By Movieguide® Staff
Christian rock group Skillet’s debut Christmas single, a cover of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” hit No. 1 on five different Billboard charts.
“Thank you for supporting our first ever Christmas single!” the band posted on Instagram. “We have loved hearing how this song has impacted you.”
Related: Skillet Responds to Backlash Over Their Rendition of This Classic Christmas Song
The cover went No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian Digital Song Sales, Holiday Digital Song Sales, Rock Digital Song Sales, Alternative Digital Song Sales and Hard Rock Digital Song Sales charts.
While the song is popular, some have criticized the band’s cover, calling it “demonic.”
Skillet frontman John Cooper spoke to ChurchLeaders about the backlash, saying, “I’m not angry or even offended by those who believe my music is somehow satanic.”
He explained that his parents had the same thoughts about rock music, adding, “[They] were just doing what they believed was right because they loved me and wanted to protect me. And I assume that those who criticize Skillet have the same motive — and I assume they are brothers.”
“But I do wish they could hear the stories of how God has used our music to bring the light and hope of the gospel into broken lives, and it is because of the call of the Lord that I easily ignore these voices,” Cooper continued. “They don’t slow me down — they ramp me up. In the words of Petra, who blazed a trail for us: ‘Don’t wanna be a man-pleaser, I wanna be a God-pleaser.’”
During an episode of the “Cooper Stuff Podcast,” Cooper spoke about how the cover single came to be, saying it was bandmate and wife Korey Cooper’s “brainchild.”
“It just all came together in such a weird quick way. Nothing is ever easy in this business except for this song,” he said.
Something else that brought weight to their cover of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” was learning about the death of Charlie Kirk during the recording process. Korey shared that the news gave the song some “heaviness,” but that the band wanted to keep recording and share the message of the song.
“God’s faithful; he’s coming. [Yes] there’s evil in the world. We all see it even more now than we did before,” she explained. “And I think it’s time for Christians to continue to speak truth however you can. For me, that’s definitely more with my art, with my music.”
While Skillet’s cover of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” might have its critics, people around the world are resonating with its powerful message.
Read Next: How God-Glorifying Art Changes Worship, According to Skillet’s Frontman
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