How did Brandi Carlile turn Thomas Jefferson’s words on Church and State into a rock anthem? The singer’s powerful ‘SNL’ performance explained

Brandi Carlile took to the Saturday Night Live stage on November 1 as the musical guest. The singer and songwriter performed Church and State and Human from her new album, Returning to Myself. Variety noted that the track was inspired by Thomas Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists (1802). The track appears to signal a political message and a call to her fans.

Specifically, Brandi recites the following part of the letter:

"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.”

In a conversation with the news outlet, Brandi talked about being heavily inspired by U2 for the song. Even though anger may be the fuel for the track, Brandi drives it with hope and shifts the power to the people. She sings,

"When the frailty overcomes them / And they begin to crawl / Reaching out their bloody hands / Guess who gets to make the call? / Well they don’t see, what we see / But we believe, we believe / That they’re not gonna live forever … They’re here today then they’re gone forever… We’ll find a way / Imagine if we could.”

Brandi Carlile's powerful ‘SNL’ performance explained

Brandi Carlile altered the atmosphere of the SNL stage with her powerful performances of Church and State and Human. People magazine reported that there were some audio difficulties during the performance of Church and State, but many viewers enjoyed it irrespective, with some describing it as "revolutionary."

In an interview with Variety about her new album, Returning to Myself, Brandi revealed that she wrote Church and State and Human on Election Night 2024, reflecting her experiences of the political scenario. She explained,

"When the lyrics were coming together for that song, I just couldn’t stop thinking of the wisdom of Thomas Jefferson’s address to the Danbury Baptists. There’s so much wisdom in the Constitution, and even the notations on the Constitution are full of wisdom — the footnotes, if you will."

She added,

"What he said to the Baptists was intended to reassure them that they would be allowed to practice their faith, spirituality, religion, however you want to refer to it, freely under the Constitution. But he also makes a really important distinction that we aren’t an autocracy. We’re not a theocracy."

She noted that Thomas Jefferson's message continues to hold meaning to date and allows for the US to "be secular."

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Brandi Carlile made her second appearance as a musical guest on SNL in 2025. The singer had previously performed with Elton John to promote their album, Who Believes In Angels?

Which is your favorite track by Brandi Carlile? Tell us in the comments below.

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