My mom has never been one to listen to song lyrics. Instead, she’s drawn in by nearly any ‘80s beat, no matter the subject. One of her longtime favorite bands is Depeche Mode, which she’s made clear during our car-ride sing-alongs. Still, each time “Personal Jesus” comes on, she’ll always ask if I’ve heard this one before. At first, I wasn’t a big fan and wasn’t quite sure why she liked it so much; it’s edgier than the feel-good tunes she typically enjoys, and the idea of my Buddhist mother singing her heart out to a song called “Personal Jesus” made me laugh. But now, after years of smiling along, there’s no denying that it holds a special place in my heart. 

Maybe her Buddhist upbringing softens the sacrilege of being someone’s personal Jesus — or maybe she just hasn’t thought about the lyrics at all. All I know is that whenever the song comes on, she’ll stop mid-sentence to bob along to the beat and reach her arms out to “touch faith,” and so will I.

Listen to the rest of the playlist here!