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La Shark

Who'd have thought a load of songs about prayer, heaven and Jesus would sound so good?

It's not massively surprising La Shark are a little odd: they're a five piece from New Cross, London, and (as if that weren't enough) a bit later this month, after a handful of headline shows, they'll be heading out on tour with Paloma Faith (check here for dates and tickets).

Their long-awaited debut single 'A Weapon' will also be released on 5th April.

As if to further prove their oddness, they've put together a Soundtrack for us - with a bit of a religious theme going on. Who'd have thought a load of songs about prayer, heaven and Jesus would sound so good?

Prince - Let’s Go Crazy

One of the most sexual short men in history of the world begins this song with a sermon from his back catalogue of pick up lines.

"There's something else
The afterworld
A world of never ending happiness
You can always see the sun, day or night."

Funnily enough, for a man who changed his name to a symbol for a few years in one of the greatest moves in music law history, he was raised as a Seventh-day Adventist, but is now a convert to the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Randy Newman - God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)

The Satirical pop icon deals with religion and Mankind’s wrongdoings, abasing his own atheism…

"And The Lord Said:
I burn down your cities--how blind you must be
I take from you your children and you say how blessed are we
You must all be crazy to put your faith in me
That's why I love mankind
You really need me
That's why I love mankind."

Kanye West - Jesus Walks

The song depicts a man who’s done a lot of wrong in his life, and then highly contradicts himself by deciding to turn to god for help. Kanye hijacks lyrics directly from the bible to good avail, brushing on terrorism, war and racism on the way he never shoots low with his lyrical aims.

Kate Bush - Suspended In Gaffa

Covered fairly badly by Ra Ra Riot, but nevertheless a beautiful song on religion from our British angel, she has a gravestone outside her house with a recipe for steak and kidney pie on it…

"I caught a glimpse of a god, all shining and bright."

Madonna - Like A Prayer

There’s always been a stigma about religion and sex in pop music, Sting once said, “There's no religion but sex and music.” This song is about as direct a reference as you can get in this debate.

Tom Tom Club - Genius Of Love

Sampled pretty well by Mariah Carey in 1995 for her track 'Fantasy', a sweet sentiment and an outstanding pop song:

"I'm in heaven, 

With my boyfriend,
My laughing boyfriend, 

There's no beginning and there is no end
,
Time isn't present in that dimension."

Enya - Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)

Our keyboard player Sami once had a near death experience, when he finally came through from his 3-month coma; he reported that this track was being played in heaven's waiting room whilst waiting for the judgment of the almighty.

Edith Piaf - Heaven Have Mercy

A woman mourns the loss of her lover and contemplates taking her own life. One of Piaf’s tortured masterpieces, she was buried in the catholic Père Lachaise Cemetery, in Paris. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Paris refused her a public mass because of her lifestyle but her funeral procession drew a crowd of thousands…

Righteous Brothers - Rock and Roll Heaven

In a 2000 interview, Vanity Fair asked Phil Spector what his greatest fear was: “That God won't let me into heaven because I'm too evil, and that the Devil won't let me into hell because he's afraid that I'll take over.” The song tells a little story of all of rock and rolls legends who are now having a hell of a party in the afterworld: The chorus goes:

“If you believe in forever
Then life is just a one-night stand
If there's a rock and roll heaven
Well you know they've got a hell of a band.”

David Lynch’s 1977 film 'Eraserhead' - Everything Is Fine In Heaven

The Lady In The Radiator, begins a dance routine on a stage in which she sidesteps and stomps on creatures that resemble sperm falling from above, and then sings:

"In Heaven, everything is fine,
You've got your good things,
and I've got mine."