Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" (Rod Stewart and Ella Fitzgerald)

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Greetings and felicitous salutations!!!  Welcome to Tuesday!!!  It just so happens to be the last Tuesday of 2014!  Happy New Year!!!  Welcome to the final blog post of 2014 for The Notes.  We've had a special year together as we have explored some music trivia, some meaningful theology, and morally astute thoughts.  As we approach the denouement  of the year, we thought it fitting to revisit the top blogs of Tuesday's Musical Notes.  We hope to offer this edition as an answer, at least partially, to a question that has been asked of folks since 1947...

Written for no particular purpose other than for folks to record, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" has become a perennial favorite during the holidays.  It has been covered by iconic greats as well as the  "current" popular artists throughout the years.  Surfacing on 3 of Billboard's lesser known charts, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" continues to remain one of the most played seasonal songs regardless of vocalist or arrangement.  


"Maybe I'm crazy to suppose
We'd be the one you chose
Out of a thousand invitations You received"

This line from today's featured song is the perfect way to begin our annual look at the most popular postings on Tuesday's Musical Notes - The Blog.  We realize that you have any number of "countdowns" that you will visit as 2014 winds down and 2015 gets cranked up.  We thank you for checking in on ours.  

As we start out this year's countdown of the best of Tuesday's Musical Notes, we would like to pay tribute to Casey Kasem, the host of American Top 40 and its subsidiary shows, who passed away in 2014.   The American Top 40 with Casey Kasem has often served as a model for selected Tuesday's Musical Notes and for me, an entry point into a love of Rock and Roll music.  Casey Kasem has had such an effect on popular culture that ABC News featured him as their person of the week...10 years ago...


And now, on with the countdown...

Today's countdown features top read blog posts at Tuesday's Musical Notes.  Rankings are tabulated by blogspot.com based on your readership of specific posts throughout the year.  What will be the carry overs be from last year and what will be the new posts that are entering the countdown for the first time this year?  What will be #1?  All questions we'll answer as we get things started with a review of last years top ten.  With the featured song by Europe, here is "The Final Countdown", our review of 2013's top ten postings at Tuesday's Musical Notes:


We've got a long way to go to get to #1, so let's get started!  Our countdown today begins with the classic "Life's Been Good".  It explores the common theme of being involved in the world without being worldly that is featured in many of The Notes. From January 15, 2013, here's Joe Walsh at #10...


"So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."  Romans 12:1-2 The Message

Number 9...

At number 9, is 1 of 2 songs in the countdown by veteran rocker Bob Seger.  The song has become synonymous with a underwear clad Tom Cruise lip sync from the movie Risky Business...needless to say, there is very little "risky" about this post from September 9, 2013.  At number 9 is the Bob Seger classic, "Old Time Rock-N-Roll"...

"No os conforméis a este siglo, sino transformaos por medio de la renovación de vuestro entendimiento, para que comprobéis cuál sea la buena voluntad de Dios, agradable y perfecta. "  Romanos 12:2 Reina-Valera 1960
 
Two down and eight more to go as we count down the most read postings from  Tuesday's Musical Notes - The  Blog.  


Before we take a look at #7, we want to pause for a Notes flashback.  We want to take you back in time just a few years for our next featured post.   If you are new to The Notes, you may not know that the consequential comments that  you serendipitously read each week, had its origins as the monthly contribution to a newsletter.  It wasn't that long ago, that Tuesday's Musical Notes were the Worship Arts portion of our church's newsletter.  As that newsletter ceased publication, we received some encouragement from a few friends to continue writing. Tuesday's Musical Notes became a weekly email to specific folks who requested it.  (You can still receive The Notes in your "in" box each week...just email "I Want My Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!" to rawacr@gmail.com and we'll get you added.)  With even further encouragement and some exploration into all things online and digital, The Notes became what over 4600 folks
just like you from all over the world, (yep, even 1 in Iran) have graciously embraced in its short history as a blog.    Thank You!!!

That being said, our featured flashback is the very first newsletter submission and in essence, the impetuous for beginning our meanderings down the musical thoroughfare that is Tuesday's Musical Notes.  The rewrite of the newsletter article appeared September 10, 2013 and features the hit song from The Bangles, "Walk Like An Egyptian"


 

And the countdown rolls on...


Number 8 in our year end countdown is the featured song by U2, "Mysterious Ways".  It is the first of the new blogs that hit our top ten from 2014.  Without any adieu at all, from November 4, 2014...

Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature.    Romans 12:2  Common English Bible

Many of the contributions at Tuesday's Musical Notes highlight artists with a great deal of seniority.  These artists have achieved iconic status due to their intense love of writing lyrics and music that people love to hear.  Number 7's featured song is from an artist who in May of this coming year will turn 70.  He continues to tour and just released his 17th studio album, Ride Out.  With our #7 featured song and his second in the countdown ( the only artist to have more than one song in this year's end of the year results), here is Bob Seger with January 1st, 2013's blog entry,  "Turn The Page":

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."  Romans 12:2 New American Standard Bible


We're not gonna stop till we're all the way to the top!

At number 6 on the countdown is the celebration of taking a break, siesta, recess, sabbatical, vacation, or holiday.  It appeared May 28, 2013 and highlights the hit by Madonna, "Holiday".

"Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."  Romans 12:2  Holman Christian Standard Bible


Number 5 in the countdown features a favorite from the College Football world, at least if your world centers on the Arkansas Razorbacks...Go Hogs!!!  Wooo Pig Sooie!!!  It was originally composed as a portion of a movie soundtrack but now is beloved by Hog fans all over the world as a rallying cry for their sports teams...ANY of their sports teams.  Number 5 in the countdown is one of the oldest dating all the way back to  August 28, 2012.  Number 5 is Razorback Fan favorite, "The Swing March"

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  Romans 12:2 English Standard Version

We're half way there!!!  

The fourth most read entry at Tuesday's Musical Notes comes from not one but two classic films.  In fact, it was the title track of the Fred Astaire/Judy Garland film Easter Parade from 1948.  It was written by Irving Berlin and had previously been introduced in the 1942 seasonal classic, Holiday Inn.  If you have ever wondered what life is or can be all about, take a glance at this March 26, 2013 entry:

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."   Romans 12:2 New King James Version

The highest ranking, new entry to our countdown comes from February 18, 2014.  It was a reprint of one Tuesday's Musical Notes - The Email.  Soaring up to number 3 of this year's ranking is Peter Townshend with "Let My Love Open The Door"

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Let My Love Open The Door"

"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."   Romans 12:2  New Living Translation

You've read 'em, now we're countin' 'em down...
Moving up a notch in this year's annual listing, comes the world wide, 1982 hit from the band Asia.  They are another band that continues to tour and produce albums.  Will they continue chart topping success or even better yet, get another spotlighted song on Tuesday's Musical Notes?..."Only Time Will Tell"

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."   Romans 12:2 King James Version

Before we move on to #1, let's recap this year's review of the most read posts at Tuesday's Musical Notes.


#10) from January 15, 2013 - Joe Walsh -  "Life's Been Good"
#9) from September 3, 2013 - Bob Seger - "Old Time Rock-N-Roll"
#8) from November 4, 2014 - U2 - "Mysterious Ways"
#7) from January 1, 2013 - Bob Seger - "Turn The Page"
#6) from May 28, 2013 - Madonna - "Holiday"
#5) from August 28, 2012 - Henry Mancini - "The Swing March"
#4) from March 26, 2013 - Bing Crosby - "Easter Parade"
#3) from February 18, 2014 - Pete Townshend - "Let My Love Open The Door"
#2) from August 6, 2013 - Asia - "Only Time Will Tell"

You may have also noticed several different versions of Romans 12:2 as we've gone through the countdown.  This powerful verse, which is an encouragement from the Apostle Paul regarding a topic that tends to be a catch phrase in our society,  has been listed throughout today's Musical Notes in each of the best selling Bible translations from 2012 as compiled by the Christian Booksellers Association.  The top selling Bible versions by dollar figure were:

10) The Message - paraphrase
9)   Reina Velera 1960 - Spanish translation
8)   Common English Bible
7)   New American Standard Bible
6)   Holman Christian Standard Bible
5)   English Standard Version
4)   New King James Version
3)   New Living Translation
2)   King James Version



And now #1

For a second consecutive year, the #1, most read Tuesday's Musical Notes is...The Beatles - "All You Need Is Love" from July 31, 2012.

 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."  Romans 12:2 New International Version
 
There you have it.  The top 10 selling Bibles (as of 2012) and the top ten read Tuesday's Musical Notes (as of 2014).  We hope this countdown has given you an opportunity to pause and realize you may have conformed to the world in some of the standards you have for your life.  We pray that as you embark on 2015, you will daily renew your mind and determine what His good, pleasing, and perfect will is for you.  Most of all we pray that each day of 2015, you will become more like Jesus if you are a follower, and come to know Jesus if you are not.  Thanks for being here and reading The Notes each week.  Don't forget to tell your friends about Tuesday's Musical Notes.  So long from 2014, 2015 is upon us...we'll look forward to meeting you there!!!

The late Casey Kasem was a very consistent person.  Each week for over 40 years he would sign off with his trademark, "Keep Your Feet On The Ground, And Keep Reaching For The Stars".  For American Top 40 and Tuesday's Musical Notes, here's Casey Kasem...

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy

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