Ok Go was established in 1998 by Damian Kulash, Tim Nordwind, Dan Konopka, and Andy Duncan. The American rock band was established in Chicago, Illinois but is now based in Los Angeles, California.
Ok Go was formed when vocalist Kulash and bassist Nordwind, who were childhood friends, moved at different times to Chicago for college. At Chicago, they hooked up with drummer Konopka and keyboardist Andy Duncan. The quartet derived their band name from a popular phrase their high school art teacher often used “Ok…Go.
Keyboardist Duncan left the band in 2005 to pursue other interests and was immediately replaced by guitarist Andy Ross. Ok Go was not well known until 2005 when the band started making homemade and exciting music videos.
Ok Go currently has over one million YouTube subscribers and has earned a massive fanbase and listenership across other platforms as well. Some fans have been wondering if Ok Go is a Christian band. If you’re having a similar thought, stay put, as this article will provide all the necessary answers to clear your doubts.
Is Ok Go a Religious Band?
What determines a religious band is the type of songs such band churns out and the religious or spiritual beliefs of the band members. Religious songs are made for religious purposes and through the influence of a particular religious group.
Ok Go has not been explicit about their spiritual or religious beliefs as a band. Band members have not made comments about their religious stance nor have they collectively labeled the band a religious band. Notwithstanding, the band has not failed to incorporate religious references in their music.
The band makes reference to faith and spirituality in some of their lyrics. This could be an indication that some band members have a sort of religious backing or background, that they do not want to let it interfere with their musical career, thereby choosing to keep mute about their religious beliefs.
An example of their song with a religious undertone is ” The One Moment” by Ok Go. Below are the lyrics.
“This will be the one moment that matters and
This will be the one thing we remember and
This will be the reason to rebel (yeah) and
This will be the one moment that matters at all
So while the mile reclaims our footprints
And while our bones keep looking back
The overgrowth is swallowing the path
Therefore the grace of God, go we
Therefore the grace of God, go we
Therefore the grace of time and chance
And entropy’s cruel hands
So open your arms to me
Open your arms to me “
The lines above are from “The One Moment” in Ok Go’s “Hungry Ghost” Album. The song talks about how things are beautiful in life but it becomes a tragedy because those things are temporary. The songwriter mentions that it’s the grace of God that keeps us going.
What Kind of Music Band is Ok Go?
Ok Go is popularly known as an American Rock and Pop band. Rock music is one of the broadest genres of music. It was developed in the US in the early 1950s and has since then become one of the most popular music genres adopted by music artists.
Rock music draws influences from rhythm and blues, electric blues, folk, country music, jazz, and classical music. The major instruments used by rock musicians consist of electric, guitars, bass guitars, and drums. A rock band constitutes 3 or more artists.
Rock music addresses a plethora of themes, ranging from romance to politics, leadership, and societal and environmental issues. Pop music genre on the other hand was developed in the mid-1950s and features elements of rock and roll music, urban and country music.
Pop music appeals to a general audience. It emphasizes craftsmanship and focuses more on themes of resistance, opposition and politics than on love and romance. Ok Go’s music also incorporates subgenres like power pop, pop rock, alternative rock, indie rock, and indie pop. Their songs are characterized by harmonic and cheerful vocals, melodic hooks, energetic performance, professional songwriting, angst-free lyrics and DIY ethics, and also incorporate other elements of pop and rock music.
Songs by Ok Go explore an array of themes. Such themes include emotions, love, relationships, friendship, breakups, death, pains and anxiety, governance and politics, awakening, self-discovery and faith amongst others.
Ok Go has earned a massive fanbase from its unique and creative music videos. These videos have distinguished them from other music bands within their genre. Their music videos are usually considered low-budget but are very creative and intriguing. Most of these videos have become internet sensations, earning the band millions of views from fans and winning several music video awards.
The Award-winning band has several albums and videos. In 2007, they won the best music video award for their song “Here it goes Again.” “All is not Lost” and “Upside Down & Inside Out” also received Grammy nominations as best music videos in 2012 and 2017 respectively. The band has won different music awards both in song and video categories, some of which include; Grammy Awards, MTV Europe Music and Video Music Awards, CLIO Awards, One Show Awards, YouTube Music Awards, Webby Awards, etc.
Is Ok Go a Christian Band?
A Christian is a person who believes in the teachings and practices of the Christian faith. A Christian acknowledges God, Jesus Christ, and other pillars of the religion. Their lifestyles are guided by the laws of Christianity.
Jesus Christ is considered the central figure of Christianity and to be considered a true Christian, such a person must lead a Christ-like life.
A Christian band can be defined by the elements embedded in their songs. These include the song lyrics, concepts, and videos. Songs by a Christian band must portray Christian beliefs, biblical messages, and terms and be fit for use to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Also, to be publicly labeled a Christian band, such a band must have publicly tagged itself as one. Their songs and lifestyles should portray true Christian beliefs, such that listeners can easily identify even without asking.
Members of Christian bands should be Christians that have openly affirmed their faith in the religion. Members should have a collective Christian faith to reduce conflicts that might occur due to a clash of interests, beliefs, faith, or opinion.
Since their coming together 23 years ago, Ok Go has not made comments about their beliefs. Even when they make use of Christian imagery in some of their songs, the band or its members have not publicly associated with the religion. However, from our examination of songs by Ok Go, we suspect that the band collectively has a Christian background or it could be that some members have a Christian background that they are yet to disclose. This is due to the Christian terms, themes, and other elements we’ve noticed in their songs.
For instance in “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” it can be observed that members of the band hold Christian beliefs. Not all religions celebrate Christmas. Christians celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ, the founder of the religion. To compose a Christian song reveals that the band or songwriter holds some Christian beliefs. Below are a few lines from the song:
“Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.
Here we are as in the olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once “
From our analysis of songs by Ok Go and the band staying mute on its religious beliefs, we do not consider the band a Christian band.
Ok Go Christian Songs
Ok Go has no songs that can be outrightly categorized as Christian songs. Some of their songs contain Christian elements but are not completely regarded as Christian songs.
Christian songs are intended to share personal or communal beliefs about the Christian faith. They are an expression of belief in God, Jesus Christ, and other pillars of Christianity. Christian songs are used to spread Christian messages of faith, hope, redemption, love, salvation, and perseverance. Since songs by Ok Go do not meet the criteria listed above, the band has no Christian songs.
Is Ok Go a Satanic Band?
To be labeled a Satanic band, such a band must have identified with satanism. Songs by a Satanic bands are usually embedded with dark and horror themes, their videos and concepts are usually creepy and can cause an eerie feeling in the people watching or listening to them.
The songs generally promote the Devil, Satanic practices, and beliefs. Though Ok Go portrays some dark themes in their songs, that feature alone is not enough to label the band a Satanic band. Therefore, Ok Go is not a Satanic band.
Conclusion
Ok Go has always been known for its somewhat complicated and innovative videos. The band was not popular until 2005 when they first released their homemade music videos to complement their early song releases. The band’s videos are admired among fans and this is noticeable in the massive subscribers they have on YouTube and other video viewing platforms.
Ok Go is one of those bands that has completely left religious issues out of their music. The band or members have not shown affiliations with any religious group. As such we don’t consider Ok Go a Christian band.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!