There have been countless songs that have either strongly supported or grossly disrespected religion. Songs about religion can either be profound or really cliche, and rarely anything in-between. Depending on who you ask this can be the best or worst thing ever, but when done in a way that doesn’t insult or enforce any one religion the results can be amazing. Fall Out Boy has definitely gotten this difficult task right in the song “Church”.

This song perfectly balances modern elements and religion. It is not about bashing certain elements of a religion, but rather using it as a metaphor for the way you feel about a lover, and the world around you. By simply saying the line “If you were church, I’d fall on my knees/ Confess my love, I’d know where to be”, it completely encompasses the message of love so powerful, it becomes a savior to you. All while not forcing any one set of beliefs down our throats. That being said, the music video for this song has some christian imagery, but it is not the focus of the video. Instead, the video focuses more on the story instead of advertising the religion. The song goes on to talk about the things an induvisual wants to accomplish in life, and how difficult it is to do so in todays world. Once again reminding the audience of how love is the one thing that remains as a motivator. A message like this is very nice to hear considering how the year of 2018 has not had a lot of positivity so far.

Another great part of the song is the instrumentals. There is nothing like a hardcore rock ballad to invoke emotion. The guitar’s constant emphasis of the backbeat was a good driving force for the song, and there was never a dull moment. It was also interesting to listen to the instrumentals because they would contribute greatly to the parts where the song changes time signatures. The way the drums and guitar mix and fade in and out at tense moments in the song really add to the bittersweet, adventurous feeling of the song. The booming choir, and organ in the background was a really nice touch as well.

The only issues with the song might be the length of the verses and the lack of third verse or pre-chorus. Adding even one of these elements would be beneficial because it would make the song more structured, and add another layer of depth. More lyrical content is almost always a good thing. So, a song with such a unique message would have been perfect for more words than other songs.

Overall this song was a very good addition to the history of “religious” songs. Despite its lack of content, it was a very daring song that was able to stand out with its message and instrumental complexity. For these reasons, I give this song 4.3 out of 5 stars. I hope other artists will take inspiration from this song, and continue to do creative things with religion in music.