DC Talk – Jesus Is Just Alright

If you’re reading this review, you probably already know all about DC Talk: Their formation, their run in the 1990’s, E.R.A.C.E activism for racial equality, and their subsequent breakup.  Some of you are still holding your breath for a tour and fresh album release.  Many of you may still own some or all of DC Talk’s music, including:

• DC Talk (1989)
• Nu Thang (1990)
• Free at Last (1992)
• Jesus Freak (1995)
• Supernatural (1998)

You may know about their four Grammy’s and 16 Dove awards for their work as DC Talk.

But, did you know that they did a 2019 reunion cruise last year?  You did?  Oh…

NOTE: This version is a cover of Arthur Reid Reynolds’ Gospel song of the same name, covered both by The Byrds and The Doobie Brothers.  Though I am a stickler for examining the original lyrics, I am reviewing this version for three reasons:

1. It was requested.
2. This is the version I grew up with.
3. The lyrics are different.

Special thanks to Neal Cruco for his contribution to this review!

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Dc-talk-jesus-is-just-alright-lyrics.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

The main thrust of DC Talk’s message is that Jesus is alright.  As I will explain in more detail in section 2, I think that “alright” is a great descriptor for Christ when we consider the larger context of when it was originally written.  The term “alright” came from the 1960’s, which means “cool” or “very good”.  While I am tempted to think that “Jesus alright” means “Christ is bland” or “Jesus is just ok” (as opposed to Sovereign, Lord, or Savior), DC Talk changed the original lyric, from “just alright” to “still alright”.  They also added additional Verses to justify that Jesus is not just a fad to them.  This was a great move on their part.  Both the lyrical update and evidence in verses show that Jesus is not a fad to DC Talk.  He is the most important thing to them.

The world doesn’t recognize Christ’s authority, some of which refuse to play music that has the word “Jesus” in it.  That doesn’t matter to DC Talk.  They aren’t afraid to say His name in the open or within their lyrics.  Why would DC Talk pay this cost if Jesus is merely “ok”?

Also, God is light and He keeps all His promises.

No, they don’t mention the cross and Christ crucified; However, despite what I believed when I first started writing Berean Test reviews, not all songs that talk about Jesus require a Gospel presentation.  DC Talk gives us plenty of hints for us believers to interpret correctly.

Score: 10/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

All of it agrees with the Bible.

[Breakdown (1)]

Lines 1-4: The voiced equivalent of playing notes, much like humming or whistling.

[Intro]

Lines 1 and 2: Well we haven’t started yet, DC Talk, but ok.  I guess we could do it again.

[Chorus]

Lines 1 and 2: “All-right” is a 1960’s slang term that means “cool” or “very good”.  Yes, God is very good (1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 23:6, Psalm 27:13, Psalm 31:19-20, Psalm 34:8, Psalm 86:5, Psalm 100:5, Psalm 106:1, Psalm 119:68, Psalm 135:3, Psalm 136:1, Psalm 145:9, Lamentations 3:25, Nahum 1:7, Matthew 19:17, Mark 10:18, and Luke 18:19)!  Subsequent lyrics also provide evidence to justify this view, especially Verses 2 and 3.

Lines 3 and 4: Repeats lines 1 and 2.

Line 5: No, I know that He is more than just alright.  See lines 1 and 2.

[Verse 1]

Lines 1-3: Self-referencing one of the members of DC Talk, TobyMac, as well as the band and the present song they are singing.

Lines 4-7: Yes, the world does not recognize Christ’s authority.  If they did, they would repent and trust in Jesus.  While DC Talk doesn’t tell us why, Scripture says that the world hates Christ (John 15:18).

Lines 8 and 9: That is, if the world doesn’t accept Christ, that won’t matter to DC Talk.  They will continue to follow Jesus.

[Post-Chorus]

Lines 1-5: Jesus is still good, regardless of others’ viewpoints.

[Verse 2]

Lines 1-8: DC Talk bothers people when they invoke the name of Jesus in their music.  They aren’t scared to say that name in front of others, even if they are hated for it or radio stations won’t play their music.  DC Talk shows that they counted the cost to follow Jesus (Luke 14:25-33).

[Breakdown]

Lines 1-4: Repeats Breakdown (1).

Line 5: Repeats Chorus, line 1.

Line 6: DC Talk is not praying and hoping that Jesus will still be good. Their prayer and hope are that Christ will still be the most important thing to them.

[Break]

Lines 1-4: Repeats Chorus, lines 1 and 2.

Line 5: Calls for Casper the friendly ghost.

Lines 6-8: No comment.

Lines 9-13: Others are joining DC Talk in their belief.

[Bridge]

Lines 1-8: Essentially repeats Chorus, lines 1 and 2.

Line 9: That is, here comes a deep, profound explanation.

[Verse 3]

Lines 1 and 2: To be “down with” in this context means to agree.  DC Talk agrees with Jesus, the Son of God (Matthew 11:27, Matthew 14:33, Matthew 16:15–17, Matthew 27:43, Matthew 27:54, Mark 1:11, Mark 3:11, Mark 9:7, Mark 15:39, Luke 1:35, Luke 4:41, Luke 22:29, John 1:14-18, John 1:34, John 3:16-18, John 11:27, John 19:7, John 20:31, and Acts 9:20).

Lines 3-10: DC Talk’s following Christ is not an act.  They aren’t doing it to make money, recognizing that they can’t take their stuff with them after they die.

Line 11: DC Talk claims to avoid writing lyrics that are of little importance.  I can’t speak for all their songs, but in this one, I’m inclined to agree.

Line 12: Jesus is light (John 1:1-8, John 8:12, and Ephesians 5:14).

Line 13: “My word is my bond” means that I will do exactly as I say.  DC Talk uses it differently, stating that God’s Word never fails them.  It is their security.  He keeps all His promises (Joshua 21:45, Joshua 23:14, 1 Kings 8:56, Romans 4:21, 2 Corinthians 1:20, Hebrews 10:23, and 2 Peter 3:9).

Line 14: See commentary in Chorus, lines 1 and 2.

[Outro]

Lines 1 and 2:  I have thought about it, and agree.  Jesus is still alright with me too!

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

DC Talk thinks Jesus is a positive influence.  They are willing to put His name in their lyrics, even if others won’t play it.  From this, those outside the camp of Christ will probably conclude that Jesus is DC Talk’s most cherished possession.  After all, DC Talk doesn’t care about what others think!

The only thing unbelievers may not comprehend is that God’s Word is their bond.  Yet, this is a minor point.

Score: 9/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It glorifies God that DC Talk is open about their faith, willing to suffer loss to follow Him, and proclaim His goodness to others.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

DC Talk’s Jesus Is Just Alright is still alright with me.  I applaud DC Talk’s efforts to include the name of Jesus in their song lyrics, sacrificing fame and fortune to proclaim Him to the masses.  While many may misinterpret it by failing to examine the term “alright” in the lens of 1960’s culture, DC Talk’s version is much better than the original lyrics written by Reynolds.

Though inspirational, I cannot recommend this song for corporate worship.

Final Score: 9.5/10

Artist Info

Track: Jesus is Just Alright (listen to the song)

Artist: DC Talk

Album: Free At Last

Genre: Hip Hop/Rap

Release Year: 1992

Duration: 4:20

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

Updates:

03/23/2021 – Updated per repetition announcement.