The Kingsmen put modern spin on “I’m Saved”

Though The Kingsmen’s super-sized retrospective collection for Horizon Records, Decades, Vol. 3 & 4, didn’t debut until late in 2024, the group is already back with a new single — and once again, they’re dipping into their boundless catalog to freshen an old favorite. With its peppy tempo, joyous feel and straightforward, insistent message, “I’m Saved” is a joyous gift to fans who can’t get enough of the legendary quartet’s sound.

The song loses no time in getting to the essence of God’s gift, with Jeff Collins’ piano leading straight to the first chorus:

I’m saved, I’m washed in the blood of the Lamb

He is the Son of the Great I Am

Forgiven, forgotten, those sins are washed away

And I’m saved, I’m saved, I’m saved

From there, the spirit overflows as the singers take turns offering testimony to God’s grace, urged on by the piano, David Johnson’s pedal steel and Jeremy Medkiff’s electric guitar — indeed, the performance is so energetic that the band can barely bring themselves to stop, leaving a final flourish to ring in the listener’s ear.

“‘I’m Saved’ was a fun ‘sugar-stick’ song for the Kingsmen in the early 90s,” recalls Kendall. “And our producer Jeff Collins and my singing partners in the present Kingsmen did a great job of bringing it up to date. Both fun and inspiring! Its lyrics are simple, yet it possesses a strong and declaratory message, relevant for any generation who can claim, ‘I’m saved and washed in the blood of the Lamb!’”