Ray Stevens is known by everyone as the King of Country Comedy. At the start of his career, he had released parody hits such as “Gitarzan,” “The Streak,” and even the classic hit “Help Me Make it Through the Night.“
Nothing escapes the great Ray Stevens’ eye from scrutiny so when numerous scandals of the Televangelists got the attention of the public, Stevens decided to do the thing he is good at, making comical music.
Ray Stevens vs. Televangelists
A lot of music critics were questioning the timing of the release of the song so this was Stevens response to the general public:
“If there was controversy about that title, I didn’t hear about it. It was very timely, released in April 1987 when the televangelists were getting a lot of heat for being with hookers. They caught one of them taking church funds and using it for his personal gain.”
Religion is always a sensitive topic to everyone, especially to devoted Christians. But, what Ray Stevens did is admirable because he exposed the ugly truth behind the controversies.
His song, as obvious as the title, was questioning if God would do the things that these Televangelists were doing. Buying expensive cars and living in luxurious hotels were among a few things that he pointed out.
What were the Scandals?
The general public was shocked when the news about Televangelist Jim Bakker broke out. Apparently, this person was using the money that they are earning for hiring prostitutes. Bakker was also revealed to have had sex with his former church secretary.
A lot of people started to doubt other televangelists if they were hiding skeletons in their closet too. And to that, I say, who wouldn’t? These people were living a lavish life and using the name of the Lord as an excuse to do what they wanted to do.
That is why Ray Stevens is an amazing artist. He used his platform to shed light on the controversy and helped people realize that their blind faith was not in the right place.
Listen to the song here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drMMBE6KRbI
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Ray Stevens