Rock & Roll And The BibleExemplo

Lenny Kravitz Transfers Unique Upbringing Into Biblically Inspired Songs

Early in his career, Lenny Kravitz was described as “derivative, gratuitous, overindulgent, and pretentious.” Some critics even accused him of being nothing more than a Prince wannabe. 

Still, Kravitz was able to forge a Grammy Award winning career of his own. Much of his success ultimately found its roots in his unique upbringing. Kravitz’s father, Sy Kravitz, came from a Russian Jewish family. His mother, Roxie Roker, was a Protestant woman with African and West Indian heritage. Because of that influence, the Bible has consistently found its way into Kravitz’s lyrics. 

It all started with his 1989 debut Let Love Rule, which included biblical allusions on songs such as “Rosemary” and “I Build This Garden For Us,” the latter that was an allegorical reference to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2) and invoked the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15). 

Then, on the song “Empty Hands,” Kravitz retells the New Testament account of Jesus riding into Jerusalem just a few days before his crucifixion (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-19).

On his third studio album, Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993), Kravitz entered a new realm of stardom all the while bringing those Bible-themed lyrics to an expanding platform. His biggest hit to date, “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” was interpreted by some to be a self-aggrandizing proclamation while others took it as a messianic rock anthem:

I was born long ago
I am the chosen I'm the one
I have come to save the day
And I won't leave until I'm done

The song “Believe,” however was far less subtle and played like an ironic musical and lyrical ode to legendary Beatles singer-songwriter John Lennon:

The Son of God
Is in our face
Offering us
Eternal grace
If you want it you've got to believe
'Cause being free
Is a state of mind
We'll one day leave
This all behind
Just put your faith in God and one day you'll see it

These themes continued to show up on the album Circus (1995). In the raucous opening track, “Rock and Roll Is Dead,” Kravitz lashes out against a music business machine that he perceives as perpetuating big egos and unruly lifestyles. He then gives a warning reminiscent of a central New Testament teaching:

But all the money in the world
Can't buy you from the place you're going to (Mark 8:36-37)

Kravitz takes a completely different tone on the psychedelic ballad “God Is Love,” which riffs on the concluding words from 1 John 4:8. The same is true with the album’s eleventh and final track, “The Resurrection,” a dramatic acoustic tune that builds into a bombastic proclamation based on a number of Bible verses espousing the second coming of Jesus (Matthew 24:36-44; John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Hebrews 9:28; Revelation 1:7).

The resurrection is here to stay
And He's coming back again
The resurrection is here to stay
And He's coming back again
To reclaim all His souls and set us free
The resurrection is here to say
That He's coming back again

One of Kravitz’s most powerful biblically inspired expressions can be found on the 2001 album simply titled Lenny. On the song “You Were In My Heart,” he echoes Romans 7:18-24 as he struggles to do right while being tempted to do wrong:

I want to be a better man
Lord knows that I'm trying
I want to keep the master's plan
But sometimes things get wild

In the second verse, however, Kravitz shares the solution to his problem, which is found in a number of New Testament passages including 1 John 1:7:

 But your bloods running through my veins
And I am standing tall

In one telling interview, Kravitz explained that the song was dealing with the biblical concept of “sin nature.” (Romans 3:23)

“Even while I’m sinning, you’re in my heart,” he said, as if rhetorically speaking to God. “You’re with me. I’m with you. But the flesh fails, at certain times. That’s the way it is. But when I’m in that mode of some kind of sin, I haven’t forgotten, what it is I really should be doing, or forgotten your presence.”