St. Paul priest reflects on spiritual messages in U2 lyrics

Published: 2006-07-06

ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) -- As a college student in the 1980s, Father Erich Rutten first associated the Irish rock band U2 with "great political rock." Then he discovered one of the band's early albums from 1981, "October." Listening to songs such as "Gloria" and "Rejoice," with references to Jerusalem and the themes of death and resurrection, he realized that "virtually every song on the album is explicitly Christian," he said. Interested in things spiritual, he started to learn more about U2 and pay attention to the lyrics -- even in songs that seemed more like political songs or love ballads. "They're a Christian rock band" without calling themselves one, he told The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. "They steered a very interesting course. They didn't go with the explicitly Christian band label. They developed their artistry -- their music -- in such a way that they did an excellent job of bringing in common, everyday symbols and stories to amplify the Christian message."

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