“I think the devil made me / Do it, do it, baby / I found myself when I lost my faith…” Hmm, interesting Tyler Glenn (frontman of Neon Trees), very interesting. “Devil,” the superb, final song off of Glenn’s 2016 solo album, Excommunication, finds Glenn coming to terms with sexuality and religion, specifically, the LDS (Mormon) church. “Devil,” as well as the majority of Excommunication, highlights, combats, and atones for conservative, narrow-minded views of homosexuality associated with the church. Glenn is losing his religion, at least to a certain extent.
“Sunday mornings make me nervous / They don’t feel like they used to feel,” Glenn sings at the onset of the first verse, later adding, “I think I still believe in Jesus / He’s a friend when I choose to pray.” After coming out as an openly gay as a Mormon, Glenn’s sexual preference went against the tenets of his religion and church. Ultimately, he wasn’t accepted by the LDS church due to his homosexuality. While “Devil” and Excommunication focus on one particular denomination, Glenn’s story of ‘excommunication’ isn’t merely specific to one church or religion – it is a frequent occurrence, even with greater tolerance.
“A Sunday service got me anxious / It’s the reason why I was depressed,” Glenn sings on the second verse, continuing, “I could see it in their face, I did not deserve His grace.” Man, oh man!
Glenn was left with the choice to suppress and fend off his sexuality and identity or pretend to be something he wasn’t and remain in the good favors of the church. Ultimately, he “Couldn’t pray the gay away…,” and, as the chorus, excerpted above confirms, he discovered his true self when he let his faith fall by the wayside.
“Devil” has even more to unpack – an essay could be written about this powerful the song alone. This write-up doesn’t even explore the familial impact. The big takeaway is that Tyler Glenn does a fantastic job of capturing his personal experience of embracing his true self as an openly gay man and the impact of religion.
You can learn more about Tyler Glenn here:
About The Curator - Brent Faulkner
Slightly eccentric with interests that seem to know no ends, restless ‘Renaissance Man’ is the best way to characterize Brent Faulkner, a native of Kentucky. A certified music educator, multi-instrumentalist, and composer known for his incredibly sharp ear, he lives and breathes music of a variety of styles. In addition to passion for educating, performing, and writing music, he’s equally passionate blogging and writing about it, managing his own site, The Musical Hype (https://themusicalhype.com). When he’s not intensely analyzing music, you can find him reading or watching a movie, reality television or some sporting event.