Utah-born rock band, The Used was formed in Orem, Utah in 2001. The band started with members like Branden Steineckert, Quinn Allman, and Jeph Howard composing songs without drafting out lyrics before Bert McCracken was brought in to become the official lyricist and vocalist of the band.
The music group started recording their songs in drummer Steineckert’s bedroom before rising to fame in 2002 with the release of their self-named debut album “The Used” and got signed to Reprise Records. The band currently consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford.
Their songs attained platinum status in the US and in some other countries of the world, as they are frequently played on radio stations and MTV. The Used has been able to connect to their audience with their relatable lyrics and this has earned them a massive fanbase. Some songs by The Used are embedded with Christian themes and terms and this has raised the question: is The Used a Christian band? If you are also in need of this information, stay glued as this article will provide answers to the question.
Is The Used a Religious Band?
To ascertain the religious stance of The Used, it is important to first clarify what it means to be a religious band. A religious band is a music band whose songs are influenced by the laws, beliefs, and principles of a particular religious group. Songs by a religious band contain religious messages that are ideal for a particular religious group.
Though The Used are notable for employing religious elements in their songs and have religious backgrounds, the band has stated that they are not religious. The band’s bassist, Jeph Howard once revealed that where they came from, Utah valley is popularly known as a religious area and because he wasn’t interested in living like a Mormon like other kids in the area, some parents will move their kids aside when he walks by.
Various members of the band have indicated that they were raised in Mormon families as that was the most common religion in that area. Frontman McCracken stated that he was a Mormon but later revolted against his religion and parents which led him to leave their family church “Latter Day Saint Church.”
In an interview with Upset and frontman Bert McCracken, he made some comments that revealed he is not religious, but music is really what matters to him and he could take that as his religion. In his words:
“Yes I mean, what’s more personal? I would say that music if there’s anything close to religious in my life it would be my connection to art and the effects it has, and how it drags and inspires my life in certain directions is very, very religious and very cathartic, and maybe more powerful than kneeling and forcing yourself to feel. Not force, but as a young boy I felt the power of God, but it was me allowing myself to feel the power of just the world we live in, and the planet we live on. The capabilities of human beings are quite astounding.”
In a 2020 interview with Andrew Voigt of HM Magazine, when asked about the role of spirituality in their lives, McCracken stated:
“Well, I think that religion is that moment for people where we get to reflect and ponder and be philosophers.
Growing up, I went to church and I experienced a lot of really positive moments. When the choir is singing, the whole congregation is singing together and you get this intense feeling of connectedness. The only thing I feel that is close to that would be camping and sharing those moments with your true friends, or going to a rock show where everybody ends up being as close as family.”
Some songs by the band are embedded with religious themes and some will be reviewed subsequently in the article.
What Kind of Music Band are They Used to?
The Used is an American rock band. Generally, rock music has been classified as one of the most popular music genres that originated in the mid 90s in the United States and the United Kingdom. This genre draws some influences from rhythm and blues, jazz, country music, folk, electric blues, and other music styles.
Rock music features the use of electric and bass guitars, drums with three or more singers, and their lyrics address various life experiences. The Used has employed sub genres like emo, screamo, post-hardcore, punk rock, alternative rock, and pop punk. The Used songs are characterized by; emotional and sometimes confessional lyrics, extreme dynamic shifts, complex guitar work, screaming and aggressive vocals, chaotic sounds, harmonized guitars, shifts in tempos, heavy bass levels, fast tempos with hard-edged melodies and DIY influences.
The Used explores a plethora of themes in their songs, some of which includes; friendship and relationships, love and romance, pain and anxiety, depression, insecurity, mental health issue, death, and societal and environmental issues.
Songs by The Used are an amalgam of the elements listed above and the Utah-bred rock group has successfully broken into the American music scene with their thought-provoking and experience-based songs. The band has released 8 studio albums with the most recent “Heartwork” released in 2020. The Used has earned global recognition and has achieved gold and platinum statutes in different countries of the world.
Is The Used a Christian Band?
To determine if The Used is a Christian band or not, it is important to take a quick look at what Christianity entails. The Christian religion is a religion whose foundation is based on the teachings and principles of Jesus Christ. A Christian believes in God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Bible, and other pillars of the religion.
Many misconstrue Christianity to be the act of worshiping God in church on Sundays. However, true Christianity is far from merely going to church frequently. Apart from worshiping with other Christian faithful, the lifestyle of a Christian must reflect the laws and teachings of the religion and they must possess Christian qualities that others can emulate.
For a Christian band, their songs should be based on the teachings and practices of Christianity. Songs by a Christian band are usually used to share Christian messages of salvation, redemption, hope, faith, love, and other positive Christian messages. These songs are used to express personal or collective beliefs in Christianity.
A Christian band should have members who are believed to be Christians and have publicly declared their faith in the religion. Also, they should publicly label the band a Christian band and produce songs that portray Christian beliefs. The Used has not labeled itself a Christian band and members are no longer subscribing to any religious group.
Some band members have indicated that while growing up, they were Mormons, who in many cases are classified as Christians. However, they no longer believe in religion and do not want to be confined by any religious group. They hold a belief that some religions are terrified when people hold their thoughts and beliefs and have their own route to enlightenment. This feels like a taboo to them and they do not subscribe to any religion as a result.
The Used Christian Songs
Though The Used employs Christian imagery in their songs, those songs are not classified as Christian songs. Christian songs should be an expression of faith in Christianity, contain faith-based messages that will give hope to Christians, and in other cases could be used to spread the gospel.
After closely examining The Used songs, they do not meet the criteria to be classified as Christian songs. However, some of these songs are embedded with Christian messages as stated earlier and we’ll list an example below.
The Cross by The Used
“We kill the fagots, we kill the lesbians,
I said goddammit we killed them all!”
We were taught to kneel and bow our heads.
I tried simply standing up instead.
Heard rumors of transparent legs
And walks for days and days.
So pray, then, if it makes you feel safe.
But all I can do is go our own way.
We go our own way.
So save us.”
The song above employs some Christian imagery, but the songwriter tries to tell people that they can believe in what they chose to believe in or in any religion if it makes them feel safe but he doesn’t believe in religion anymore.
Is The Used a Satanic Band?
No! The Used is not a Satanic band. Members of the band were raised as Mormons but they no longer want to be associated with any religious group and have been identified as being agnostic.
A Satanic band can be identified by the type of song the band produces. Songs released by a Satanic band are usually embedded with Satanic themes and messages. The lyrics are mostly dark and they portray creepy scenes in their videos or concepts.
Though the band makes use of some dark lyrics and terms related to Satanism in songs like “Devil Beside You” or “See you in Hell,” and others, we do not consider the band a Satanic band because the band or its members have not publicly identified as one.
Conclusion
After a close look at the songs and other musical concepts by The Used, we’ve concluded that their songs are a generic expression of their ideals, personal life experiences, societal issues, and other life encounters. Their songs make use of Christian imagery to talk about love, death, hope, and other themes but they are not Christian songs. Band members have disclosed that they no longer believe in religion and against this backdrop, we do not consider The Used as a Christian band.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!