B-side "The Time Machine" Recorded 1995 Length 3:07 | Format CD single Genre Country | |
Released November 1996 (1996-11) | ||
"What If Jesus Comes Back Like That" is a song written by Pat Bunch and Doug Johndon, and recorded by American country music singer Collin Raye. It was released in November 1996 the fifth single from his album I Think About You.
Contents
Content
The song is in E mixolydian (an E major scale with the seventh tone lowered by a half-step). Its main chord pattern is E-D/E-A/E. In the song, the narrator questions how people would react to Jesus returning in the modern day as a hobo or a child born of a drug-addicted parent.
Critical reception
Deborah Evans Price of Billboard gave it a positive review, saying that it "may be his most risky venture yet."
Chart performance
The song entered the Hot Country Singles chart dated November 25, 1995, peaking at number 57 on the December 16, 1995, chart. It spent 11 weeks on the chart on this timespan, receiving unsolicited airplay alongside Raye's then-current single "Not That Different". Upon its official release as a single, it re-entered in November 1996, reaching a new peak of number 21 on the January 4, 1997, chart. Overall, it spent 22 weeks on the charts between its two runs.