Since the U.S. release of their album Sign No More in February 2010 the band has received so much recognition that in December 2010 they received two Grammy nominations: Best Rock Song for "Little Lion Man" and Best New Artist, which puts them on the save level as, you guessed it, Justin Bieber.
Last February a friend turned to me in class excited and nearly shouting, "Have you heard Mumford & Sons?! They are freaking amazing." So as all good college students do, I made a note in my phone to check them out. About a month past before I found the note again, and the first song I came across was their hit single "Little Lion Man." I had never heard anything like it. It was a high energy mess of acoustic guitar, banjo, upright bass, piano, accordion and kick drum. I later found out that music critics had to create a new genre because of bands like Mumford & Sons, Noah and the Whale, Johnny Flinn, and Laura Marling, all of whom are connected in the British music scene.
I was enjoying the new discovery when...yep...there it is: the f-word. As the chorus says:
But it was not your fault by mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really f---ed it up this time
Didn't I, my dear?
"Oh well," I thought. "Too bad. I like the music." And I put it away...for months.
So, what changed?
September rolled around and started hearing "Little Lion Man" on 101.9 KINK out of Portland, but this time the f-word was edited out. "Man," I thought, "I really need to give these guys another chance."
As I reevaluated Mumford & Sons, I was blown away by the Christian undertone of their album. The song that specifically impacted me was "Awake My Soul," which says,
In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love, you invest your life
Awake my soul, awake my soul
Awake my soul
For you were made to meet your maker
I had clearly pulled a classic Christian move. It was the "one-and-done" cuss word approach.
So, why should Christians care about a band like Mumford & Sons who explicitly throws out f-bombs? Well, one reason is because they're making people think. Just visit sites like http://www.songmeanings.net/artist/view/songs/137438984026/
and you'll find ongoing debates about grace, redemption, the after-life, and morality, all of because of songs on Sign No More.
I really wish I hadn't ditched Mumford & Sons when I did. Yep, I really f-ed it up that time. But I'm really glad I gave them a second chance. And believe me, I'll be writing a lot more about them.
One would think that after years of throwing stuff out only to come back to it later and learn that it's not all that bad would teach me a lesson or two, but the "one-and-done" approach to cursing in music and movies has always been my fallback.
ReplyDeleteYay for thinking and depth!