Jesusland (song)
2005 single by Ben Folds
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"Jesusland" was the second single from Ben Folds' 2005 album Songs for Silverman.[1][2][3] The song captures Folds' dismay as he travels through middle America, witnessing the growing wealth and the commercialization of Jesus' message.[4] Per Folds, "'Jesusland' is sort of a walk across the country. You know, 'There’s a billboard, there’s a McMansion, there’s a couple nice houses'... just trying to put together a montage that recreates the playing field as you have it."[5]
| "Jesusland" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Ben Folds | ||||
| from the album Songs for Silverman | ||||
| Released | 2005 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 4:30 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter | Ben Folds | |||
| Ben Folds singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Jesusland" on YouTube | ||||
It reached No. 42 on the UK airplay chart in October 2005.[6] It has also been playlisted by Xfm London and BBC Radio 2 (which lists it as "download only"). It reached No. 8 on the Radio Two chart.[7] The track was slated for a UK single release in September 2005, but it never made it to store shelves.
The video for the single features Matt Lucas as a televangelist interspersed with scenes of a journey through what may well be "Jesusland" itself. [8] The pair became friends after Lucas interviewed Folds for NME.[9]
The track was featured in the 2008 Bill Maher comedic documentary Religulous.[10]
Chart history
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (Official Charts)[11] | 42 |
Other notable performances
- "Jesusland - University A Cappella Version" was first performed by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Loreleis in 2008 for Ben Folds' University A Capella album.[12][13][14]
- Folds performed "Jesusland" on Minnesota Public Radio's Live from Here with Chris Thile on their June 15, 2019 show.[15][16]