Looking Back on the Christian Messages in Switchfoot’s ‘The Beautiful Letdown’, 13 Years After its Release

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Looking Back & Moving Forward: Switchfoot celebrates The Beautiful Letdown 13th Anniversary and upcoming Tenth Record Release Party.

2016 marks the 13th anniversary of Switchfoot's seminal album, The Beautiful Letdown. Upon release, it received critical acclaim among the Christian music press for its combination of meaningful lyrics, crisp production, and modern rock sound. The band are still going strong, but The Beautiful Letdown marked the point where they really hit their stride.

Looking Back on the Christian Messages in Switchfoot’s ‘The Beautiful Letdown’, 13 Years After its Release[/tweetthis]

Certified Double Platinum the album spent 38 weeks on the Billboard charts fueled by the two Top 20 Hits “Meant to Live” and “Dare You to Move.”

As befitting a Christian rock band, The Beautiful Letdown finds the band frequently drawing on religious imagery and symbolism in their lyrics. With a contemplative tone that reflects his ever evolving relationship with God, lead singer Jon Foreman produces some extremely affecting lyrics that have gained them many fans in the years since the album's original release. Coupled with a more mainstream rock sound, The Beautiful Letdown was the album which finally launched Switchfoot to the larger audience that they deserved, and ever since they have striven to create more music which lives up to the gauntlet thrown down by their fourth album.

Songs like “Dare You To Move” present the listener with the challenge to make a difference to the world through the power of Christ, demonstrating the band’s eagerness to spread the Christian message to all. It is the album’s title track, though, which makes the biggest declaration of Switchfoot’s intent, as they note that any attempt to put faith in something other than God is doomed to failure, and will indeed be just a letdown. Their convictions shine through in every track, presenting a religious message wrapped up in catchy, compulsive rock.

Switchfoot are not resting on their laurels, though. The band are currently hard at work recording their tenth album, and will be undertaking a Summer Getaway trip to commemorate its release. While they might look back on their past success, they are certainly not letting this stop them from pressing on into the future.

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