the same rhetoric. For me, its appeal is due in part to its matter of fact confidence.

Louvin Brothers - Christian Life (mp3)
The Byrds - Christian Life (mp3)

Satan Is Real on Amazon
Sweetheart of the Rodeo on Amazon