Welcome to Tuesday and another excitement filled edition of Tuesday's Musical Notes!!! Today we continue our month long celebration of the Fall return of our favorite TV shows by highlighting some of the highest charting TV theme songs.
Be prepared for the white knuckle adventure, the "on the edge of your seat" thrills, and the drama that will send chills up and down your spine. Join us today as you will see surprise after surprise right before your eyes. And be encouraged as a smile makes its way to your face because today we meet the trepadacious troubadours of one of the '80s most interesting comedies as we continue our salute to TV theme songs. Fasten your seatbelt for hilarity, as we fly on a wing, on a wing and a prayer...who could it be?
What do you get when you partner one of television's greatest writer/producers, the real life son of Della Street (Barbara Hale (Perry Mason, series and movies)), a character actor veteran of movies and television, and John Tesh's wife? Believe it or not, you get a successful, at least for 3 seasons, ABC television show.
It's premise was simple. A substitute school teacher, Ralph Hinkley is partnered with an FBI agent, Bill Maxwell, to defend the cause of truth and justice with a suit provided by aliens that gives super powers to the one who wears it. While the aliens provide an instruction book for the suit, it is subsequently lost and our hero and his sidekick must wonder through rescues and heroic antics while learning by experience what the suit will actually do. Coerced by the aliens into providing aid for their cause is the lawyer who handled Ralph's divorce, Pam Davidson.
For 44 episodes, Ralph, Bill and Pam foil the efforts of the bad guys mostly by accidental intention. As the show neared its last season, there was an attempted spin-off, The Greatest American Heroine, which did not get picked up by the network and wasn't seen until it aired as the last episode of the show upon its syndication. Most of the episodes can be found occasionally on TV as well as the dvd versions that are available. As recent as March of 2015, IMDB.com (Internet Movie Database) has listed a feature film remake of the TV series listed as "in production".
The most iconic portion of The Greatest American Hero was its theme song, as sung by Joey Scarbury. Cowritten by veteran TV theme show musician Mike Post (Hill Street Blues, The A-Team, Law and Order, et. al) and Stephen Geyer, "Believe It or Not" spent 18 weeks in the top 40, peaking at #2 for the weeks August 15th and 22nd. Even as a one hit wonder for Scarbury, it is one of the highest charting TV theme songs to date.
"Believe It or Not" joins the ranks of songs that could have a duality of meanings when looking at their lyrical content, especially for followers of Jesus. The exhortation of exuberance and the excitement of finding love is the cause for disbelief. The joy by which one finds themselves loved by another is cause for jubilation. In truth, the very nature of love itself can at times seem something that we can hardly believe. Such is the nature of the sacrifice of Jesus.
In Philippians 2, Paul makes a statement that apart from faith would be very difficult to believe. He writes: Philippians 2:6-11 New International Version of the Bible/The Message Paraphrase of the Bible parallel. John writes in his Gospel that God loves us so much that He sent Jesus, His Son, to die, so we could live with Him forever. This too is another statement that boggles the mind.
You see, ultimately we are separated from our Creator by the sin, the mistakes, the bad stuff about us. To have restoration of the relationship that God had with Adam and Eve required sacrifice. As the Creator, God made the ultimate sacrifice in sending Jesus to earth as a baby. Jesus experienced everything we experience. He knows our desire, our hurts, even our passions. As God and man, Jesus lived a life that was an example to us of how we are to live. He loved people, He had relationship with folks, He physically healed them, and most importantly He made a way for our relationship with God to be restored forever. He did this by dying in the most horrendous torture ever created. After He was entombed for three days, He came back to life and was seen by His disciples and many others. He spent 40 days revealing Himself to His followers and providing instructions to them as He was making way for a final departure to be with God. His disciples saw with their own eyes Jesus being taken up to be with God. They then they went about telling their story.
We live in a world where it is much easier for some to believe that we are descended from animals, that there is no intelligent design to the cosmos, and that Bible is only a book of good literature. I confess an admiration for folks who have the kind of faith it takes to believe these things. However, believe it or not, these thoughts and philosophies are the antithesis to the truth. To some, the stories found in the Bible seem just to good to be true. If I may, let me reassure you that the Word of God, the Bible IS true because the stories of God's restoration of His relationship with man ARE so good. God is saying to us that we don't have to fly on a wing and a prayer, we can trust that He is the ultimate Truth. Want to begin learning what that looks like? Start with: Genesis 1-8 NIV/The Message parallel and The Gospel of Jesus Christ according to the disciple John NIV/The Message parallel After reading through these passages you may very well find yourself singing..."Look at what's happened to me, I can't believe it myself..."
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
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