I’ve never actually seen Jesus Christ Superstar or listened to its soundtrack in its entirety. When it comes to the Christianity-inspired Broadway musicals, Godspell was always my jam.

But when I heard that Cynthia Erivo was cast as Jesus in the Hollywood Bowl production of Jesus Christ Superstar (August 1-3, 2025), I had to check it out. The casting pissed off so many close-minded people, and Erivo is one of the most talented performers out there, so I wanted to see her work and to show my support.

Back in August right after the show premiered, there were dozens of high-quality YouTube videos showing the performance, and they have since disappeared. This was the best one I could find that still exists, and I did a fair share of looking.

Anyway, this is an earworm. As soon as I heard Erivo sing it, I wanted to find other covers of the song, including the original one from the 1973 film. I like Erivo’s the best, though, even though there are good ones out there.

I don’t know why after all these months this particular song (that I can’t pronounce or spell) pops up in my head, but I’ll be in a moment of solitude, and then her voice appears singing “I have to know, I have to know my God!” and “WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY should I dieeeeeeeeeeee?” It’s a powerful performance that sneaks its way into my brain at random times.

I don’t actually mind this one, though.