Love Spreads

It's basically the Crucifixion, but with Jesus in the form of a black woman. I posted this already under the discussion of the Roses' religious topics in general under "Breaking into Heaven". It's an excerpt from an inerview in Melody Maker from May 13, 1995.

One thing I particularly liked about Love Spreads were the lyrics "The Messiah is my sister", which sound really innocuous when you hear them on the radio but in fact you're questioning thousands of years of Christianity by saying that. It's a casually controversial thing to have in a pop song.

IAN: "I don't see it as controversial."

Tell that to the Pope!

IAN: "Well, if you read the Dead Sea scrolls, they tell you that Mary Magdalene gave Him his power."

ROBBIE: "Do you know what The Bible calls the church? 'She'. It's like what The Bible calls the earth, 'Mother Earth'."

Maybe, but it's always been written that God/Jesus was a Him. You could be on the brink of a major religious and political storm here, with people - in Italy or Ireland say - burning records in the street like they did with The Beatles!

JOHN: "The idea of the song is, 'Why couldn't Jesus have been a black woman?' It's just an attack on the white guy with a beard sittin' on a cross, cos that reinforces the patriarchal society."

Sounds like the guy is in love with a woman in an abusive relationship. He draws a parallel to the crucifixion.

The messiah died for mankind because he loves us. So that we could be saved from our sins, because the sins separate us from God.

Consider that the woman in the song is the messiah.

So the love spreads her arms because she was sacrificed for love.

this song's music and intro are amazing!

yes i agree this is the best stone roses song definately. i think mattp is very right along with zidanetribal, but one thing i dont understand is why call it 'love spreads' if its about pondering the traditional idea of jesus being a man. 'love spreads her arms, waits there for the nails' ? why is love spreading the arms of the messiah? i thought it was one of the executioner men that put the nails in jesus, hardly someone who is likely to be spreading love. any ideas anyone?

I think this song may have been written with fact in mind that Jesus wasn't a white guy.

i think that they are saying that the messiah is love.

Hardly redundant! Very, very dark lyrics that don't need to be explained

Reminds me of being 18 and playing it as loud as I could from my bedroom for the whole street to hear.

Still one of the greatest songs Ive ever heard.

According to Brown, the song was inspired by the book The Women's History of the World. The religious symbolism may be nothing more than metaphors.