I grew up on the Christian music of the ‘80s. It was a time when the industry spread its wings and expanded. Amy Grant came into her own and grew in popularity and influence throughout the decade, and artists such as Michael W. Smith, Bebe & Cece Winans, and Steven Curtis Chapman began their careers.
But we don’t talk enough about one man who loomed large over the Christian music industry in the ‘80s in a unique way. I could easily make this article an “Underappreciated Career” post, because Steve Taylor’s pointed satires cleverly skewered both Christian culture and the world at large, and it was terrific alt-rock.
Taylor started his career poking fun at the sameness of Christian culture, while deftly taking advantage of new-wave sounds.
His video for “Meltdown,” Taylor’s take on Matthew 16:26 ("For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?"), made its way onto MTV.
In many ways, Taylor was Babylon Bee decades before it was a thing, and his masterpiece was 1987’s “I Predict 1990.” On this album, Taylor is in fine form, but the album courted controversy from the start. Taylor’s wife painted the cover, an homage to early 20th-century French posters. Some people thought that it suggested a tarot card or had hidden New Age or satanic messages.
In the opening track, “I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good,” an ice cream vendor worries that the opening of an abortion clinic will mean the end of his business, so he blows up the clinic. Taylor intended to take on the extremes to which some anti-abortion protesters go; the preacher’s words in the last verse, “the end doesn’t justify the means anytime,” sum up the song.
Some Christian music retailers misunderstood the point of the song, with some thinking that Taylor advocated violence, and others believing he was criticizing the pro-life movement in general, so many stores refused to sell the album. It’s a shame, because it’s a compelling message.
“What Is the Measure of Your Success” takes on the “greed is good” mantra of high finance, social Darwinism, and the tendency of children to argue over their parents’ estate.
Taylor skewers the nihilism that greets young, idealistic students in higher education in “Since I Gave Up Hope, I Feel a Lot Better,” which features famed violinist Papa John Creach.
“Jim Morrison’s Grave” tackles the emptiness of celebrity — and celebrity obsession. A pre-solo career Ashley Cleveland guests on three tracks on the album, including this one.
This video found its way onto MTV as well.
Related: Underappreciated Albums: 'Circle Slide'
Taylor aims his arrows at modern America’s obsession with therapy in “Jung and the Restless,” which features the late comedian Fred Travalena as a psychoanalyst.
Taylor gets more serious on songs like “Babylon,” “Innocence Lost,” and “A Principled Man.” He closes the album with “Harder to Believe Than Not To,” in which he takes inspiration from Flannery O’Connor.
“I Predict 1990” doesn’t just make intelligent, pointed statements about the state of the world in 1987; it’s also a pitch-perfect snapshot of the alternative rock of that era. Of course, that means that it sounds dated in places. The only miss on the album is the weird “Svengali,” which doesn’t hold up well at all.
Taylor came back in 1993 with the also excellent album “Squint,” formed the band Chagall Guevara, started the Squint Entertainment record label (whose biggest success was Sixpence None the Richer’s surprise megahit “Kiss Me”), became a filmmaker and film professor, and is still making music today. He’s a true Renaissance man.
Check out “I Predict 1990” in lossless audio on Apple Music below or on Spotify.
