Tuesday's Musical Notes - "You May Be Right" (Billy Joel)

Welcome to the place where the rock of our generation meets the Rock of Ages.  It's Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!  Coming to you from the Tuesday Musical Notes conclave where we are constantly attempting to find ways to redeem the music we love.  It is our pledge to challenge your belief system and plant an ear worm in your head all in one felled swoop.  It's Tuesday and you may be right....I may be crazy...

 

"You May Be Right" from the 1980 album Glass Houses by Billy Joel

You may see a trend building this month.  Without intention, we have seemingly dedicated the month of May as the month of the Piano Man.  Considering Billy Joel's catalogue of hits, it is surprising that only Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Shameless", and May's blog posts,
Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Just The Way You Are" and Tuesday's Musical Notes - "She's Got A Way" have received The Notes treatment.  ("We Didn't Start The Fire" was available as an email early on in Tuesday's Musical Notes history.  Be watching for the reimagining of this top ten hit soon.)

 

"People in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones" is the old adage from which Billy Joel's seventh studio derived its title.  The album, bolstered by Joel's first #1 single, "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me", and today's #7 chart hit, would go to #1 and stay there for 6 weeks.  In the year after its release, Glass Houses would be nominated for Album of the Year and garnered the Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance - Male. 

As with the aforementioned "Shameless", Garth Brooks had the biggest cover success with today's feature song.  "You May Be Right", from Glass Houses, appears as part of his live concert video, This Is Garth Brooks, recorded in Dallas, Texas. Garth Brooks joins a number of artists that covered this classic from Billy Joel.   

We mentioned in a previous blog, that Billy Joel claims that he is an atheist.  He was raised by cultural Jewish parents, which means he was not raised in an orthodox or "church/synagogue" environment.  This forms the foundation for his musicianship and songwriting.  Many of his songs are autobiographical about his upbringing in the Bronx burrough of New York City.  His songwriting is also influenced by being raised by his single mother.  (His parents divorced in 1957 and his father moved to Vienna, Austria.)  When you look at the body of work that is Billy Joel, it is easy to see how his influences impact his music.  To a world that embraces these same influences his music is appealing.  Billy Joel's music is also attractive to many believers in Jesus as he is rarely offensive with his language and his songs resonate with a part of their life that was good.   Billy Joel however would consider the "Jesus People" segment of his fan base as crazy, but honestly it just may be a few of those lunatics in which he has need.

1 Corinthians 1:18-21The Message (MSG)

^18-21 The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It’s written,

I’ll turn conventional wisdom on its head,
I’ll expose so-called experts as crackpots.

So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.

1 Corinthians 1:18-21King James Version (KJV)

¹⁸ For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
¹⁹ For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
²⁰ Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
²¹ For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.


"Foolishness Of The Gospel" by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
 

I find myself drawn lately to the narrative about Jesus throwing out the money changers.  He was downright aggravated at the way the temple was being treated.  To the outsider, he appeared to be a lunatic.  You can read about that occurrence here:  Matthew 21:12-17 The Message Paraphrase of the Bible/King James Version of the Bible parallel

So it stands to reason that if you are a follower of Jesus, you may be considered a lunatic, a crazy, insane, or any other non complimentary terms that describe someone who is different or peculiar.  The Bible promises us that we will be labeled as such because the world doesn't understand the following:

1) Everyone sins, does wrong, is evil - Romans 3:23 The Message/KJV parallel

2) There is a cost associated with sin - Romans 6:22-23 The Message/KJV parallel

3) God created man for relationship - Genesis 1:26-28 The Message/KJV parallel,

4) God sacrificed so the relationship with man can be restored - John 3:16-18 The Message/KJV parallel, Romans 5:6-8 The Message/KJV parallel, 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 The Message/KJV parallel

5) Confession of our sin and belief in Jesus are the ways of restoring the relationship with God - Romans 10: 4-10 The Message/KJV parallel

6) God will restore those who confess and believe - Romans 10:11-13 The Message/KJV parallel

7) Jesus is interceding on our behalf at the right hand of God - Romans 8:31-29 The Message/KJV parallel

Jesus died to pay the cost for our sin.  It was the most horrific form of torture that man has ever contrived.  He was placed in a tomb that was sealed by the Roman government.  Three days later He was seen by His followers, alive and well.  40 days after that, Jesus went to heaven to sit at the right hand of God.  His purpose...to ask God to forgive us for our sins. (intercession) 

To a world view that is not based on the teachings that are founded in the Bible, all of the above is...well, NUTS!!!  Today, you may be thinking that very thing.  You may join with Billy Joel in denying the existence of God (which actually seems a bit more crazy than belief, but I digress).  However, it is possible that some of this resonates with you.  You may be seeking the ultimate truth to our lives.  You may feel a pull that you don't understand but are beginning to comprehend.  If this is true, please read back through the 7 points above.  Before you do, ask Holy Spirit, the Comforter that is mentioned in the Bible, to help you understand the decision to which you are being drawn.  Please consider making Jesus the Lord, the Boss, the Master, of your life.  Either heaven or hell are waiting for mankind at the end of the physical life.  Your decision today, could determine which is your destiny. 

You may be right, I may be crazy...but it just may be a lunatic you're looking for...

If I'm wrong, I confess to being crazy, but, what if I'm right...

"I Wish We'd All Been Ready" from the 1969 album Upon This Rock by Larry Norman and the 1995 album Jesus Freak by dcTalk

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving you,

Randy