- Plastic Jesus
:"For the novella by Poppy Z. Brite, see
Plastic Jesus (novella) .""Plastic Jesus" is an American folk song.
Authorship
Ed Rush and George Cromarty wrote the song in
1957 and recorded it (as a humorous ad spoof) in1962 asThe Goldcoast Singers onWorld Pacific Records "Here They Are! The Goldcoast Singers" (wp-1806). [http://www.reverendcolin.com/PlasticJesus.html Lyrics and interview attributed to Ed Rush] ]The authorship of the song has historically been incorrectly attributed to
Ernie Marrs .Rush and Cromarty are listed as the authors by
ASCAP and by the song's publisher,EMI Music Publishing.Publication
Ernie Marrs is sometimes credited as the songwriter due to the folk music magazine "
Sing Out! " (Volume 14, issue number 2, page 40) crediting a version of the lyrics and music to him.Religious basis for parody
Ed Rush has stated that the inspiration for the song came from a religious radio broadcast from
Del Rio, Texas in the 1940s that contained the line "...leaning on the arms of Jesus, wrapped in the bosom of the Lord..."Recordings and performances
Ernie Marrs, along with the "Marrs Family" (friends Kay Cothran and Bud Foote) recorded a version of "Plastic Jesus" in
1965 that was featured in the motion picture "Cool Hand Luke " (1967 ).imdb title|id=0061512|title=Cool Hand Luke]In the film,
Paul Newman also sings the song while playing a banjo.The song was covered by the
The Flaming Lips on their album "Transmissions from the Satellite Heart " (1993 ), though on the album the track is titled "*******".It has also been covered by
Billy Idol on the album "Devil's Playground", The Levellers on their "Fifteen Years "EP ,Mojo Nixon andJello Biafra on the "Prairie Home Invasion " album, Jack Johnson at some of his gigs and on some bootlegs, Cowpunk band Jackass on their album "Plastic Jesus",The Blackeyed Susans on their albumDedicated to the Ones We Love , andRocky Votolato on his album "A Brief History ".Additional verses
Over the years, the folk tradition of this song has grown.
Several additional, optional verses have been added to the song. Many folk lyrics refer to
Jesus , but several other verses refer to Mary, Joseph,the Apostles , or theDevil . [http://www.reverendcolin.com/PlasticJesus.html Lyrics and interview attributed to Ed Rush] ]Folksinger
Joe Bethancourt has parodies of "Plastic Jesus" on his website, including "Plastic Vishnu", "Plastic Cthulhu" and an ecumenical version containing verses referencing several religions (Buddhism, Judaism, etc.). [http://www.whitetreeaz.com/plastic_jesus/ Plastic Jesus page at whitetreeaz.com] ]References
External links
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/projects_initiatives/broadside/artists/ernie_marrs.html Folkways Smithsonian Recordings]
* [http://www.emimusicpub.com/worldwide/servlet/displaySong?id=47041&aka_seq= Plastic Jesus page from EMI Music Publishing]
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