Category Archives: Music

Music, Randomness, The King

The King Is 30 Years Gone

Pssst. Wanna know a secret?

I’m a big Elivs fan.

As a kid I wore out my Live in Hawaii cassette tape and I had a handful of my mother’s 45s that I played so much on my Fisher Price turntable that a permanent groove appeared on their surfaces. My dad is from Memphis so growing up we did the whole Graceland tour and we always watched the Elvis marathons on tv. I’m not a fan of most of his movies but I am a sucker for Viva Las Vegas.

Getting this off my chest feels good.

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. Of all the great memories I have of listening to Elvis or curling my lip or mimicking his voice and singing along with the oldies station as kid there is one memory that has left the biggest impression on me.

In college, we were living only 2hrs from Memphis. On a particularly boring Saturday morning I turned to my wife and said, “Wanna go to Graceland?” To my surprise she was more than willing to make the trek. We jumped in the car and headed across the Mississippi River toward our destination.

If you’ve never been to Graceland the ticket counters and the giftshops are across the boulevard from the house. You wait in line after choosing which tour package you want and then you take a shuttle across the street. When the tour is over you hop back onto a shuttle and ride to the giftshops.

After walking through the house (which looks like your house just with green shag carpet and and people buried in the backyard by the pool) we rode the shuttle to the giftshops to purchase a reminder of our impulsive trip to Memphis. While Sandy looked at the magnets and other knickknacks I headed to the CDs.

We went the weekend before the Elvis #1 compilation was released to the public and they were selling it there at the giftshop. I was waiting in line waiting to pay and admiring the 8 or 9 big screen tvs playing the Hawaii concert in all its glory when something caught my eye.

There was a young woman sitting on the floor in front of the tvs. At first I thought nothing of it. However, as I watched closely I noticed the she was crying. Again, if you’ve been to Graceland you’ve seen people crying. Then I realized exactly what she was doing.

She was praying to Elvis. She was on her knees rocking back and forth in the middle of the giftshop with a prayer candle (unlit), tear stained cheeks, and open palms facing the screens where a dead pop star was singing “Love Me Tender.” You can’t make that up. I would post a picutre of the event as proof that it actually happened but my wife gave me “the look” when I went to snap a photo. I knew that it would be a no-go. you’ll just have to take my word for it.

That is the image I have now when I see news coverage of vigils outside of Graceland marking Elvis’ birth and death.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget that young woman. It truly was a bizarre sight. As a minister I’ve given the old “Who or what are some false gods that people serve today?” lesson. The pat answers are always money, popularity, and relationships but no one has ever said Elvis.

So the next time your sitting in one of those “Who or what are some false gods that people serve today?” lessons I am begging you to offer up the dead king of rock ‘n roll. Begging you.

Now, I’m going to listen to Suspicious Minds and crank up the volume to 11 because I’m the only one in the office.

Have a great day.

Music, Popular Culture

Ecclesiastes 1:9

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The writer of Ecclesiastes says,

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”

Case in Point:
Compare this 40 year old classic with this week’s Number 1 single:

Bus Stop– The Hollies (1966)

That’s the way the whole thing started
Silly, but it’s true
Thinking of a sweet romance
Beginning in a queue
Came the sun, the ice was melting
No more sheltering, now
Nice to think that that umbrella
Led me to a vow

Chorus
Bus stop, wet day
She’s there I say
Please share my umbrella
Bus stop, bus go, she stays, love grows
Under my umbrella
All that summer we enjoyed it
Wind and rain and shine
That umbrella we employed it
By August she was mine

——————–
Umbrella– Rihanna (2007)

When the sun shines
We’ll shine together
Told you I’ll be here forever
That I’ll always be your friend
Took an oath
I’mma stick it out ’till the end
Now that it’s raining more than ever
Know that we still have each other
You can stand under my Umbrella
You can stand under my Umbrella

Music, Review

Hearing Music In The Air

I think you can divide serious music lovers into two distinct camps:

Those who prefer John Lennon and those who love Paul McCartney.

I am a Paul man myself.

That is why I have been very excited to hear Paul’s latest, Memory Almost Full. I greatly enjoyed Chaos and Creation in the Backyard but I felt that it fell short of his past efforts. Everything that I was hearing about this new album though lead me to believe that Memory Almost Full would deliver the goods.

Make no mistake, Memory Almost Full does indeed deliver. I pre-ordered it from iTunes after Scott sent me a link to the video for the first track, “Dance Tonight.” There is nothing particularly special about the song except that is it a simple toe-tapping romp complete with whistling and a mandolin.

The second track, Ever Present Past sums up what I think Sir Paul is trying to say with this whole project.

I’’ve got too much on my plate
Don’’t have no time to be a decent lover
I hope it isn’t too late
Searching for the time that has gone so fast
The time that I thought would last
My ever present past

I’’ve got too much on my mind
I think of everything to be discovered
I hope there’s something to find
Searching for the time that has gone so fast
The time that I thought would last
My ever present past

The things I think I did
I d.i. d.i. did
The things I think I did
When I was a kid

I couldn’’t understand a word that they were saying
But still I hung around and took it all in
I wouldn’’t join in with the games that they were playing
It went by it went by in a flash
It flew by it flew by
In a flash

This soon-to-be 65 year old has looked back on his life and realized that it flown by right before his eyes. Life is like that. One minute you’re in your early 20s taking the world by storm and the next you’re an elder statesmen. Where does the time go?

Ever Present Past isn’t the only song to tackle life and legacy. The End of the End is, right now, my favorite track. You could call this track Yesterday Part 2. It is hard to believe that McCartney wrote Yesterday at the age of 24. In that song Paul is singing about what has gone on before him. He is stuck looking backward.

Forty years later Paul now looks ahead. In The End of the End he sings about the end of his life and even gives instructions about his funeral. Nothing macabre here though just beautiful images and rich lyrics.

At the end of the end
It’’s the start of a journey
To a much better place
And this wasn’t bad
So a much better place
Would have to be special
No need to be sad

On the day that I die
I’d like jokes to be told
And stories of old
To be rolled out like carpets
That children have played on
And laid on while listening
To stories of old

Stunning. It is with that last image that I see McCartney coming to grips with his place in history. His stories aren’t the first nor the last. What has been will be again. He just desires a place on the carpet where they can be unrolled again and again as generation after generation share stories and songs and life. It is a great reminder to us that we will leave a legacy. Is your legacy one that you would want sung on “blankets that lovers have played on/ and laid on while listening/ to songs that were sung?”

At the end of the end Sir Paul says that there is “No reason to cry/ No need to be sad.” I’m sure that when that day comes there will be a few tears and a few sad faces. Radio stations will play Yesterday, Let It Be, Hey Jude, Maybe I’m Amazed and all the rest. I just think that they could and should play anything from this album as well.

I believe Memory Almost Full will stand the test of time. It could very well be Paul’s best solo work to date.

Download: Ever Present Past, Only Mama Knows, House of Wax, The End of the End

Life Draining Schlock, Music, Popular Culture, Tragedy, U2

Save the Music. Save the World.

The World Needs Your Help

Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has asked her supporters for some advice.

She has asked them to vote for a campaign song. Her husband had Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” back in the ’90s and she is looking for the perfect song to help energize the campaign trail from now until November…2008. 20 Months From Now!!!

There’s just two problems: Both “City of Blinding Lights” and “Beautiful Day” by U2 are in the running. In fact, “COBL” is currently at the top of the list. Brothers and Sisters, this should not be.

I, for one, do not want to hear either one of these songs thumping from convention center speakers as Mrs. Clinton tries to be all things to all people. Sincere songs should be attached to sincere people. I can’t hear that old Fleetwood Mac song without thinking of the ’92 campaign trail. Will two of my favorite U2 songs be resigned to the same fate? Something needs to be done!

So here’s what I am asking YOU to do:

Go to HillaryClinton.com and cast a vote for any of the other songs. I don’t care which one you vote for. I don’t care if your a Dem, a GOP supporter, or member of the Whig party. Vote for any of the other songs.

Then, tell everyone you know to do the same.

There are some great choices on the list:
“Right Here, Right Now” by Jesus Jones
“Ready to Run” by The Dixie Chicks
“Get Ready” by The Temptations
“I’m a Believer” by SmashMouth

Please help me out on this.

Together we can make a difference.

Music, The King

Awesome

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I do not watch American Idol. Even the prospect of Bono appearing on last night’s episode wasn’t enough to get me excited about watching karaoke in primetime. I was glad to hear that a giant show like Idol was devoting so much talent and time to helping charities and children in Africa and I give them huge props for doing so. I just wasn’t rushing home to catch the show. However, had I known that The King was going to appear live and sing my favorite song from the ’68 Comeback Special I would have skipped church!!! (jk, we would have watched it in class)

Even Celine Dion couldn’t ruin the cool factor one bit. Totally awesome!!!

Check out the video:

You can also download the video from iTunes and purchase some songs from last night including Carrie Undewood’s beautiful rendition of the Pretender’s I’ll Stand By You. Check ’em out and download them for a good cause.

Books, Cinema, Ministry, Music, My Wife Rules, Stories

Quick Hits

Just a few thoughts for this morning:

Dating: Here is some free, unsolicited marital advice. One of my favorite things to do is to go out on dates with my wife. They never get old. Any couple can stay at home and watch a movie but there is no substitute for picking your spouse up at home, driving to dinner, and then catching a flick at the theatre… on a Tuesday. Don’t even wait for the weekend. These dates keep our love life fresh and exciting. It gives us time to sit together and talk about the day instead of frantically throwing a dinner together after a long day at work. Let someone else do the dishes while you connect. So where are yu and your spouse going to go tonight?

Busy and a Stiff Necked Guy: I hesitate to complain about how busy I’ve been because the summer is right around the corner. That is when I fear my reference point for being busy will be blown out of the water in a matter of weeks. However, I have been extremely tired and worn out. Today is the first day in two weeks that my right shoulder feels ok. A combination of sleeping wonky, working a tiller, sleeping on the ground for the Global Night Commute, and general use has left my right side stiff and unmanageable. Driving has been difficult because I have struggled to turn my head to the right or left in order to check my blind-spots. The pain has been frustrating. However today is good day.

Reading: When I get busy I miss out on my reading. I have updated the On My Desk page and On My iPod page to better reflect what I’m reading and listening to right now. Yancy’s Prayer and Wright’s Justice of God have been on the list since Jan. 1. I want to just finish them but I want to be very Berean about reading them. My goal will be to finish those two book by Dec. 31!

Long Distance Phone Call: While I was writing this post I got a very special international phone call from my friend in London, England. He and his family will be coming back to the states very soon. Austin City Limits here we come!!!

Beethoven’s 9th: Fantastic! I get teary and overjoyed every time I listen to it.

Creativity Should Never Go to Waste: before being called into ministry I had a great desire to become an animator. I loved to draw and I loved being creative in everything that I did. Thankfully I can still use my artistic eye and my flair for the creative in youth ministry. I spent the better part of yesterday working in Photoshop creating posters for different events and had a great time. Most of what I’ve learned in Photoshop has been trial and error. I’m not great at it but it feeds by need to create. Below is a poster for our Spider-man movie event. Our ministry name is Element523 so I tried to incorperate the logo and our name. Again, nothing ground breaking but I had fun. What do you think?

spiderman3_1024x768-1.jpg

Hope you all have a great day. It is beautiful here in the DFW area. Spring time rocks!

Peace.

Ethos, Life Draining Schlock, Music, Popular Culture

Goodbye Goodbuy

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Hello simplicity and integrity.

In September I wrote a post lamenting that Chase Banks had co-opted one of my favorite songs for their credit card commercials. The song was “All You Need Is Love” by The Beatles and I was frustrated that the commercial was selling the idea that love equals stuff. Call me naive. Call me idealistic. I don’t care. The commercial made my stomach turn.

Well it has happened again. This time by a company that I frequent quite often.

No doubt that you have seen that Target has featured the Beatles’ hit, “Hello Goodbye,” in their latest round of advertisements. Except they have changed the lyrics to Hello Goodbuy again preaching the idea that love equals stuff. They have even spelled out the Good Buy in Jell-O and in other products so that the viewer doesn’t miss the pun.

When I first saw the ad a few months ago, I merely rolled my eyes and quickly forgot about it. (I figured that Michael Jackson simply needed money again.) I only saw the ad once and thought that the campain was over. Then while on spring break, I popped a Beatles mix into the van’s CD player on our ski trip with the youth group. From the back of the van I heard, “Hey, this is the song from the Target commercial!”

This student had no idea who the Beatles were. They had never heard the song before seeing it in the commercial. How tragic.

Way to go coporate shills. You have once again managed to take something beautiful and turn it into a mindless, soulless peice of garbage that you can use for your own benefit.

I am not buying. In fact, I’m not going to buy from Target for a very long time. I have managed without Wal-Mart for over a year (only 4 unavoidable visits) and I will manage without Target.