What’s next for the Music & Meaning podcast? A change of plans—even for good reasons—can often be unexpected. Unplanned, if you will. Such is the case for the future of this podcast. In this bonus episode, Charlie is joined by guest Sara Groves (codirector, Art House North) to explore why the next season of Music & Meaning may look and arrive differently than originally planned.  Links: Find Charlie’s new record, Every Kind of Uh-Oh. Buy Charlie’s book, Why Everything That Doesn’t...

In the final episode of our first season of Music & Meaning, host Charlie Peacock reflects on his unexpected journey into podcasting despite facing a head-banger of a neurological disorder called central sensitization. He discusses the podcast's origins and objectives, emphasizing that our aim is to offer a backstage pass to the musical and spiritual aspects of his multifaceted artistic life. We gratefully revisit highlights from the flagship season, underscoring our commitment to the...

With music a proven border-crossing phenomenon, musicians are the world's ambassadors, setting the stage for sonic and social mutual respect, collaborations, and partnerships. One such story is that of the song "Way Maker" and the artist who created it, Nigerian vocalist and songwriter Sinach. The song, originally made popular in the United States by Leeland, has crisscrossed the globe repeatedly, becoming a Christian worship music standard for many cultures. Our guests discuss how a song...

Charlie Peacock interviews iconoclastic recording artist, filmmaker, and educator Steve Taylor to discover how artists sustain a life of invention and reinvention. He wonders, is this path of discovery and creativity only for entrepreneurs and artists? Or, is something going on with this way of being that's applicable to all of life, from music to marriage? “Music and Meaning” is a production of Christianity Today Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Matt Stevens Produced and Written by...

Uh oh. AI is giving music consumers the apps to make their own tunes—or at least make ABBA sing like chipmunks. In today's show, Charlie rides a rollercoaster of emotions. He loves to play with the new tech but has the blues over the effortless nature of modern music-making tools. With a few text prompts, anyone can create a hooky pop song in 60 seconds—easy as ordering a latte—you don't even have to spell Tayler Swift right, let alone know music theory. Contributing to today's episode are...

Amy Grant's Heart In Motion soared to the top of the Billboard charts and into the hearts of millions. Host Charlie Peacock weaves a narrative that's part celebration and part surprise. He reminds us that this Album of the Year-nominated pop masterpiece is still as fun as it was transformational. It's a moment to reflect, with a touch of playfulness, on the choices that reshaped Amy's career and the dreams of many young artists. Could future artists love the Christian church and create the...

In this special episode, we highlight Women's History Month (March 2024) by featuring host Charlie Peacock in conversation with a panel of Nashville's best, up-and-coming women songwriters: Erika Daves (Daves Highway), Jasmine Mullen (The New Respects), and Abby Siler (songwriter, Integrity Music). All three singer-songwriters are committed to loving God and people through music, serving the Christian church, and creating the songs the whole world sings in country, pop, R&B/Soul, indie...

In this episode, host Charlie Peacock, fields soul-stirring questions from our listeners with in-depth answers and music examples. He's joined by guest musicians, former Motown Records drummer Aaron Smith and the Grammy and Oscar-nominated songwriter Sam Ashworth. We take you on a seamless audio journey of insights and inventions, including the story of Charlie recording Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jackson Browne, the spiritual nature of goodness, Northern California punk rock...

Welcome to a special episode of Music & Meaning, in which host Charlie Peacock welcomes not one, not two, but three music industry guests! Listeners get to hear from: Tracy Gershon, entertainment consultant, music publisher, and host of Sirius XM’s Y’all Together Now Rissi Palmer, recording artist and host of Apple Music’s Color Me Country Swagg R’Celious, Grammy-Award-winning producer, songwriter, executive, and professor Their conversation covers the 2024 Grammy Awards, including the...

In this episode, we interview Leah Payne about her new book, God Gave Rock and Roll to You. First question: "Is this true? God is responsible for rock music?" Enter historian Leah Payne, Ph.D., to provide the church history lesson. With host Charlie Peacock, Dr. Payne guides us through a fascinating labyrinth of spiritual and sonic convergence. Our odyssey commences at the dawn of the 20th century amidst the fervor of Pentecostal Revivalism. The story and soundtrack show how predominantly...

In this episode of Music & Meaning we give props and respect to Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a groundbreaking musician and Jesus follower who merged gospel and rock music. In a time when the deck was stacked against her, Sister Rosetta Tharpe stood tall and delivered gospel performances that could turn a skeptic into a believer. Her profound legacy was finally acknowledged with a 2018 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. Sister Rosetta's role as an architect of rock guitar and the true...

In this episode of Music & Meaning, we take you on a sonic sojourn. We're dialing back the clock to the dusty scrolls of St. Augustine—the original bad boy rock star turned philosopher-saint, a proto-Kendrick Lamar with parchment and pen, not a playlist. Now, picture Augustine with a pair of Apple AirPods nodding to today's Top 40. What does he hear? Beats that drop harder than Roman empires and lyrics that scratch at the eternal itch of the human heart. Augustine's own lyrics, his...

In this episode of Music & Meaning, host Charlie Peacock offers a narrative trip through the many ways Jesus has been represented in pop music: explicitly, implicitly, genuinely, and in mockery.  He discusses Jesus Christ Superstar, the rock opera that brought a contemporary Jesus to a new generation. This leads to a look into the '70s perspective of Jesus as a symbol of authenticity and rebellion, covering tracks from Norman Greenbaum, James Taylor, The Velvet Underground, and...

In this episode of "Music and Meaning” Charlie tackles the headline topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on music.  He kicks off with Elon Musk's AI warnings and the tech industry's temporary pause on advancements like ChatGPT-4, then draws an intriguing parallel between AI's unchecked growth and the biblical Tower of Babel, posing sharp ethical questions. He reminisces about his early days of tech adoption as a young music producer, from Moog synthesizers to digital samplers...

In this episode of "Music and Meaning" with Charlie Peacock, we dive into the story of his signing of the Grammy Award-winning band Switchfoot, a pivotal moment in Christian and mainstream rock music. Charlie recounts his inspiration from 1996, challenging the conventional 'crossover' approach in Christian music. He shares his vision of creating music for all, leading to the discovery of Switchfoot's demo tape. The episode navigates the challenges of introducing Switchfoot to Christian...

Music and Meaning is a captivating, cinematic podcast written and hosted by Grammy Award-winning music producer Charlie Peacock. Charlie shares evocative, in-depth stories of his intricate dance of serving both the church and crafting the popular songs the whole world sings. By analyzing the soundtrack of our lives, Charlie, skillfully and artistically teases out its profound social and theological meaning. Reflective and whimsical, Charlie shows how music transcends mere sound, becoming a...