Meaning of “God Is Really Real” by AJR

“God Is Really Real” has an interesting backstory in that it is about the terminal illness that the AJR boys’ father was suffering from. That is to say that, for starters, this is a band consisting of three brothers, Adam, Jack and the youngest, Ryan. 

On 1 July 2023, the bros. revealed, through Instagram, that their dad, Gary, ‘has been getting sicker and sicker for a year now’ and appeared as if he was on the way towards exiting the mortal plane. Part of the reason they were making the announcement was to apologize to fans for having to cancel upcoming shows as a result.

A couple of days later, on July 3^rd, “God Is Really Real” was dropped via Mercury Records. The following day, 4 July 2023, Gary did proceed to pass away. On the day of the track’s release AJR also, according to their Twitter account, “shot a quick video… in the hospital to go along with it”. And as for the teasing of this track, eagle-eyed fans of the band had known of its existence since late 2022, via Ryan’s participation on a livestream.

VERSE 1

The lyrics up with a sentiment we semi-commonly come across in songs like these, i.e. via popular musicians who have to concurrently deal with the death of a loved one. And that is being emotionally affected by the event yet compelled to remain on the grind concerning their careers nonetheless. Or as implied, even while out performing international gigs, at the same time the AJR boys’ minds were preoccupied by the fact that their “dad can’t get out of bed”.

VERSE 2 + 3

Then they note the irony – for lack of a better way of putting it – of the fact that even while their father is dying, the rest of the world is going on as if nothing is happening. And making such observations is another way of reinforcing the notion that even though the vocalist can’t stop thinking about his ill parent, life goes on as it always has.

By the time the chorus (which we will get to shortly) and third verse come around, it can be argued that maybe Gary’s sickness came as an inconvenience to AJR more than anything else. Or as implied, it put them in a mental state where nothing else really mattered. And whereas that may sound like an altruistic sentiment the way we put it, but as relayed in the song it sounds more like an irritation or ‘problem’, as the vocalist states.

VERSES 4 + 5

Such a disposition sorta permeates into the fourth verse, with the vocalist coming off as if he’s the recipient of unfair bad luck. And the fifth verse verifies that this song is basically AJR’s reaction to their father’s passing.  In other words, they did not know how to ‘face their feelings’ directly. 

So, being the artists that they are, the brothers did so through song.  And remember that this piece was dropped prior to Gary’s passing. So it actually concludes with a sentiment along the lines of looking forward to his recovery.

CHORUS OF “GOD IS REALLY REAL”

The chorus, however, is not as straightforward as the verses. Or let’s say that it can be interpreted in a couple of different ways. One is as pointing to the vocalist’s belief in God given the situation at hand.  And it is common for some people to become closer with a higher power during times of extreme sadness, such as the passing of a loved one.

However, in line with what has been expressed earlier in this post, there’s also what can be deemed a sentiment of sarcasm present in the chorus, the type people sometimes express when they feel that life hasn’t treated them unfairly. 

Or yet another way of interpreting matters, considering that the chorus concludes with the phrase “God’s f*-king fake until He’s not”, is that perhaps the AJR gang neglected His existence but was starkly reminded of it via the death of someone who’s very close to them.

“God is really real when you really, really need Him
Karma just appears when you suddenly believe it
Hear it loud and clear, just as long as it’s convenient (Convenient)
Life’s f–kin’ long ’til it stops, and God’s f–kin’ fake ’til He’s not”