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NEW POLL! "Spirit in the Sky" vs. "My Sweet Lord" (Patreon)

Published:
2025-01-18 15:20:03
Imported:
2026-06

Poll

NEW POLL! "Spirit in the Sky" vs. "My Sweet Lord"

  • Spirit in the Sky 339
  • My Sweet Lord 315
  • 2025-01-18
  • 654 votes
{'title': 'NEW POLL! "Spirit in the Sky" vs. "My Sweet Lord"', 'choices': [{'text': 'Spirit in the Sky', 'votes': 339}, {'text': 'My Sweet Lord ', 'votes': 315}], 'closes_at': None, 'created_at': datetime.datetime(2025, 1, 18, 15, 16, 55, tzinfo=datetime.timezone.utc), 'description': None, 'allow_multiple': False, 'total_votes': 654}

Content

It's the early '70s and Jesus is just all right with me! During that brief moment where God was cool, which is your favorite religious bop of the decade, Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" or George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"?

Comments

Jane Elwood Strawberry

My grandfather chose Spirit in the sky to be played at his burial so it gets my vote

Evan Z.

For me I will always associate Spirit in the Sky with that one scene from Oceans 11 where the guy gets absolutely clotheslined by a nightstick.

Keirik

Write-in vote for Spirit in the Sky by KEiiNO

Mouser

Did that paragraph just cast a third party vote for the Doobie Brothers?

Lee Basil

No one's an atheist while listening to All Things Must Pass

MarioDaBean

Love how George’s excuse for ripping off “He’s So Fine” was him saying “I ripped off a public domain song, certainly not a hit that I’d have to pay royalties to”

Vince Whitacre

Fuzz guitar or the Chiffons... All Things Must Pass might be the best Beatles album. It or Plastic Ono Band. Even without that, George was a freakin Beatle. Norman has nothing else besides "Spirit in the Sky." I'll throw the guy a bone.

Angela

I had a deluded moment of hope thinking you were putting Spirit in the Sky by Eurovision legends Keiino on your show. Then it clicked that you were talking about Jesus songs. I much prefer 90s Jesus songs(Joan Osborne's One of Us FTW), but either way, Keiino taught me that any song can be improved if you just add a Sami man yoik-rapping in the background XD

Tristan

tough call for my atheist hippie self

Dork Mode

Voting for the song about Jesus written by a Jewish guy.

Emily Mikkelsen

My Sweet Lord is about 3 minutes too long and all chorus. Spirit in the Sky is a legitimate bop.

JazzySpF

One thing I like about “My Sweet Lord” is how the lead vocals and the backing vocals switch for being the main focus of the song by the end. Once we get past the third chorus, the main George just sings “oh my lord” while the backing Georges sing all the different chants that become the main point of the song. I don’t know many other pop songs that do this and I think it’s pretty neat.

Dork Mode
>>161697324

Then he (edit: was awarded) the rights to "He's So Fine" and ended up having to pay royalties to himself.

Austin F

i don't like either of these songs, but that's just because i dislike all religious music (no judgment to anyone who enjoys it; i just am not a very spiritual person, so i can't connect to any of it); BUT i can acknowledge that My Sweet Lord is a well-structured song with nice music, so it wins. spirit in the sky just strikes a sour note to me

Lucy Daughter of None

This isn't even close. All Things Must Pass is the best Beatles solo album and My Sweet Lord is a great entry point for newcomers. No one stands a chance against a Beatle, at least not until a few years later than this (Gone Troppo? Ugh, so bad)

Kevin Kline

You all are wrong - spirit in the sky is a perfect song, and my sweet lord is merely great. They don’t even compare.

Kathleen

I always read Spirit in the Sky and clearly a joke, which is why I like it. A lot of other people seem to take it seriously and love/hate it for that reason too. Also it’s just fun

Alexander Gattegno

A friend of me told me that they had always heard Spirit in the Sky as ironic, a sort of parody of religious music, and while I'd never heard it that way before upon re-listening it tracks. The lyrics keep building up the religiosity until it ends with the idea that not only isn't he a sinner, he's in fact *never* sinned. He's got a friend in Jesus, and it's offered like he's got the big man on speed dial. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, maybe it's Maybelline, but in any case the fact that it can play both ways (and is a real bop in either case) makes it an easy choice

Clay Peterson

It’s not the song’s fault, but I can’t think of “Spirit in the Sky” without thinking of a zillion soundtrack drops in a zillion movies. “My Sweet Lord” seems fresher, which I admit is a ridiculous statement on its face.

Jacob Witmer

Here's some excerpts from John Lennon's 1970 interview with Rolling Stone Magazine: Question: What did you think of George's album? "I don’t know . . . I think it’s all right, you know. Personally, at home, I wouldn’t play that kind of music, I don’t want to hurt George’s feelings, I don’t know what to say about it....I liked the “Spirit in the Sky” a few months back. I always liked simple rock and nothing else."

JDL

The guitar tone in the spirit in the sky guitar riff almost makes me believe in a higher power. Almost.

Martha Boatright

Look, purely from the perspective of a religious studies major (MA), one of these is the reductive image of religion as entirely about getting a ticket to a nice afterlife, the other is the urgent longing for union with the divine here and now, and I know which I think has historically been spiritually healthier.

MintzBuck

"My sweet lord" just feels like the same 6 words over and over, just like George Harrison's other big hit," I Got My Mind Set on You."

Natalie Koppen

The only thing I know about my father's wishes when he eventually passes away is that he wants Spirit in the Sky played at his funeral, and I intend to honor that wish cause that song kicks ass. Also, Norman Greenbaum is something of a hometown hero - he's not from Santa Rosa, CA (where I'm from) but he's lived there for a long time so we've kinda claimed him anyways.

MJS

This is a song by a Beatle versus a song against a song by a one-hit-wonder. It's kind of amazing that it's as close as it is.

Nir revel

If I had a nickel for every time a Jewish singer had a ohw about finding Jesus I'd have three nickels which isn't a lot but it destroyed the format of this joke.

Zali J

I hear 'spirit in the sky' all the time on the radio (in australia), ive never heard 'my sweet lord' in my whole life.

Christopher Ladd

"Never been a sinner, I've never sinned." Greenbaum in one couplet proves not only that he isn't a Christian, but that he's never even bothered to think about what it means to be one. The hook absolutely rips though, so Spirit in the Sky for the win.

Michael Gibler

Harrison wrote some of my most favorite Beatles songs, but I absolutely cannot STAND “My Sweet Lord”. I find it such a whiny song, Dylan-esque vocals in some ways

Preston A. Rickwood

I saw an interview with Greenbaum where he said he'd been trying to reproduce that fuzz tone ever since.

Jack Darnell

I’ve just learned one of these was good enough to soundtrack the final special for the Top Gear guys. I had a bunch of musical reasons to vote for it anyway, but that cements my vote.

T. Ryder

My childhood church showed us a documentary called Rock n Roll Sorcerers of the New Age Revolution. That film made me an Ozzy fan first, but the Beatles too. So my vote goes to My Sweet Lord because now I work with the devil.

Connor Rankin

Third party vote to Jesus is Way Cool by King Missile

Foxylover92

Fun fact, "spirit in the sky" is a double one hit wonder in most parts of the world.

Erik Berg

3rd party Jesus is just alright with me

DOMINIQUE GARNETT

I don't give a damn how many times it gets played in trailers "Spirit in the Sky" is a banger.

Jakob Eyjólfsson

There’s a South Park episode where Cartman becomes a hugely successful Christian musician by simply throwing Jesus’ name into romantic love songs, effectively making songs about having a romantic relationship with Jesus. My Sweet Lord has always given me a little too much of that vibe. Also, it just goes on forever.

Torak49

Third party vote for Jesus by The Velvet Underground

Jared Walske

I think My Sweet Lord is probably a better written and arranged song and does a better job of capturing the religious ideas it's trying to capture (and has some really sweet slide guitar to top it off), but I'm a simple man. If your giving me a great fuzz guitar tone and riff to go with it, I will follow you into hell. Norman gets the vote.

Jared Walske
>>161707240

Also, I'd I'm going to put on one do the explicitly religious tracks from ATMP, I'm pretty much always going to pick Awaiting On You All first, which helps Spirit in the Sky's case a little here

Thomas Deja

This is closer than I expected--but I gave it to Greenbaum because nothing in 'My Sweet Lord' is as iconic as that fuzz lick!

Martha Boatright
>>161706747

Yeah, but Harrison is building on a very long tradition of doing that within Gaudiya Vaishnavism (which emphasizes stories of the young Krishna and his relationship with the gopis).

The Enby One

I am picking Spirit in the Sky but specifically because of the UK Comic Relief Charity version by Pop-Idol runner-up Gareth Gates featuring the British sitcom characters the Kumars, as this version hit number one in the UK in 2003 and also has a sick sitar solo.

Martha Boatright
>>161699147

Put it another way: "Spirit in the Sky" has a great riff and its catchy, but it has the theology of people who leave gospel tracts instead of tips because the greatest gift you can give is entry into heaven. Even as tongue in cheek as it is, it's obnoxious.

Lanth
>>161698746

Yes! I honestly was surprised to find out it's generally thought of as sincere because it feels so snarky about the whole thing. "I'm gonna go to the place that's the best"? Really?

Christian Reiswig

Todd already took my Jesus Is Just Alright With Me joke, I have nothing further to contribute at this time.

TimeBombMan

Voting George Harrison here, because I can't relate with a song that features the line "Never been a sinner, I never sinned", but I am VERY sure that George has sinned quite the lot.

Thomas Deja
>>161707728

But we're not talking about albums; we're talking about songs...and based on songs, I think Greenbaum's may have had the bigger earworm impact.

Nico Niconi

Oh my god! OH MY GOD! Where did you get that brownie?!?

Martha Boatright
>>161698746

It's neither sincere nor a parody, Greenbaum just wanted to make a gospel song and he threw the lyrics together in 15 minutes (and it shows).

Lucy Val

While they definitely fit the bill as religious, neither of these is /exactly/ Christian. We've got "Hare Krishna" vs. "Never been a sinner." Soooo ironic third party vote for "God Is Bigger Than the Boogie Man" from Veggie Tales :)

flibbertygigget

Only one of these rips off "He's So Fine" by the Chiffons, which is a better song than both of them put together. So I'm voting for "Spirit in the Sky" out of protest (and also for that sick riff).

Alix

Over thanksgiving I introduced my mom to this podcast and she's been really enjoying it-- when she heard this latest match up she told me she doesn't know how to vote BUT if she could she would vote for Spirit in the Sky, which she doesn't think is the better song but is the song she likes more. Her verdict as both a retired pastor who was in the ministry for 40 years AND as a child of the universe who grew up in southern California in the 60s and 70s is that "Spirit in the Sky" made all the evangelicals really mad, which is of course excellent, and she really admired the transition from "hallelujah" to "hare krishna." "Spirit in the Sky" has terrible theology BUT to paraphrase, it is more of a bop, and therefore is the one she likes more.

fae

only one of these had the riff stolen by goldfrapp in 2005 and as a fan of 00s indie i feel i must vote accordingly

Alina

Hey, so as a Jewish atheist born in the Soviet Union, how much homework do I need to do to prepare for this episode?

Nawf4

As a Southern Baptist, the line "Never been a sinner, I never sinned" makes me want to punch Norman Greenbaum in the fucking throat. Even without that, it makes me angry that the music sounds like I'm supposed to be listening to some version of Slow Ride or something, but the lyrics are as proto-Christian Rock as you can get. There's a non-zero chance they tried to make me sing a version of "Spirit in the Sky" when a 'hip' guest minister came in. George Harrison may sing less than 20 individual words in "My Sweet Lord" but he still says more about his faith than Greenbaum.

SammiSamSam

My Sweet Lord takes it on the lyrics. Geeenbaum's 'gonna recommend you to the spirit in the sky' always felt a little clunky to me, whereas Harrison's lyrics are clear and spiritual, and convey beautifully his longing to be a pirate

Staghorn

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve voted in one of the polls solely because one song had an iconic fuzzbox riff and the other didn’t, I’d have two nickels. Honestly, I bet I’ll have more before the end of the podcast’s run

Robert_boy_genius

I have a vendetta against spirit in the sky for not being rocky enough . So George gets my vote.

Gemini Man

I'll be honest, this is such an obvious comparison I'm shocked it took so long to get to it. I have to assume its because it was TOO obvious to put these two songs against each other and you avoided it for so long on purpose.

Mr Spaghett

George Harrison was like in love with Bob Dylan... not at all related to this specifically but it's my favourite Beatles lore to randomly drop on people

Rich Kee

Hoping that Todd and Lina will encounter the 2003 Comic Relief UK cover of Spirit in the Sky by Gareth Gates featuring the Kumars. Just an inexplicable slice of mid-00s inane British cultural headfuckery.

Mr Spaghett

And I'm not a religious man at all, but My Sweet Lord and All Things Must Pass by extension makes me want to get up and praise the lord goddammit. Spirit in the Sky feels so saccharine and insincere that I'm disgusted at how close it is at this moment.

Kidd Campbell

"Spirit in the Sky" is religious? *Listnes to the song again* "Spirit in the Sky" is indeed religious

Simon Ritter

I want to go third party with Jesus by the Velvet Underground.

Simon Ritter
>>161733038

I ended up voting for My Sweet Lord, even though it's a Chiffons rip-off and Satellite by Guster kind of does the same thing but better.

Dan Hogg

I almost was going to post faux outrage that "My Sweet Lord" wasn't paired against "God" by Lennon. But then I realized that "God" was more of a 'The Beatles are dead, move on bro' statement anyway

Elizabeth

At first this seemed so obvious. I mean, the one is George Harrison! Who the hell ever voted for a guy named Norman? But then I did my due diligence. I still like "My Sweet Lord," but it's much more of a one-horse song than I'd remembered.

Dan Hogg
>>161707728

Ahhh man. I voted "My Sweet Lord," but on a gut level I think I prefer "What Is Life." Man, that chord progression in the verses....

Paul Anderson

I don't dislike Spirit in The Sky, in fact it slaps. But it is so overplayed and about halfway through I'm done with it. My Sweet Lord is Harrison melodically losing his mind and sounds like nothing else besides He's So Fine.

Katie Gunn

Spirit in the Sky being written by a Jewish man who just thought all this gospel music was cool and wanted to write a feel good tune is exactly why I like it. Norman’s heaven sounds like so much fun! Yeah! No sinners here! Jesus is my cool buddy! Woohoo! But, I’m not Christian either so I couldn’t care less if it’s accurate.

Raven Wolfe

voting for Spirit in the Sky because that’s what my mom wants us to play at her funeral

Sara

rock band 2 gang RISE

Franco del Rosario

Spirit in the Sky… the BIGGSST one-hit-wonder on Spotify based on a 2020 infographic on Reddit. 99.5% of Greenbaum’s streams are from that song.

Andrew Dederer

My Sweet Lord sounds like a man searching for a higher feeling, "Spirit in the Sky" is a weak example of what my Grandpa called "The Church of what's happening now". If I was wanting to look down that path, I personally prefer "Lord of the Dance".

Sam Potts

Because the game is 'Song vs Song', I'll go for Spirit in the Sky. Much better tune. Almost goes without saying that I'd go the other way if we were playing 'Artist vs. Artist'.

Marie Isabelle Lunais-Adora

"he's gonna recommend you to the spirit in the sky" is such a strange way of phrasing that. it feels like i just handed jesus my resumé.

no

there's something obscene about 'my sweet lord'. i feel like it showcases the feelings that e.g. new converts seem to want out of religion. it gets my vote for being a bit boppier than spirit in the sky but reading what people say about the latter and its apparent lack of understanding christianity makes me respect it more. the whole thing really activated my hatred of religion :)

ben-one-eye

When I voted, the provisional results said 50/50. I hope it stays that way all the way to the end. Not because I have any investment in either one of these two songs, but because I don't.

Erik

My Sweet Lord is what would play if you were stuck on an airport’s travelator in hell. It’s got an earworm quality close to Blue Da Ba Dee in my head

Kijib

im 12 and what is this?

Birthe_bird

I feel almost indifferent to this, but spirit in the sky is a tat more annoying and since I quite enjoy George Harrison otherwise I guess its my sweet lord

Maxine - RaccoonRevolution

I hate to say it, I know it's a classic, but My Sweet Lord just reminds me of every milquetoast, "gee, God you sure are great," guy-with-guitar worship song I had to stomach as a teenager in my church youth group. Spirit in the Sky makes God sound like somebody you could get stoned with, so it gets my vote.

Albert Farkas

Third-party vote for XTC‘s Dear God.

KaiserBeamz

It was a hard call but I went with "Spirit in the Sky" because it just makes me feel good. Simple as that.

Allan Olley

I'm going with Spirit in the Sky because I enjoy the music more and because atheist that I am I enjoy the irony of Jews finding success making pop Christian music.

Jon Heiman

Harrison's got a friend in Jesus, Krishna, and numerous other deities! Checkmate, Greenbaum!

Brandon Hay

What a strange match up to get a 50/50 split

Lazurit

I first discovered "Spirit in the sky" while making a mixtape dedicated to death (as you do), and, darn, that's a nice, cheery palate cleanser between Evanescence and Death Cab for Cutie

Max Liotta

Spirit in the Sky is a much weirder song and therefore more interesting to me. Also George just blatantly plagiarized My Sweet Lord.

Beau Dure

Being the pedantic sort that I am, I feel I should point out that My Sweet Lord is about Krishna, not Jesus. So I'll do a third-party vote for Heaven On Their Minds from the Jesus Christ Superstar soundtracl.

Michael Russell

While I love "Spirit in the Sky," and that riff that gets my atheistic ass grooving, I'm going to have to toss out a third-party vote for Rick Astley's "Angels On My Side."

Gal Hazor

Going with "Spirit in the Sky" because it continues the time-honored tradition of Jews creating stuff that Christians eat up and appropriate without realizing a Jew made it, like "White Christmas" or "Hallelujah" or Christianity

Mouser

After giving some thought to my choice, I can finally sum up why My Sweet Lord is better: It's yearning for a connection with the divine, while Spirit in the Sky is bragging about a connection with the divine. Art about wanting is better than art about having, especially when it's religious art.

Josie

Spirit in the Sky is a baseball song (in vibe, not content)

Paul Anderson

Two great things about My Sweet Lord: 1. Harrison first gave it to Billy Preston, who helped him write it, and released a gospel version that's truly fantastic. 2. To see the best Harrison performance search "George Harrison pirate song" on Youtube.

Colin Raiden-McRae

I watched the 50 year anniversary video of My Sweet Lord and Mark Hamill and Weird Al were there.

Kevin James

For the first time ever, “which song must be Shat upon?” has a definitive answer because Will Shatner covered Spirit in the Sky with the help of Peter Frampton. I’m not sure if this is an argument in favor of SitS or against

The Other Greg

The melody of My Sweet Lord just sounds better to my ears. Spirit in the Sky is still a banger. It's been a hot minute since the choice has been legitimately difficult. Though these days the fact that My Sweet Lord is less Youth Pastor Yay Jesus also helps significantly.

Gene Younkin

Spirit In The Sky is a cynical cash grab that chases the trends of the time while not being deep enough to hold the contents of a soup spoon. God, I love that song.

Lazurit

Spirit in the Sky takes the first question just for all the people who want in to be played at their funeral

David Fisher

My vote is for My Sweet Lord George Harrison funded the Monty Python Life of Brian which gives him eternal good will from this fan of historical biographies on the life of Jesus's down on his luck manger neighbour. No boomer

Benjamin Perry

Just here to post that Norman Greenbaum has a Web 2.0 site called spiritinthesky.com with a fanmail section called "Norman's Fans Drool" and it's amazing.

ol bill
>>161890514

Hey he didn’t do it on purpose! Which is an excuse you get when you’re in the Beatles and no other time

Albert Farkas

Jesus, Norman Greenbaum‘s delivery is stultifying…can‘t hardly choose between these two holy snoozeballs

Loyal Deserter

I voted My Sweet Lord, but, thinking of question 1, I feel like George might have been better off had it never existed.

Moon Logic

George Harrison is the most overrated Beatle. Yes, he wrote a handful of classic songs, but he is not a Lennon or a McCartney and his solo stuff really shows that. Spirit in the Sky slaps! It is in Fear and Loathing. None of George's songs are. Nuff said! Greenbaum is not even Christian. Still more convincing than Harrison.

Bruxistentialist

Third party vote for Jesus Built My Hotrod by Ministry

Octo

I think both of these songs are fine, but I find My Sweet Lord more hummable, and I think Spirit in the Sky is overused