Jesus Was Way Cool
"Jesus Was Way Cool" is a song by avant-garde band King Missile. It appears on the band's 1990 album ''Mystical Shit.''
Content
In "Jesus Was Way Cool," frontman John S. Hall, over a mellow and drawn out piano figure, delivers an enthusiastic deadpan monologue in which he declares Jesus "way cool" for such skills as healing, walking on water, and turning water into wine. Hall states that Jesus did "anything he wanted to do," and, anachronistically, could have surpassed the achievements of Jimi Hendrix, Wayne Gretzky, and Mikhail Baryshnikov in their respective fields. Hall then postulates that the crucifixion of Jesus was in fact motivated by jealousy of his coolness, and that the subsequent resurrection of Jesus is further evidence of said coolness. To further deadpan effect, Hall concludes, "No wonder there are so many Christians."In the liner notes of the compilation Fluting on the Hump, Hall described "Jesus Was Way Cool" as a reflection on Catholicism and poetry:
Commercial performance
Through the popularity of "Jesus Was Way Cool," Mystical Shit hit #1 on the College Music Journal#CMJ [New Music Report|CMJ charts], and the band was signed by a major label, Atlantic Records. This series of events led Hall to make a habit of joking, "Jesus" got me signed to Atlantic Records."The song was used in an episode of the Adult Swim series "Off the Air".