I never really understood the essence of Christianity—why it remains so compelling—until I saw Jesus Christ Superstar. The musical elevates the perspective of Judas Iscariot, typically the ignoble loser in the Passion story, too low and worthless even to be called a villain. Here, Judas is an everyman for the skeptical among us. He’s all too human—vulnerable, ironic, and righteously angry. He appears at the end in an incongruous disco number, a contemporary Greek chorus, to demand answers from Jesus that he's never going to get: “Did you know your messy death would be a record breaker?”

Carl Anderson, “Superstar,” from the film Jesus Christ Superstar, 1973. Written by Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber, 1969.

This post is part of Music 100, a love letter to songs. 100 words on 100 songs in 100 days, running from Groundhog Day to early June, 2025.

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