Good
Tuesday to ya friend!!! Welcome to the third day of the week, the 27th
day of the month, and the 147th day of the year!!! This is the place
you can cool off from the heat with tunes from every generation and
hopefully a few thought provoking words that inspire, engage, and
tantalize your mind's taste buds for the musically trivial. It's
Tuesday's Musical Notes!!! Coming to you live only on Tuesdays!!!
Coming to you with Music!!! And coming to you with Notes!!!. Now that
we have been overly redundant, let's get down to today's tune from 1983,
here's the Talking Heads with:
Perhaps
you've wondered about the Talking Heads...(not the ones on tv, the ones
that recorded today's song)...perhaps you've never wondered about them
at all. If you were to see a live show or even watch some of the MTV videos
(alas, no longer showing music videos...) that Talking Heads
produced you really would begin to wonder what causes folks to act this
way. Some explanation may be found in the fact that the 3 founding
members, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and David Byrne were all
graduates of the Rhode Island School of Design. My apologies to my
artistic friends but let's face it...most artists regardless of what
discipline (music, design, painting, sculpture, etc) tend to be on the
"different" side. They see things from a unique perspective, thus
giving the expression of their particular art, a "bend" towards the
offbeat and peculiar at times. Talking Heads was no different. Again,
referring to the videos of the 1980s.
This
differentiation set Talking Heads apart in the rock world of the
1980s. While everything was a bit strange, they set themselves up as
the quintessential "different" group. In fact, today's song was brought
about by David Byrne saying phrases that came to his mind that fit with
the musical groove the other band members had laid down. In this case,
the instrumentals were complete before the lyrics. Once Byrne found
the lyrics that would be simpatico with the musical layout, he began the
process of putting phrases together that sort of made sense...or
stopped making sense.... Add a video featuring a house with a projector
pointing at one side and Byrne's usual antics and you have a #9 hit
from 1983. The only top 10 hit for The Talking Heads.
The
Talking Heads would surprisingly produce only 3 more studio albums
before going on hiatus and eventually disbanding. The impact they made
on Rock and Roll with their 8 albums is astounding. They were inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and continue to be named in
honors lists by Billboard and Rolling Stone. During the height of The
Talking Heads success, each of the band members would work on other
projects. Byrne and the fourth member of the band Jerry Harrision would
develop solo projects, while Weymouth and Frantz would form The Tom Tom
Club.
The
Notes confesses that we don't get most things that are considered
"artistic". While we appreciate the endeavors and the vision that
inspires, sometimes the finished product doesn't engender an emotional
rush that we see in others as they gaze upon the canvas or look upon
what was once granite or marble. Today's "modern" artists seem even
more on the fringe to us as they occasionally use what most would
consider garbage as either their inspiration or their actual raw
materials. We don't think this is much of a departure from the way "the
greats" in the art world were considered by their own generation. Many
were thought of as kooks, derelicts, or at best unstable.
This is the way the religious leaders of Jesus' time thought of Him as
well. Especially as He went about preparing for the ultimate sacrifice.
In
the Old Testament we see many purification rites that the Israelites
were to perform as they prepared for sacrifice. Everything had to be
done a certain way as prescribed in the later part of Exodus. These
rites represented a "burning down the house" of the past and preparing
for the newness that would come with the acceptance of the sacrifice by
God. If you have some time, you can read about the elements of
sacrifice as well as their purification here: NASB The Message Parallel - Exodus 23-40
These passages describe very specifically how everything, even the
place they were going to worship, the Tabernacle, had to be purified
before the sacrifices could be given to God and received by God.
These standards had to be upheld each time a sacrifice was going to be
performed. This practice would continue through the use of the
temporary Tabernacle, into the time of Solomon's temple, and even until the time of the temple that Jesus would frequent.
The Pharisees and the priests of Jesus time would
go about the "ritual" of purification, but yet not be about the essence
of purification as they performed the rabbinical tasks to allow
sacrifice to occur. They allowed trade to occur in the outer courts of
the temple as pilgrims would come to Jerusalem to sacrifice. Imagine
vendors lined up with animals to sell for sacrifice. The animals would
no doubt be noisy and not very clean to say the least. Jesus was about
to offer Himself as the ultimate sacrifice as He comes to the temple and
witnesses what He considers a desecration to the Temple. John 2:12-22 NASB The Message Parallel
Jesus essentially launched into His own purification ritual as He
cleared the temple of the moneychangers and animals. In one way, He was
purifying the temple to be ready for the sacrifice that He was about to
make. This is incredibly symbolic for what Jesus would do as God
accepted Him as the once and only sacrifice that would allow us to be
restored into fellowship with God as we have faith and believe in every
aspect of who Jesus was and what Jesus did for our restoration. His
"burning down the house" at the temple was the first step in our
opportunity for purification. It was the first part of the process that
Jesus used to remove our sin from us and take it upon Himself. The
cleansing of the temple was the beginning of the end of the ritual of
sacrificing animals. As followers of Jesus we are free to present ourselves every day as pure
in God's eyes without going through a priest or with animal blood on
our hands because of what Jesus did for us. He provided a way for us to be restored, for us to be purified as we give our lives daily as living sacrifices to God's work. He might even be saying to you today...."Here's your
ticket, pack your bags, time for jumpin' overboard...transportation is
here" or in other words "I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life..."
'Til Tuesday
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
Welcome
to Tuesday!!! This is Tuesday's Musical Notes! The blog on Tuesday
that visits the realm of popular musicality and spirituality. You
can access Tuesday's Musical Notes any time by going to www.tuesdaysmusicalnotes.blogspot.com. There you will join the over 3000 folks who have read the Notes and
can see the archive of songs and thoughts from the past 2 1/2 years of
Tuesday's Musical Notes. Hopefully you will find something in today's
Notes that will encourage you and give you the upper hand when you get
that music question in Trivial Pursuit. Welcome again! Now on with
the show...
Let's
face it. One of the things the 60's is known for is the music. From
Psychedelica to Easy Listening, the musical universe was expanded
dramatically as experimentation with amps, guitars, and synthesizers
brought about some of the most unique sounds ever recorded. Towards the
end of the decade, an invasion of behemoth proportions hit the shores
of the United States as teenagers discovered bands that those in the
United Kingdom had been listening to for years. It was known as The
British Invasion. The music of The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks,
The Dave Clark Five, and The Beatles would permeate American airwaves
and soar up American charts as they landed on the shores and joined the
already changing musical landscape of the US. Once Beatlemania hit,
however, many of these British Invasion bands seemed to linger in the
shadows waiting for their opportunity for fame and fortune. While The
Beatles dominated everything musically at the time, there's was not the
only music being written and performed by the lads and lasses from
across the pond.
One
such band was The Hollies...you may not recognize the name of the band
(the name came as a tribute to the Christmas Holly and Buddy Holly), but
you probably have heard some of their music. They continue to tour
today with hits like, "Bus Stop", "Long, Cool Woman In A Black Dress",
"The Air That I Breathe," and today's Tuesday's Musical Notes feature
song. With the 1969 #7 hit, featuring a young Elton John on piano, here
is The Hollies with "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother".
The
story is told of a young Scottish girl who is seen carrying a large
child with her as she was going along her way. As she struggled to move
forward while carrying her load she was asked if she was tried as the
child was almost as large as she. To which she replied, "No, he's not
heavy, he's my brother". Thus the inspiration for the song written by
Bobby Scott and Bob Russel. The first appearance of this story dates
back to 1884 and comes from James Wells, The Parables of Jesus. "He
Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" would go on to be recorded by a number of
artists. It's highest and most successful single performance would be
by the band The Hollies. The most recent recording was by The Justice
Collective, a supergroup formed in 2012 by some of Britain's best known
artists. Two original members of The Hollies, Bobby Elliot and Tony
Hicks, joined the efforts to benefit charities that were raising
resources for those still impacted by the disaster at Hillsborough
Stadium during a soccer game, some 23 years prior.
The
song comes at the end of a decade where the terms "Hippies" and "Flower
Power" gives the folks of that decade (some of who just happen to be
our congressmen and women of this decade...ponder that one) a reputation
for being on the outer fringes of society. But this generation also
saw the legislative and social equality of mankind change unlike any
generation before them. Those who were in their 20's and 30's during
the decade of 1960-1969 found their communities and country changing
around them. "Equality", "Peace" and "Love" became catch words, if you
will, that would be the rallying cry of the change makers of that time.
Interestingly enough, it was also the rallying cry of one who came to
change the world forever, 1969 years prior to the "Flower Power"
movement.
Recently, a passage in the Gospel of John, began coming to mind very often. It is from John 15. "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." (for context click hereJohn 15:12-17 NASB/The Message)
Think on that passage for just a moment. Most of the time, we consider
this passage to be one intimating that to show we love with a great
love, we must be willing to die for our friends and family. While
Jesus certainly exhibited this kind of love, I wonder if He didn't mean
it in a more subtle, daily and not so life ending fashion.
What does the word sacrifice mean to you? One of the definitions provided by dictionary.com is: "the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim".
Certainly one's life is something "desirable" or "prized", but again we
are curious if life/death are the only options to display such great
love.
Ever
day we have the opportunity to give up something for someone else.
That may be time, monetary or other tangible resources, or other less
tangible, but equally important things. As we invest in someone else,
we give up the opportunity to invest in ourselves. This unselfish
behavior is exactly what we see in Jesus as He went about His ministry.
Yes, He did ultimately give up His life for all of us His friends, but
what did He give of himself as He walked the long, long road of His life
that led to Calvary? The Gospel accounts of Jesus' life are replete
with examples of how Jesus would always see to the needs of others,
before seeing to His own needs. As His followers we are called to do
the same. We are to have a life filled with the "little" sacrifices
that ultimately set us apart and have others asking "why did you do
that?" As we live our lives, we must always be on the look out for ways
in which we can "lay" down a part of our life to the benefit of
others. It could be something as small as laying down your time and
holding a door open for others so they can pass through before you. It
could be something as large as donating your vacation money to a medical
mission trip that needs supplies for their efforts. It could be
something as momentous as your church delaying its own building project
to put those same resources into building a meeting place for a church
half way across the world. What ways can you think of to lay your life
down today? We show the contagious hope, joy, and love of Jesus when we
display sacrifice as a lifestyle when continuing down our long, long
road. As we "carry" our friends, family, and even strangers the road
may seem long and the load become heavy, but when given the opportunity
to relieve our selves of our burdens we smile and simply say ..."He
ain't heavy, He's my brother"... so on we go...
Encouraging us to sacrifice...here's Matthew West
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
today's notes is a reprint from the Tuesday's Musical Notes email of June 11, 2011.
It's Tuesday Time!!! And time for another Tuesday's Musical Notes. Where the music of our age is utilized to ignite your passion for music, inspire your spirit to commune with His spirit or be introduced to a God who desires a restored relationship with you.
Tuesday's Musical Notes or The News? Sammy Hagar or David Lee Roth? Traditional or Contemporary?
Coke or Pepsi? These are all questions that depend on peoples
preferences. They seem silly when written down, but much has been said
and written, sometimes rather forcefully, about what is the favorite
soft drink, what style of music is better in the church, and who was the
best lead singer of Van Halen .....though probably not in the same
article...
The Notes has chronicled the exploits of the brothers Van Halen once before: Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Right Now", but here's another little something to help you decide the answer to at least one of the above questions:
"Dreams" - The Blue Angels with an assist by Van Halen
On occasion, we have the opportunity to be at home alone. While these are restful days, they certainly are not normal. They are times of reflection that we cherish as they happen so rarely. We find ourselves focusing on the dreams that we have for
each of our children. When they were born, we were dreaming of their
health and our ability to afford to provide for their needs. As they
grew, we were dreaming of their education and our ability to afford to
provide for their needs. While they aren't completely grown, we still
have dreams for them. The whole ability to afford providing for their needs is a dream in
transition. While we have tried to help them seek out God's dreams for
their lives as they have grown, our entire family has come to a point
where the faith and trust we have in God's dreams can easily be tested.
During those testing times we rely on a very familiar passage of
scripture, Jeremiah 29:11-13, where God tells the prophet of His dream
for Israel's future. His words are those of someone who has intense
dreams and desires for the absolute best that can be given to his
children. The Message paraphrase of this passage puts it like this:
I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of
you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. 12"When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. 13-14"When
you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious
about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you
won't be disappointed."
This is the dream of a loving Father for the nation He chose and a
promise to those who have choose to accept His gift of Jesus. How
confidently can we go about our lives, and watching our children's
lives, having the knowledge that this promise applies to us as long as
we get out of the way and allow God's dreams for us to come to fruition.
"And in the end, on dreams we will depend, 'cause that's what love
is made of" ........regardless of the video.....our answer to the questions above...Tuesday's Musical Notes, Contemporary, Coke, and David Lee Roth
'Til Tuesday
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
