Song · Lyle Lovett
“Church” by Lyle Lovett
From the album Joshua Judges Ruth (1992)
“Church” by Lyle Lovett appears on 4 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2001 and 2025. It was first released in 1992 on the album Joshua Judges Ruth. Its best result is #282 on the WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #2,029 indie & aaa song of all time.
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"Church" comes from Joshua Judges Ruth, Lyle Lovett's fourth album, released in the spring of 1992 under a title that punningly strings together three books that sit side by side in the Old Testament. The record doesn't hang on one unifying theme, but it keeps circling the big questions, and "Church" is where Lovett takes on religion.
He produced it with George Massenburg and Billy Williams and surrounded himself with a full band: Russ Kunkel on drums, Leland Sklar on bass, Matt Rollings on piano and Dean Parks on electric guitar. Then there are the voices. Sweet Pea Atkinson, Harry Bowens, Francine Reed, Parks and Arnold McCuller all sing behind him, and McCuller steps out front for a solo turn. Massenburg recorded it with Nathaniel Kunkel and mixed it himself.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 282 | WFPK | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2000 |
| 2004 | 638 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) | 885 |
| 2020 | 1521 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2025 | 376 | WFPK | WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '90s | 500 |
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