Rolling Down A Mountainside

My dad made me a mix cd last week with this song on it. I was previously somewhat familiar with The Main Ingredient . I knew that Cuba Gooding Sr. was the lead singer, I've heard "Everybody Plays The Fool" a thousand times and also "Just Don't Want To Be Lonely." But this song is so much better, and there is something specific about it that makes this way.

The "God Is On Our Side" section after the choruses (1:21, 2:42) sounds so awesome to me, and it's not just because of the melody. There's something unique about the way God is introduced to the song, in a strictly feel-good way. There's nothing religious or political about the song. It's not about civil rights (not that there aren't some great songs about that). It's just sort of a people-getting-by theme. And I was totally shocked by how cool it sounds to me in that context. Considering how negatively I feel towards most (all) contemporary Christian music (ignoring gospel, of which I have very little knowledge/contact), I really appreciate the way this song puts God in a different light. How much better is it to hear a song about God that you can cruise to with the windows down than one with bad weather metaphors, where you feel obligated to make some kind of emotional/spiritual connection? Maybe that's what it comes down to: "Rolling Down A Mountainside" is really just a song about living, reminding us that God is on our side.