The song has been covered by various bands and artists over the years, including the Byrds, Underground Sunshine, the Doobie Brothers, Alexis Korner, the Ventures, DC Talk, Stryper, Shelagh McDonald, and Robert Randolph (featuring Eric Clapton).
[9] The song has also been covered by Robert Randolph on his Colorblind album, with guest artist Eric Clapton[10] and Stryper's 2013 release, No More Hell to Pay.
[11] The Byrds' version of "Jesus Is Just Alright" was recorded on June 17, 1969, during the sessions for the band's eighth studio album, Ballad of Easy Rider.
[14][15] Despite this lack of commercial success, the Doobie Brothers' later hit version of the song featured an arrangement that was heavily influenced by the Byrds' recording.
[5] The Byrds had added the song to their live concert repertoire some months before the start of the Ballad of Easy Rider recording sessions, and it had quickly become an audience favorite.
[16] In concert, the Byrds rendition of "Jesus Is Just Alright" began with a wordless vocal introduction that built up and led into the first iteration of the song's chorus.
[5] Cash Box said, "dropping a good deal of their country trappings and accenting some blazing instrumental arrangements, the Byrds take flight with a marvel in the material department.
[28] In 2007, bassist Tiran Porter claimed that the idea of adding a slow bridge was his, including the lyrics "Jesus is my friend", but due to the high vocal range demanded, guitarist Patrick Simmons sang lead instead of him.
[29] Although none of the individual band members were religiously inclined, the song went on to become very popular among Christians during the early 1970s, particularly those within the hippie counterculture that were involved with the Jesus movement.
In addition to being musically based upon the earlier Byrds and Doobie Brothers' recordings, DC Talk's version of the song also features samples of Madonna's hit single "Vogue" and the Snap!
In the audio commentary of the Free at Last – The Movie bonus DVD, Tait identified "Jesus Is Just Alright" as the song that DC Talk has performed most in their live shows.
The song's music video was shot entirely in muted sepia-tone and featured DC Talk singing around three crosses in a desert, surrounded by musicians and dancers.