BIG STAR - Jesus Christ

by Stewart Mason

A college radio mainstay every December, Big Star's "Jesus Christ" is that rarity, a Christmas song that's worth hearing year-round. In keeping with the oddball spirit of Third/Sister Lovers, the song starts by fading into an utterly random piano-and-drums jam by Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens, which breaks down and crashes into the song proper after only a few seconds. As for the song itself, "Jesus Christ" is what critics usually have in mind when they compare later bands to Big Star: Teenage Fanclub in particular owes nearly its entire existence to this combination of fuzzy/jangly guitars, a deliberately sluggish rhythm section, and Chilton's diffident, arch vocals, which recount the birth of Jesus in a tone that suggests he doesn't believe a word of it. Yet there's an odd sort of beauty to the simple, catchy chorus that trumps the implied sarcasm, making "Jesus Christ" a song that appeals to believers and nonbelievers alike.

Del LP 3rd (1975)