I never really understood the essence of Christianity—why it remains so compelling—until I saw Jesus Christ Superstar. The musical elevates the perspective of Judas Iscariot, typically the ignoble loser in the Passion story, too low and worthless even to be called a villain. Here, Judas is an everyman for the skeptical among us. He’s all too human—vulnerable, ironic, and righteously angry. He appears at the end in an incongruous disco number, a contemporary Greek chorus, to demand answers from Jesus that he's never going to get: “Did you know your messy death would be a record breaker?”
Carl Anderson, “Superstar,” from the film Jesus Christ Superstar, 1973. Written by Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber, 1969.
This post is part of Music 100, a love letter to songs. 100 words on 100 songs in 100 days, running from Groundhog Day through early June, 2025. Inspired by my MFAH 100 project.
Too many emails? For instructions on receiving a weekly recap, click here.
Have a song you’d like me to consider? Send a message or leave a comment. I will give it a serious listen.
This musical changed my attitude toward faith -- a long missive, but thank you for your response which is once again "right-on" in that I agree with you. I wore out two eight-track tapes, one during the winter I worked at Cimarroncita helping get ready for summer. I played it so much, everyone knew the words to every song! Thank you....