Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam

"Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" is a song originally recorded by the Scottish alternative band the Vaselines for their EP Dying for It. It is a parody on the Christian children's hymn "I'll Be a Sunbeam", which has the opening line "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam." The Vaselines re-released the song in 1992 on the compilation albums The Way of The Vaselines: A Complete History and All the Stuff and More.

For the children's hymn, see I'll Be a Sunbeam.
"Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam"
Song by The Vaselines
from the album Dying for It
Released1987
GenreAlternative rock
Length3:31
Label53rd & 3rd
Songwriter(s)Eugene Kelly, Frances McKee
"Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam"
Song by Nirvana
from the album MTV Unplugged in New York
Released1 November 1994
Recorded18 November 1993
VenueSony Music Studios, New York City
GenreAlternative rock
Length4:37
LabelDGC Records
Songwriter(s)Eugene Kelly, Frances McKee
Producer(s)Alex Coletti, Scott Litt, Nirvana
MTV Unplugged in New York track listing
13 tracks
  1. "About a Girl"
  2. "Come as You Are"
  3. "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam"
  4. "The Man Who Sold the World"
  5. "Pennyroyal Tea"
  6. "Dumb"
  7. "Polly"
  8. "On a Plain"
  9. "Something in the Way"
  10. "Plateau"
  11. "Oh, Me"
  12. "Lake of Fire"
  13. "All Apologies"
  14. "Where Did You Sleep Last Night"

The song was little-known outside the indie-pop scene until Nirvana recorded the song in November 1993 for their live acoustic album MTV Unplugged in New York, re-titling it "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam". Two more versions of this rendition of the song were released on Nirvana's 2004 box set With the Lights Out. This included an acoustic version recorded in Europe in 1994, and a live electric performance on the DVD section of the box-set. Another version was released in 2011 as a bonus track on the 20th anniversary edition of Nevermind.

In the version featured on the MTV Unplugged in New York album, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain refers to the song as "a rendition of an old Christian song, I think. But we do it the Vaselines' way." [1]

Elvis Costello uses the line "Maybe Jesus wants you for a sunbeam" in the song "Alibi" from his 2002 album When I Was Cruel.

On the deluxe edition of their 2014 album Bleach House, Phillip Boa And The Voodooclub released a cover of "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam".

Notes
  1. Kurt Cobain, Nov. 18, 1993. MTV Unplugged in New York, DGC Records, released Nov. 1, 1994.
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