Satan Is Real is mostly known for its iconic, but also ridiculous album cover, depicting our noble and Godly singers in hell. It’s one of the most eye catching covers, while also making the inside music more intriguing. In contrast with the nature of the image, the music inside both asks to be taken seriously and is. Put on any song and you’ll be consumed by the warmth and power of the Louvin Brothers’ voices. They sing and play with an earnestness and passion of someone that really believes in what they’re preaching. As such, the material threatens to be uninviting to non-Christians, as the lyrics are mostly about the virtues of the religion. Thus, the album may be better if looked at as metaphoric for challenging evil ideas of the world and finding something that makes you feel fulfilled.
To take the opener “Satan Is Real” as an example, the person in the track discussing how Satan ruined his life is mildly silly. You get the impression this guy torched his own life and is now blaming Satan. If you are like most Christians (at least in the modern day) and believe in free will, then this person instead could’ve chosen to not do whatever he did. Still, the desire to be selfish or to harm others, especially if they hurt you, is a common desire and thus the message is far more powerful when thought to really be about those human desires. Even when taken literally, the forewarning and meaty singing that bookends the spoken word and organ are just beautiful. When the person talks about the dangers of Satan, you can hear all the pain he went through, even down to how he hates to be interrupting a good time by giving said warning.
“There’s a Higher Power”, “The Christian Life”, and “The River of Jordan” are the next three cuts on the record and are all comparatively upbeat compared to everything else, approaching rock territory. They’re definitely the most listenable to an average person, especially Jordon’s less overtly religious words. They focus on celebrating the value of Christianity and things related to it, barely touching negative subject matter. “The Kneeling Drunkard’s Plea” and “Are You Afraid to Die?” are much darker, discussing the inherent suffering and cruelness that comes with life, mainly that we all experience the death of others. Afraid is the only example on the record of essentially pushing non-believers to believe. In Life, the singer seems to accept that their friends are sinners, while this track more so tries to inflict fear. Thus, it might come off as propagandistic, but there at least is the sense that the brothers, who wrote the song, really are concerned about non-Christians.
“Dying from Home, And Lost” and “The Drunkard’s Doom” are the most poetically written songs, which makes for a strikingly detailed and emotional experience. While “He Can Be Found” and “The Angels Rejoiced Last Night” have the positives of the album as a whole, they cover some of the already established subjects, only lacking the more enlightened playing of a track like Higher Power or the cutting lyrics of a track like Doom. “Satan’s Jeweled Crown” and “I’m Ready to Go Home” unintentionally make Christianity feel cultish. The former is creepy in how the singer once again doesn’t take personal responsibility, but instead says Satan did it to him. Home celebrates the idea of the singer dying, as they can then go to heaven. These “darker” tracks inadvertently create a fuller picture of the religion. While yes, the sense of community and love feels good, there are frightening implications.
OVERVIEW
Human beings in this album don’t ever get blamed for their actions. While that is not the best of messages, the Louvin Brothers do at least often feel humbled and like they are making this album to spread the love and joy of community, as opposed to something like attributing themselves as proud people. They are extraordinarily unpretentious in how they communicate this. Satan Is Real is a razor sharp statement that generally is about human beings and their constant battle to do the right thing, even when our emotions tell us to do otherwise. The strength of the musicianship and the direct and thought-provoking lyrics would make this great no matter what the songs are about. The first track I heard from the record, which is also my favorite, is the bouncing “The River of Jordan”, followed by “Satan Is Real”.
The Filme Diary 