This is my hymn, it's the only one I know
[Points to whoever first gets the song this post's title is from without Googling - Erin doesn't count. :o) ]
Jeff has been riffing (pun intended) on both being bored by CCM (yes, that will be in a future version of buzzword bingo) as well as spiritually moved by some "secular" music. Others have run posts on both topics before, but it keeps coming up as a popular topic so obviously it is not just Jeff (or me!) who feels that way. Les likes Third Day while my 12 year old daughter loves Casting Crowns (and has been to one of their concerts), but both are pretty much just "OK" to me. I do love John Mark McMillan, but that's because he sings songs of lament and not just the usual "happy clappy" or "Jesus is my boyfriend" stuff.
Our denomination sings pretty complicated stuff (except for the "contemporary" service, which pretty much sticks to the CCM genre). My lovely wife, who grew up singing in choirs and playing classical piano, loves it. Me? Not so much. It is hard to tap your foot to them let alone get lost in them. In the sense of "traditional" hymns I actually love bluegrass gospel - I can sing right along, know how to find the harmonies and get carried away by both the music and the lyrics (and yes, O, Brother had something to do with that - sue me for being unoriginal). I am pretty boring - Amazing Grace still moves me to tears (I can never actually sing "that saved a wretch like me" - I choke up every time), and I guess I'm the only person on the planet that still wishes services ended with the doxology.
When it comes to secular music speaking to us in a spiritual way lots of people have their lists. Here are some (but far from all) of mine:
- Big Head Todd and the Monsters - Flander's Fields
- Everlast - What It's Like
- Bruce Hornsby - The Way It Is
- Anne McCue - Gandhi
- Lori McKenna - Bible Song
- Alanis Morissette - Still
- Spanky and Our Gang - Give a Damn
- U2 - One
What about you? Leave a comment on one of Jeff's posts.
9 comments:
Hey, no fair!
Actually I didn't know that one. So I Googled it. Yes, I'm a cheater
That's two you missed - well, THREE because of the whole missed Janis connection. I may have to reconsider thinking of you as well-versed in music! :-P
Here's a partial list of so-called secular songs that move me spiritually:
Higher Love - Steve Winwood
I Only Have Eyes For You - Art Garfunkel
Dogs - Pink Floyd
Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd
Don't Dream Its Over - Crowded House
Carry On My Wayward Son - Kansas
Dust in the Wind - Kansas
Arms Wide Open - Creed
Going For the One - Yes
Landslide - Stevie Nicks
Nothing Else Matters - Metallica
Jim,
Thanks for the link back to my pages. Seems to be working. :)
I probably should have mentioned in my music discussion that I still weep easily at some of the old hymns and songs. With all the contemporary sounds and edgy stuff that has interested me...my all time faves are still...
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
How Great Thou Art
I Stand Amazed
My Jesus, I Love Thee
Timeless, and in the right context, the meaning will always be there just like they were new. Hope I can add one of my songs to the "timeless" list someday. :D
Tina,
I had never thought of "I Only Have Eyes For You" (I have versions by the Flamingos and Art Garfunkel - there's plenty more) as a spiritual song, but I can how it can be. Cool. Because that's one of the few songs I know by heart. I even sing it to Les once in a while.
Jeff,
To me the biggest issue with any music genre is when people latch on to it to the exclusion of everything else. So the church latches on to CCM and suddenly we lose a whole bunch of really good hymns that everyone knows and still likes, but no one wants to raise their hand and admit to because that would show they aren't "cool".
Jim,
Does U2 really count as non-CCM?
I'll go with "The Wanderer" by U2 off "Zooropa" with Johnny Cash on vocals.
Then of course several Johnny Cash songs - including "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" and "Sunday morning coming down" (Yeah, I know, Kris Kristofferson wrote it).
A B-52s instrumental off "Cosmic Thing" titled "Follow your Bliss."
"If God was one of us" by Joan Osborne.
A nod to Tina and I add "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd.
And a happy-clappy secular song, "One of Those Days" by Adrian Belew off "Mr. Music Head" (the album with "Oh Daddy.")
I'll stop there because this could be a whole week of blog entries encompassing several music genres. I blame my "History of Jazz" course in college.
Now I'm going to listen to "The Easter Song" by the Second Chapter of Acts and "Mary" by Degarmo & Key off their "Straight On" album.
-Sam
Hey cut me some slack for the Janis one...it was early. ;-)
Sam,
Yeah, U2 is sorta on the dividing line, but hey, I listened to them when I was away from the faith, so I figure they count as "secular". :-) And speaking of Johnny Cash, what about his remake of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus"? There are some that say the producer duped him into making that song, but I think Johnny was smarter than that. And by dropping the "Be" from the start of the lyric, it completely changed the song.
Erin,
I will cut you all the slack you want - but I am still going to rib you about that one!
Jim,
I don't get it - there word "Be" doesn't show up on the Depeche Mode album version of "Personal Jesus" on "Violator."
Have the album, would have used Personal Jesus as a wedding reception tune, seriously - I'm that demented sometimes.
I found out later after discussing with an atheist his take that it was a song about tele-evangelists, that the inspiration for the song - according to the songwriter - was Elvis' relationship with Priscilla.
And alas (or maybe not) there was no wedding, just a J.P. and me promising to try and be to my bride as Jesus was to his. I failed.
Lovely song anyway - the hook "Reach out and touch faith" is what grabbed me.
And for the record, we sang "Above All" and "Christ Our Lord is Risen Today" in church today - not long before the potluck with ham and the easter egg hunt.
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