Larry's gone home

My good friend Rick e-mailed me this week to tell me that Larry Norman has gone home. It was sad news, and I'll admit that my eyes are wet even as I write these words. But Larry's life had been full of physical suffering in these last few years, and it is a blessing to know that he is safe at home with Jesus now.

I first heard of Larry Norman shortly after graduating from high school in 1972; in those days "Pass it On" was about the most contemporary Christian music I knew (and I think I'll be fine if I never have to play "Pass it On" again). But Larry played rock 'n' roll music about Jesus. Songs like "Rock that Doesn't Roll" and "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music" were radical in their day. Songs like "Why Don't You Look Into Jesus?" were shocking to some (go look up the lyrics to that one, and you'll see what I mean). But Larry's heart was completely sold out to Jesus, throughout his long career as a performing songwriter and as a music producer.

Two Larry Norman albums stand out for me: "Only Visiting This Planet," and "In Another Land." Some of the songs on "In Another Land" still give me chills, and sometimes tears, just thinking about them. Classic Norman songs like, "Six Sixty-Six" and "U.F.O." are quirky and even a little goofy at times, but there is truth in there that goes to the heart of being a follower of Jesus.

Larry could be weird at times, particularly in the latter part of his life, as his health was failing. The one time I saw him live (and I can't remember where or when), he had a hard time remembering his own lyrics, and was singing from hand-written notes that he kept getting mixed up. Even before his body started to fail him, he would sometimes start a song, get two lines in, and stop to preach for a while about something that struck him as he was singing. And he pulled no punches, even in his lyrics. He attacked hypocrisy with a prophet's boldness, and sang candidly of his own pain and failure.

Consider this excerpt from his song, "Great American Novel:"

You kill a black man at midnight
Just for talking to your daughter
Then you make his wife your mistress
And you leave her without water
And the sheet you wear upon your face
Is the sheet your children sleep on
At every meal you say a prayer
You don't believe but still you keep on
And your money says in God we trust
But it's against the law to pray in school
You say we beat the Russians to the moon
And i say you starved your children to do it

Larry's song, "Hymn to the Last Generation" is only four lines long, but his recording of it on "In Another Land" still moves me to worship, every single time I hear it.

There are videos of some of Larry's performances on YouTube, but most of the ones I've seen don't do justice to his songwriting brilliance--go get some of his classic recordings and listen for yourself.

I'm a huge fan of Bob Dylan--I'd be surprised if I was the first one to observe that Larry Norman did for the Jesus Movement of the '70's what Bob Dylan did for the folk movement of the '60's. Many of his songs, like Dylan's still hold up after all these years.

Thanks, Larry, for all you did for young Christians like me at a time when you were one of the only ones out there finding ways to speak God's truth into a culture that was rapidly changing. Thank you for the great songs, for passionately loving Jesus. To quote one of your own lyrics, "I hope I'll see you in Heaven." Enjoy your rest in Jesus, old friend.

For a good look at Larry's discography, lyrics, and other information about Larry Norman, check out his site at OnlyVisiting.com.