REAL Music
2005 October 19
By connecting with an old friend, I’ve had songs from my high school years playing in my mind. That isn’t hard, of course, because I keep oldies going on my Ipod quite often. But besides the obvious — CCR, the Eagles, America, — it’s been Loggins and Messina, Jim Croce, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, Bread, the Carpenters, John Denver and Elton John.
Elton John? the Carpenters? Where’s that coming from?
Music has this amazing ability to stick in the memory when all other stuff starts to leak out.
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I justed knew I liked you! As a kid, I learned to sing harmony by singing along with Karen Carpentar. She’s my all time favorite! I recently wrote a devotional piece using “Rainy Days and Mondays”. Listen to the song with the oject of the affection being the Lord. “Funny but it seems I always wind up here with you. Nice to know somebody loves me.” And He always does.
I say this with all seriousness. Would it be possible to get a Britney Spears song stuck in your head? Thankfully not.
Well, I’m running down the road
Tryin’ to loosen my load
I’ve got seven women on
My mind,
Four that wanna own me,
Two that wanna stone me,
One says she’s a friend of mine
I wish I could get a song that I acutally like stuck in my head. Instead it’s songs like the theme song from Barney, or BINGO, or the Bear Went Over the Mountain.
I agree, I love music. Songs just have a way of grabbing hold of our brains and playing over and over again. That’s why, as Christiana, we need to be careful of the songs we put up there. WOuld God rather us have songs that support Godly values or earthly ones playing over and over again?
There is clearly some music that doesn’t need to be stored in our limited cells. But if God is the author of delight, of joy, of art, of color, of music — then we ought to be thankful for the tunes that bring a smile to our faces, make us want to dance, and remind us that all is a gift. Just be glad your high school years were during a time when the music was really good. Some of us weren’t that lucky!
I never have been one who was great at memorizing scripture. But growing up listening to Keith Lancaster and Acapella, I have more scripture memorized than I realized. There are still times when I read my Bible that I run across a verse or passage and think, “Hey, Acapella sang that.” I had committed it to memory and didn’t even know it. Music has power.
Mrs. B,
Personally, I’ve found some of the most spiritually engaging music to be “secular” music. I’m even skeptical to separate the “secular” from the “Christian” in my mind, because I believe we’ve created that false distinction ourselves to “hedge ourselves in” from the world. I agree wholeheartedly that we need to monitor what is coming in, but for me, that has never been decided by whether the recording label is “Christian” or not. In fact, I often get more depressed and cynical listening to some “Christian” music…
But artists like Ben Harper, Damien Rice, John Mayer, Coldplay, (not to mention prophets like Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash!) and others are seriously “preaching it” in some of their songs. Take these lyrics from a Ben Harper song called “The Power of the Gospel”:
It will make a weak man mighty
it will make a mighty man fall
it will fill your heart and hands
or leave you with nothing at all
it’s the eyes for the blind
and legs for the lame
it is love for hate
and pride for shame
that’s the power of the gospel
that’s the power of the gospel
that’s the power of the mighty power
that’s the power of the gospel
gospel on the water
gospel on the land
the gospel in every woman
the gospel in every man
gospel in the garden
gospel in the trees
the gospel that’s inside of you
ge gospel inside of me
that’s the power of the gospel
that’s the power of the gospel
that’s the power of the mighty power
that’s the power of the gospel
in the hour of the richness
in the hour of need
for all of creation
comes from the gospel seed
now you may leave tomorrow
and you may leave today
but you’ve got to have the gospel
when you start out on your way
that’s the power of the gospel
that’s the power of the gospel
that’s the power of the mighty power
that’s the power of the gospel
Be blessed today.
John,
You’re right on. Why do you think we can SING the New Testament books, but few of us can RECITE them. How about the days of creation? “Day One, Day One” anybody? How about that “short guy” from the NT? Most of the stories told throughout history were set to song. Look at the Psalms. God KNOWS what he’s doing! He’s made it easier for our brains to recall the vast amount of information he has given to us.
Sing
Sing a song….
Sing out loud
Sing out strong!
Oh, but KentF, you left out the best part of that song:
“It’s a girl, my Lord,
In a flatbed Ford
Slowin’ down to take a look at me.”
Any time you can rhyme “my Lord” with “flatbed Ford,” you’ve got a winner.
Mike — I highly recommend this. I did this and posted it on my blog.
1. Go to musicoutfitters.com and, in the search box provided, enter the year you graduated high school.
2. From the search results, click the link for the top 100 songs of that year.
3. With the resulting list:
1. Bold the songs you like
2. Italicize the ones you hate
3. Underline your favorite
4. Ignore the ones you don’t remember/don’t care about.
Then post it on your blog. It’s a fun trip down memory lane.
I too, have memorized many a scripture, by listening to Acappella. Maybe someone should put out a CD of the the Entire Bible as one big song with many verses.
I too, have memorized many a scripture, by listening to Acappella. Maybe someone should put out a CD of the the Entire Bible as one big song with many verses.
I too, have memorized many a scripture, by listening to Acappella. Maybe someone should put out a CD of the the Entire Bible as one big song with many verses.
… with our hands behind our backs,
We pull Jesus from a hat,
Get into that! Get into that!
Roll up! Roll Up! Roll Up!
See the show!
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends,
We’re so glad you could attend –
Come inside, come inside!
ELP’s lines remind me of church … a big show.
Great Blog Mike. For me when I’m feeling down, I think of the great music that you advertised at the Zoe Conference on your commercial. How can you not have a bounce in your step humming (is that scriptural?) 728B? Or how about having the picture in my head of Randy Harris and his brilliant (“Where?”) accompaniment with you on the song, “Joy.” I’m a child of the 70’s as well but give me the songs on your new C.D. and I can face another hurricane (Wilma) here in the great state of Florida.
Deana,
That list is pretty interesting. My problem with it is that it’s mostly pop music. I was into hard rock then (and still am to some degree). There is only one Rolling Stones song on the list from my year (1982). There is no AC/DC, only one Van Halen song, etc.
Brings back lots of memories.
iTunes has Billboard charts by year for “Hot 100″, “Top Country” and “Top R & B”. You can see from 2004 all the way back to 1946 (though they only list 37 that year). Under “Hot 100″ there seems to be more than just Pop Music, at least in 1981 which was where I looked.
Anyone who is interested can find the link on the left side bar under “Inside the Music Store”.
Who’s Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show? Are you sure this is a valid memory–or just a dream that had something to do with Peter Pan?
The Acappella reference made me laugh! I had that experience just this morning at Bible Study Fellowship… we were talking about Jesus being the ultimate sacrifice and into my head popped (in a rather soulful way, I might add), “God made him who had no si-i-i-i-n, that we might become his righteousness.”
Does anybody else remember, appreciate Cat Stevens, some great music…”Peace Train”, also Seals and Croft…”Unborn Child”… moma stop! turn around, go back, think it over….”
Hey Kentf –
That line from the Eagles’ song would make a good commercial for a laxative:
“Well, I’m running down the road
Tryin’ to loosen my load…”
We may see this as the new ad campaign for Ex-Lax.
Jeff,
I could have gone all day without hearing that one
Did someone say “Who’s Dr. Hook”? I’m old!!!!!!!!!
Saw the people standin’ thousand years in chains.
Somebody said it’s diff’rent now, look, it’s just the same.
Pharoahs spin the message, round and round the truth.
They could have saved a million people, How can I tell you?
Wrote A Song For Ev’ryone,
Wrote a song for truth.
Wrote A Song For Ev’ryone
And I couldn’t even talk to you.
CCR – Wrote A Song for Everyone
Man just makes me want to put on an Ashlee Simpson album
Emily -
“Sylvia’s Mother”?
“On the Cover of the Rolling Stone”?
Please tell you you know these classics!
Mike
Mike –
I’ve been reading you all along, but have just been too busy here in what I call the “Katrina Zone” to comment anywhere, which I’ve really missed. But I’ve got the chance this evening and MUST say I agree with ALL of your “greatest” groups and music.
As for Cat Stevens – how can anyone even begin to mention his work without sticking in “Morning Has Broken,” which is the ultimate God created the world song.
As for the Carpenters – how about “I’m On the Top of the World” [looking down on creation . . .]
I love the Eagles, Loggins and Messina, Jim Croce, Elton John, on and on.
I was just thinking today, while I was out most of the day fighting 100% increase in population ALL ON THE STREETS of Slidell and listening to music about what I call “music that hurts the heart.” That’s the kind of music I was listening to all day. That music that brings out such intense feelings in one as to literally make the heart hurt in longing for such music in the prescence of God one day, even if it is what some would consider “worldly?” music. I don’t think so.
God gave us all the music of the world, just as He gave us all other great things of the world. I love it all (within reason, of course).
I love music, and can’t imagine life without it. However, it annoys me that so many good “classic” songs are being used in TV commercials these days. Take “Dust in the Wind”, for example–it’s currently being used in an SUV commercial (for Suburu, I think). Whatever happened to original commercial jingles–why do companies have to take good songs and turn them into pitches?? That’s my latest pet peeve…
I think must ahve been tortured as a child because I’ll forever have John Denver songs etched in my memory. My parents used to play them for hours on end driving from Kenai to Anchorage. There was nothing like listening to “Country road take me home to the place where I belong…” while winding through the mountains.
I agree, Lisa.
I will probably never buy a Chevy truck because they have almost ruined Bob Seger’s classic song “Like A Rock.”
Nothing moves me quite like hearing Hank Williams singing Your Cheating Heart….with a clothes pin on his nose. Also, Porter Waggoner, I cannot remember his music but I remember his gaudy suits. As much as I hated those songs growing up, when I hear them now it takes me back to my childhood and my parents sitting around the Parnell’s (family from church) kitchen table playing dominoes, and us kids running around like March apes…sweet fellowship.
Talk about being old….LOL
mmm.. nice design, I must say..