'80s Christian Rock/Pop

At the start of the '80s, Christian pop/rock was still an underground phenomenon. But before the decade was done, it was one of the best, boldest, and biggest ways to "make a joyful noise unto the Lord." If any one artist can be credited with pushing Christian music into the mainstream, it's Amy Grant, and when you hear her heavenly voice raised high in praise on "El-Shaddai," you'll understand why. Holy headbangers Stryper struck the first big blow for Christian metal in '86 with their raw but righteous anthem "To Hell with the Devil." But at the other end of the spectrum, Steven Curtis Chapman showed that the intimate singer-songwriter sound could take root in the Christian pop realm, too, digging down deep for powerful, but very personal proclamations of faith like "More to This Life."

In Next Steps, Christian music moves to a funk-baked groove.

Just because you've got faith, that doesn't mean you can't be funky, a fact '80s Christian pop brought home time and time again. The long-lived Imperials began back in the '60s as a Southern gospel group, but by the time the '80s rolled around, they were strutting their stuff on Spinners-style, Philly soul-influenced cuts like "I'm Forgiven." Andrus, Blackwood & Co., one of Christian music's first racially integrated groups, serve up a sound that channels blue-eyed soul à la Hall & Oates and Michael McDonald, shining strong and bright on "Soldier of the Light." And even Leon Patillo, who sang for Santana in the '70s, showed his spiritual side in the '80s, as the purveyor of potent but smooth soul-tinged tunes like "One Thing Leads to Another."

Punk and new wave take the reins when '80s Christian rockers come raging into view, in Deep Cuts.

Don't think for a minute that Christian artists missed out on any of the rock action going down in the '80s. The Altar Boys soaked up the SoCal punk sounds of the era and mixed them with a poppy knack and a Replacements-like roar on "You Found Me." One listen to the pulsing synthesizers and hiccupping vocals of Steve Taylor's "Meltdown (At Madame Tussaud's)" lets you know that there was plenty of room for the word of the Lord in the new wave world. And alt-rock cult heroes the Choir amp up the angelic atmosphere when they deliver a dreamy dose of six-string jangle on "Robin Had a Dream."

In the '70s, the closest most people got to Christian pop was the acoustic guitar-strumming balladeers at homespun folk masses, or the occasional Jesus mention in a secular song like "Fire and Rain." The '80s changed all that, with full-fledged faith-based stars like Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Petra, and Stryper busting out with a spiritual take on the tones of the times, and a sound that demanded mainstream attention. Get set to hear — and feel — the triumph of spirit, song, and surefire catchy chorus that marked the '80s ascension of Christian pop/rock, because we've gathered up in one playlist all of the era's most undeniable moments, from the poetic roots-rock of Mark Heard to the sleek, R&B-soaked concoctions of BeBe & CeCe Winans. You don't have to be Christian to enjoy it, either — all you need are ears.