Pope Francis will drop prog-rock album in November
As if he wasn't famous enough, the pontiff will dabble in rock-stardom with his debut 11-track album titled 'Wake up!'
Pope Francis talks to journalists during a press conference he held while en route to Italy, Monday, Sept. 28, 2015.
Tony Gentile
He鈥檚 holy, he鈥檚 diplomatic, and now he鈥檚 dropping a rock album 鈥� Pope Francis has become a true triple threat.
This November, the pontiff will release his debut, titled "Wake Up!" The 11-track LP is a collaboration with Believe Digital, and it will feature excerpts from his speeches in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian laid over upbeat rock musical accompaniment and Gregorian chant.
The title track single, premiered on Friday. The lyrical component is a speech by Francis, in English, addressing a South Korean audience last year. "Wake up, Wake up," Francis says on the track, complemented by prog rock guitar riffs, dramatic synths, and dynamic trumpets. The track is reminiscent of cinematic instrumental bands like Explosions in the Sky or Mogwai.
"The Lord speaks of a responsibility that the Lord gives you,鈥� he goes on. 鈥淚t is a duty to be vigilant, not to allow the pressures, the temptations, and the sins to dull our sensibility of the beauty of holiness."
Francis鈥檚 soft cadence paired with an escalating rock beat is certainly tuneful enough to nod along to. The single has garnered more than . It was generally well-received, prompting comments like 鈥淭his completes me. I can't get enough of this guy,鈥� and 鈥渘ow I want to see him shred live.鈥� Others solicited collaborations and said the track is evocative of the band The Mars Volta.
鈥淲ake Up! Go! Go! Forward!鈥� is available for download on iTunes, where you can pre-order the entire album, to be released on Nov. 27.
According to the Rolling Stone, the full album of environmental concerns, peace, dignity, and compassion for those who need it most. Francis's papal career has been marked by declarations that everyone deserves love and respect. The pope has spoken out on immigration, homelessness, and even same-sex marriage.
It鈥檚 precisely this belief that has given him universal appeal, redeeming Catholicism for the world. And what鈥檚 a better way to spread a message than music?
Don Giulio Neroni, the album鈥檚 producer and artistic director, is a veteran in working with papal rockstars. In the past, he has worked with Pope John Paul II on the 1999 album "Abb脿 Pater" and with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on "Alma Mater."
"As in the past, for this album too, I tried to be strongly faithful to the pastoral and personality of Francis, the pope of dialogue, open doors, hospitality,鈥� Neroni tells Rolling Stone. 鈥淔or this reason, the voice of Pope Francis in 'Wake Up!' dialogues music. And contemporary music 鈥� rock, pop, Latin etc. 鈥� dialogues with the 海角大神 tradition of sacred hymns."
For this project, Neroni recruited songwriter Tony Pagliuca, who composed "Wake Up! Go! Go! Forward!鈥� and several others pieces on the album. Pagluica was a touring rock musician in the 1970s, during which he鈥檇 also made an 鈥渋mportant journey of faith.鈥�
鈥淧utting my music in the service of the words and the voice of Pope Francis has been a fantastic experience and a very interesting artistic challenge," Pagluica says.
The Vatican has a history of flirting with popular culture. Catholic Gregorian chants had a great impact on medieval and Renaissance music. And it was the Catholic Church that popularized the Baroque style.
In 2010, the Vatican released a 鈥渟emi-serious鈥� list of top 10 albums, earning the praise of music critics for demonstrating . The list includes "Graceland" by Paul Simon, "Rumours" by Fleetwood Mac, and "Revolver" by the Beatles at No. 1.