Tony Banks’ Theology

Last updated on: September 30, 2020 at 5:33 am by James F. McGrath

Tony Banks’ Theology 2020-09-29T18:27:50-04:00 James F. McGrath

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I’ve been interested in the religious themes of Tony Banks’ songs both as part of Genesis and on his solo albums for a long time, well before I began work on a book on theology and progressive rock. (Banks’ keyboard playing, as you may be aware, was what led me to take up the instrument). If there is a particular if unrealistic hope I have in connection with the book project, it is that an opportunity will arise to talk with Tony Banks, whether a podcast interview or exchange of emails or anything else. I can easily imagine the mention of “theology” to be offputting, but as anyone who knows me can attest, this is not a sectarian endeavor either to read a particular religious viewpoint into the music of bands that never intended it, or to criticize musicians for views they express. My interest is in the role that things like the Bible and stories of Greek gods played in the musical creativity of Banks and other band members, whose music was described by an East Grimstead paper as being “folk-blues-mystical.”

In the setting of a band it can often be difficult to know who is responsible for particular ideas. However, thanks to a combination of clear album liner credits, interviews, and solo work that exemplifies traits seen in Genesis, it is possible to get a sense of Banks’ contribution not only musically but also lyrically.

It may be simplest to begin with solo work. On his album Bankstatement the song “The Border” features these words:

I don’t wanna hear how wisdom walks beside you
Or how God is inside you again

From the song “Big Man”:

The hot seat’s vacant cos he gave up the reins
He’s kissed his title goodbye run far away
He’s gone to ground in some hole – I don’t know where
All I know is somehow that I’m big man up here

I don’t need your worship
Just need a sacrifice each day
No need to worry
Just want to help in every way

The song’s lyrics are undoubtedly focused on power more generally, in realms of politics and business as much as on a celestial scale. Nonetheless, the choice to relate that to images of a deity enthroned and demanding or not demanding sacrifice is still theological in character.

The song “A House Needs a Roof” explores faith and evidence:

Wandering in a daze
Through a cold mechanical maze
I am lost and confused
I am always the loser
You tell me there’s a place
Where I can be alive

Is it near is it far is it somewhere between
This land you say exists that I’ve never seen
Call me please talk to me tell me the truth
I need to believe like a house needs a roof
Is it strange is it wonderful I need to know
Do you have a picture that you can show
The minute to capture the moment has come
The minute to capture the moment has come

It’s easy to believe
But less easy to imagine
I’ve grown so used to not coping
Waiting eternally hoping
Wishes come and go
But this one will stay I know
Could the time for adventure be
Just around the corner

“Queen of Darkness” is another interesting song with elements of religion’s more sinister symbols. See also the mention of heaven and forever in “The More I Hide It.”

Closely connected with this is the place of myth and fantasy in Banks’ lyrics. The song “Diamonds Aren’t So Hard” invites the person experiencing mundane hardships to a land with dragons and diamonds. The lyrics are striking not only because of the place of mythology in Banks’ songs, but also because it seizes the opportunity to emphasize that the stuff of human fantasy and dreaming as exemplified especially in film is subject to the realities of human life including growing old.

Banks’ first solo album A Curious Feeling was a concept album, and it too represents a modern myth in which Fate plays a role, and also makes reference to Greek myth in the track “The Waters of Lethe.” A more recent song, “The Serpent Said,” is about modern temptations but uses a biblical image. It is an image that appeared already on the very first Genesis album, which was a concept album related to the Bible, in the song “The Serpent.” The lyrics to that are fascinating, to say the least. On Genesis albums, once they started singling out songwriters separately to a greater extent, Tony Banks is credited as author of “One for the Vine” which tells a fascinating story about false prophets. Banks says of the lyrics, “I liked the cyclical nature of the story: the person in the end becomes the prophet he didn’t believe in and becomes disillusioned.” It remains a longstanding favorite of mine, as does that entire album Wind and Wuthering.

Given the opportunity, I’d simply love to talk with Banks about the role religious and mythological themes play in inspiring his music, why he gravitates towards the types of storytelling in song that includes mythical and fantastical beings and realms, and whether there is in fact any kind of particular vision he has that inspires and is expressed in his songs and his music more generally. I would also want to find out what his role was in the creation of songs by Genesis that explore mythical and religious themes. Whose idea was it to tell the story of Hermaphroditus in “The Fountain of Salmacis”? Did “The Cinema Show” begin as a story of a man and a woman in modern society and then turn to the ancient Greek story of Tiresias, or was the myth the starting point? Did the band members’ views of charlatan preachers change or remain largely the same between “Supper’s Ready” and “Jesus He Knows Me”? The latter reflects Phil Collins’ lyric-writing and their exposure to American televangelists, but there may be significant underlying continuity of perspective nonetheless.

So many interesting questions that I think would be worth asking, given the opportunity, related to such a wonderful history of creative music-making. The above barely scratches the surface of one member of Genesis’ contribution to the realm where music and religious imagery intersect. And that even without much being provided by me in the way of commentary. There’s a lot more to be said on the subject, and I’m looking forward to digging into this more deeply as work on the book progresses.

Previous Post

September 29, 2020

Psephology

Next Post

October 1, 2020 Silk Road at #AARSBL19

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Peter 1 Samuel 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Corinthians 2 Kings 2 Peter 2 Samuel 2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy academia Acts of the Apostles afterlife Akhaten Alcatraz American Academy of Religion Amos Anglican Arabic Aramaic archaeology art artificial intelligence astronomy atheism atonement Babylon 5 Baptists Battlestar Galactica Bible Biblical Studies Carnival biblioblogging Black Mirror Blade Runner Book of Job book review Buddhism Call for Papers China Christianity Christmas Christology Chronicles Coptic creation Daniel Deuteronomy Doctor Who Dune Easter Ecclesiastes economics education Eldad Keynan Enoch Seminar Ephesians eschatology Esther Evangelicals evolution Exodus Expanse Ezekiel Ezra fantasy Fringe fundamentalism Galatians games Ge'ez genealogy Genesis Gnosticism Gospel of Jesus' Wife Gospel of John Gospel of Judas Gospel of Luke Gospel of Mark Gospel of Matthew Gospel of Peter Gospel of Thomas Greek Harry Potter Hebrew Hebrews Hinduism historical Jesus history Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Holidays horror Hosea humor incarnation India inerrancy information literacy inspirational Intelligent Design Ireland Isaiah Islam Israel Italy James Jeremiah John the Baptist Jonah Joshua Judaism Jude Judges Judith Lamentations languages Latin Leviticus libraries literature Lord of the Rings LOST Mandaeans Mandaic memes Methodism Micah monotheism morality Mormons movies music mythicism NASSCAL Nehemiah new perspective New Testament news Numbers Orthodox paganism panentheism pantheism Patheos Paul and his letters Pentecostals Philippians Philippians 2:6-11 philosophy physics Planet of the Apes podcast politics Progressive Christianity Protestantism Proverbs Psalms pseudoscience racism religion Revelation Roman Catholicism Romania Romans Ruth scams science science fiction Secret Gospel of Mark Society of Biblical Literature Song of Songs Star Trek Star Wars Stargate Swahili Syriac Taoism technology Terminator The Handmaid's Tale The Hobbit The Matrix theodicy theology theory Timeless Titus tomb Torchwood travel TRON Uncategorized United Kingdom Westworld X-Files young-earth creationism Zechariah

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 February 2007 January 2001

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz