Greg Graffin, the band's frontman, holds a Master's degree in geology from UCLA and a Ph.D. in zoology from Cornell University. His dissertation for Cornell was a comprehensive study of how modern scientists, especially those who believe in strict Darwinism, view theism and religion, and how their own religious beliefs, if any, affect their study and work. He has since published it for fans of the band.
In 1983, Bad Religion released into the unknown, a keyboard-driven psychedelic rock album that was enormously unpopular among the band's core fan base. It is now out of print, and generally disowned by the band. However, in past years it has become a collectors item, and has gained some acceptance from fans. It now can be seen going for more than $100 on eBay, and is often pirated.
In 1984, Greg Hetson (Circle Jerks) replaced Gurewitz. Bad Religion returned to a somewhat mellower, rock and roll version of their original sound with the back to the known, but they disbanded soon after.
The band reformed in 1987 and released suffer in 1988, cementing their comeback in the punk community. Not only is this album considered one of their best by most fans, but it is often credited with "saving" the Southern Californian punk rock scene by fans and Bad Religion's contemporaries alike.
no control (1989) and against the grain (1990) further increased the band's popularity, followed by generator (1992). Before the recording sessions for the latter album commenced, drummer Pete Finestone left the band in to focus on his other band, The Fishermen. Bobby Schayer joined the band as his replacement. recipe for hate (1993) followed shortly thereafter.
With alternative rock breaking into the mainstream, Bad Religion left Epitaph for major label Atlantic and quickly re-released Recipe for Hate on the major label. 1994's stranger than fiction followed, but shortly after its release Brett Gurewitz left the band again. Officially, he cited the increasing amount of time he was spending at Epitaph's offices as the Offspring (then a part of the Epitaph roster) became one of the biggest bands of the mid-1990s. But it was well-known that the departure was not on good terms, as he later accused the band of selling out for leaving Epitaph in favor of a major label. Gurewitz recorded a song with his new band The Daredevils entitled "Hate You," reportedly directed towards Jay Bentley. Gurewitz, moreover, was struggling more seriously with heroin and other addictions that had plagued him for years.
Gurewitz was replaced by Brian Baker, former member of bands such as Minor Threat and Dag Nasty. Previously, Graffin and Gurewitz had split songwriting duties, but Gurewitz's departure left Graffin as the band's lone songwriter.
What followed were a series of moderately successful albums, the gray race (1996), no substance (1998), and the new america (2000). As their popularity waned, Bad Religion left Atlantic in 2001 and returned to Epitaph. Bobby Schayer left the band following a serious shoulder injury and was replaced by Brooks Wackerman (Suicidal Tendencies) and Brett Gurewitz rejoined the band in time to record the process of belief (2002). the empire strikes first was in June 2004. Both albums are widely regarded as a return to form for the band.
In 2004, the band released digitally-remastered versions of five of their early albums (How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, Suffer, No Control, Against the Grain, and Generator). The How Could Hell Be Any Worse? re-issue also contained all of their first EP, the Public Service EP (alternative versions of Bad Religion, Slaves and Drastic Actions from the self titled EP) and Back To The Known.
Bad Religion's fourtheenth full-length studio album, titled new maps of hell, was released on July 10, 2007. It debuted at #35 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 21,000 copies in its first week. It was originally intended to be released in 2006, but was pushed back largely due to the release of Graffin's second solo album, cold as the clay and his work at UCLA.
In 2010, Bad Religion released 30 Years Live for the band's 30th anniversary. The album was available for free to subscribers of the Bad Religion mailing list. Later the same year, Bad Religion released their fifteenth studio album, The Dissent of Man. The album took nearly two years to write and record, mainly due to the band's heavy touring schedule.
Brett Gurewitz, who still heads Epitaph Records, still records with the band and plays local shows, but doesn't tour with them. Greg Hetson can still be found at the occasional Circle Jerks show and helped open a bar in LA. Wackerman is working on a side project called The Kidneys. Graffin spends 10 weeks a year teaching two classes (Life Sciences 1 and Earth and Space Sciences 116) at UCLA. Jay Bentley keeps the Bad Religion MySpace page updated.
Joy To The World
Bad Religion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd like to share a little something we've done...
Joy to the world
The Lord is come
Let Earth receive her King
Let every heart
Prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven
And Heaven and nature sing
He rules the world
With tooth and nail
And makes us follow him
They can't tell us why
They just fall in line
And he shall rule the world
And he shall rule the world
And he shall
And he shall rule the world
He rules the world
I've said that before
And now i think i'm done
I can't remember anymore
Of this crazy song
But hey it's chrismas time
But hell it's chrismas time
And he he, and ho ho ho
It's chrismas time
The opening lines of "Joy to the World" are spoken by an unidentified person, who announces that he wants to share something with the "community of angels". This introduction is satirical, mocking the idea of a celestial community and the tendency of religious individuals to create echo chambers. The actual lyrics of the song are a parody of the famous hymn by the same title. The lines "Joy to the world, The Lord is come" and "Let Earth receive her King" are unchanged, but the rest of the verses are rewritten in a satirical manner. The lines "He rules the world with tooth and nail" and "he shall rule the world" are a tongue-in-cheek reference to the arrogance and aggression of religious leaders and their insistence on controlling their followers.
The song also touches on the subject of blindly following authority, with the line "They can't tell us why, They just fall in line". The final verse is a commentary on the materialism and consumerism that go hand in hand with the holiday season. The lines "But hey, it's Christmas time, But hell, it's Christmas time" mock the idea that the holiday is a time of joy and goodwill, while the lines "And he he, and ho ho ho" make light of the commercialization of the holiday, reducing it to a jolly "ho ho ho" instead of a meaningful spiritual celebration.
Line by Line Meaning
Ladies and gentlements of the comunity of angels
Attention everyone who is listening to this song
I'd like to share a little something we've done...
I want to tell you about this song we wrote
Joy to the world
Let's be happy and celebrate
The Lord is come
Jesus has arrived
Let Earth receive her King
Let the Earth acknowledge Jesus as its ruler
Let every heart Prepare Him room
We should all make space in our hearts for Jesus
And Heaven and nature sing
Even the angels and the natural world are celebrating Jesus' arrival
And Heaven and nature sing
They are all singing a song of praise
And Heaven
Even Heaven is happy
And Heaven and nature sing
They are singing because of Jesus' arrival
He rules the world
Jesus is in charge of everything
With tooth and nail
He's not afraid to fight to maintain his power
And makes us follow him
We must follow Jesus' commandments
They can't tell us why
No one can explain why we have to follow Jesus
They just fall in line
People just follow Jesus without questioning his authority
And he shall rule the world
Jesus will continue to be the ruler of the world
And he shall rule the world
He's not going anywhere
And he shall
Jesus will always rule over us
And he shall rule the world
His reign will never end
He rules the world
Once again, Jesus is the ruler
I've said that before
I've already mentioned this
And now i think i'm done
I think I'm finished with this song
I can't remember anymore
I can't think of anything else to say about Jesus
Of this crazy song
This song is a bit unusual
But hey it's chrismas time
It's Christmas season after all
But hell it's chrismas time
We should still be happy despite our problems
And he he, and ho ho ho
Let's have fun and lighten the mood
It's chrismas time
Let's enjoy the holiday season
Contributed by Elena T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
beastygeorge
Best version of Joy to the World... Ever!!? ♥️
John R
I love this version. Greg is so good.
Yeison Serrano
Que nostalgia :,3
Yeison Serrano
Buena la calidad!!
Kevin Muchemi
It's 10:09pm on the 25th of December 2015. Merry Christmas from Nairobi, Kenya!
Goliath Himself
really awesome punk rock Christmas to all
xYour Hero27x
Good Cover
BackwardsDaveTV
I thought they were American? He sounds British.
Kaleb Schaub
You might want to fix the description
doublea5420
@mattew18anthony had jesus with me for 19 years been happier with out him lad \