New Delhi: Pope Francis is just making his first visit to the United States. A crowd of over 80,000 people, who were issued tickets by lottery, gave him a rapturous welcome at New York's Central Park, treating him like a rock star.
Well, that's appropriate because the Pope is one. Literally. He's releasing a rock album next month called Wake Up! The title track of the album has already been released and is available for free download.
The words of the track, which is called Wake Up! Go! Go! Forward!, are taken from a speech the 78-year-old pontiff gave in South Korea. In fact all 11 tracks on the album feature speeches given by the Pope in countries around the world including the Vatican, Italy, Brazil, Philippines and South Korea. The speeches are in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and English, showcasing the Pope's linguistic skills.
These have been set to music by a bunch of musicians. The tracks on the album belong to the genre of progressive or prog rock, which tends to be more experimental than other genres of rock.
So the Pope does not actually sing or play an instrument on the album, which may disappoint some of the faithful. But one of his predecessors has. Back in 2009, Pope Benedict XVI released a Christmas album called Alma Mater and was even heard singing on one of the tracks, a chant in which he was leading the choir.
But Pope Francis is more popular, among Catholics and non-Catholics alike, so his album is generating a lot more buzz.
The album can be preordered on iTunes. Listen to the title track here:
