Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Jive Talkin'" (Bee Gees)

Welcome to Tuesday!!! It's time for your taste of the musically trivial, with an added sprinkle of the Mesiannically Scriptural. Blended with a fine dose of perspective that you won't get anywhere else!  It's Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!  Welcome...your in a safe place where you can trust those around you...it's a place where we be hip to the jive without any o 'dat jive talkin'...

 "Jive Talkin'" from the 1975 album Main Course by the Bee Gees

In several Tuesday's Musical Notes we have highlighted bands from the '60s who are still continuing to make music and tour (Yes, Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Changes", Genesis, Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Misunderstanding", and Chicago, Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Color My World" to name a few).  Today's feature band started in 1958.  You read that right, 1958.

While best known for the Disco era (even still the debate rages about the merits of this genre of music, but I digress), the band the Bee Gees started in 1958 when brothers Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibbs began singing their trademark trio harmonies as The Rattlesnakes.  Moving from England to Australia, the band began making records.  After achieving chart success in Australia with their 12th  single, the band moved back to England and began focusing on honing their craft and promoting themselves to a much wider audience.  The rest as they say is history...

The Bee Gees have sold 220 million records world wide and come into countless acclaim as songwriters and musicians.  The 1970's found their music tailor made for the burgeoning style of music that had become Disco.  Throwing fuel to the fire was the 1977 soundtrack to the movie Saturday Night Fever.  Some have said that this soundtrack was the single handed reason Disco had continuity into the late '70s.  The Bee Gees saw a resurgence in their musical popularity as the Grammy winning soundtrack would see its sales go 15 times platinum.  

Maurice Gibb died in 2003, leaving his remaining brothers to carry on the musical legacy.  Barry and Robin decided to retire the band name in that year, only to resurrect it in 2009 when they began touring to throngs of adoring fans.  Robin would pass away in 2012 and Barry decided that the time had come to retire the band that bore he and his brothers name for good.  For 54 years, the Bee Gees would create music that continues to be popular.  Are any of your favorite bands from the 1990's still relevant like that?

Barry is the only member of the band still alive, but continues to tour as a solo act and occasionally with his son.  

Today's feature song, which peaked at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100,  speaks to the deception that exists in the singer's current relationship.  Trust has broken down to the point that nothing she says is believable.  What started out as a budding romance had now turned into a breakup because of misinformation and untruth.  

Do you think we ever do this with God?  Does He ever grow weary of all our jive talkin'?  Can the words we speak be considered reliable to God and to those around us?  

Redeemed followers of Jesus or even the heroes of faith found in Hebrews 11 New King James Version of the Bible/The Message paraphrase of the Bible parallel  are not inoculated to the temptation to "story" (mom or grandmom's word...) to God and to those we care about the most.  

Abram used a lot of jive talkin' to get out of potential troubles when he called Sarai his sister. (Genesis 20 NKJV/The Message) Jacob deceived Isaac to get the 1st born blessing.  (Genesis 27 NKJV/The Message)  In fact, most of the patriarchs of Israel at one time or another went about j-j-j-jive talkin'.  

The New Testament has its share of deceivers as well.  The ultimate example is the jive talkin' life of the "disciple" Judas Iscariot.  Many of the Gospel accounts tag the label, "the one who betrayed him" on to Judas whenever he is mentioned.  Imagine, thinking that you could be skilled enough at deceit and misdirection that you could leave the Son of God looking like a dumbfounded fool.  In the case of Judas, all that his jive talkin' merited him was the eternal separation from the One with whom he shared 3 years of his life and could have redeemed him if he had repented.  Why do we think we are any different than any of these examples?  But yet, in the final analysis, in even our best five minutes, we attempt to carry on the same lack of integrity as those characters in the Bible.  

The Bible is clear about the level of righteousness by which we are to carry ourselves.  The ten commandments (commands from a Creator, not suggestions for a good life) speak specifically to how our words play into the overall rectitude with which we live our life.  (Exodus 20 NKJV/The Message)  Notice that verse 16 specifically calls out speaking untruths about our neighbor.  That brings up the question of "who is our neighbor".  In Sesame Street terms, "the people that you meet when you're walkin down the street (Who Are The People in Your Neighborhood?)" are your neighbors.  Or according to Mr. Rogers, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?".  More importantly, according to Jesus, The Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Dr. Luke 10:25-37 NKJV/The Message

Finally, Paul addresses the culture in which he lived by denouncing the lies that were being propagated in his time.  Paul's letter to the church at Rome 1:18-36 NKJV/The Message.  Does any of this sound familiar?  

So you see friend there is no place for jive talkin' in the life of a follower of Jesus.  Our relationships with God and others are too important to fool around with deceit and lies.   Otherwise you are known as a follower of one with which you may not wish to be associated.  The Gospel of Jesus according to the disciple John 8:31-47 NKJV/The Message  According to this passage it is easy to hear these lyrics being sung to the enemy:

Jive talkin'
You're telling me lies, yeah
Jive talkin'
You wear a disguise

"Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns from their eponymous 2004 album

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving you,

Randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Johnny B Goode" (Chuck Berry/Michael J. Fox)

Welcome to the first Tuesday of spring!!!  Have you gotten used to the sun shining until bedtime yet?  Despite the annual governmental interference into the "absolute" of time (Daylight Savings Time Side Effects), it is a glorious spring day here in Tuesday's Musical Notes land!!! We're glad you've decided to spend some time contemplating the melodic strains of the decades while meditating on the Messianic message of eternity. 

This...is...Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!

 

(ok, so imagine James Earl Jones just said that...)

Each week The Notes visits the life of musical icons while we explore spiritual applications to the songs in which they write.  Some of those visits include retrospectives on artists whose musical score in this life has come to its fine'.  Such is our case today as we celebrate the contributions to our culture and to the popular music of Chuck Berry who passed away last Saturday at the age of 90.  Go, go, go, Johnny go...

"Johnny B Goode" from the 1959 album Chuck Berry Is On Top by Chuck Berry

"Johnny B. Goode" is a semi-autobiographical song by legendary artist Chuck Berry.  It has one of the most recognizable introductory guitar riffs in all of Rock-N-Roll and was ranked at #7 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".  It has been used in countless applications including television and movies.  It's most famous "cover" was by Marty McFly in the movie Back to the Future...."ok, guys this is a blues riff in B, watch me for the changes...and try and keep up"

"Johnny B Goode" as seen in the motion picture Back to the Future from 1985

Autobiographical parts aside, "Johnny B Goode" speaks to a time when many people, especially the country boys back in the woods, were handed down their musical educations by parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, and community members who were considered family.  These forerunners would infuse the passion for music in the next generation so much that young people would indeed pick up their instruments to start practicing as soon as they were done using the  "tools of their trade" for the day or got all of their chores complete.  Those who became adept at their craft did so because of the hard work and endless hours of practice that they put into it.   Formal music education was not something for which the "one-room" schoolhouse would have had time.  But a child's relatives would certainly use their non-work time in pursuits that included music and singing that would be passed on to younger talents. 

There has been much discussion in recent days of funding for "arts" in our country.  I am blessed to have a job whereby I am paid to get to do my musical calling.  I do not take this for granted.  However, I am curious as to why there is such an uproar regarding funding for something that at the founding of our country was accomplished by those who chose to enhance their community by providing resources for artistic endeavors.  It was not something the fledgling government could have afforded.  

With regards to the proposed budget, a March 16, 2017 article at NPR.org stated "CPB (Corporation for Public Broadcasting (PBS) received $445 million in federal funding in the last fiscal year; the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) and NEH (National Endowment for Humanities) got about $148 million each — a tiny portion of the roughly $4 trillion federal budget."  (Trump's Budget Plan Cuts Funding For Arts, Humanities And Public Media - NPR.org ).  

In perspective, the article states that these amounts are "tiny" when compared to the overall national budget.  In fact, it is less than 2% of that budget.   However, compared to Tuesday's Musical Notes land budget, these are massive amounts of money that could be turned back to the states in the form of  "arts" education in Public Schools for band, choir, theatrical arts, etc.  Perhaps a local school band concert that charges nothing for entry is a better use of resources than watching the Boston Philharmonic, which is charged for admission for the live performance and is funded by private entities as well, performs hours of music that many do not watch.  Let's face it if Sesame Street and the latest documentary by Ken Burns were so popular, why are they not winning their time slots?  But I digress.  Sorry.  Rant.  Over.  

And now back to our previously scheduled blog, already in progress...

"Johnny B Goode" represents a time in music history as well as American history where parents seemingly played a more important part in their children's lives.  In fact, the entirety of one's family played a more important role in the rearing of children than it appears they do today.  Ponder this:  Many in America wake up in the morning to get their children ready to spend 7-10 hours of the day at either a daycare, preschool or educational institution.   Our point is that we pay, either through fees or taxes, someone who may not have our goals, beliefs, or ideologies, to spend time and care for the children with which we have been BLESSED.  These caregivers, many of whom are exemplary,  have the opportunity to "raise up" our child, at the very least, under the influence of their worldview.   Is this a dereliction of duty?  

We can not get back time that is lost with our kids. 

The Bible has much to say with regards to the relationship we have with our children.  

20 Important Bible Verses for Parents by Pamela Rose Williams from whatchristianswanttoknow.com  

They are OUR responsibility.  They are OUR legacy.  They are OUR blessing...

I suspect that if Johnny was Goode at anything, it happened because a family member imparted wisdom, knowledge, love, care, and time into him.  Playing guitar like ringing a bell came naturally for him as he had an older generation that emulated every strum that he practiced, they encouraged him every time a string would break, and they engendered an environment by which he would innovate his playing to the level for which he would become known.  Not just in 1958, but 49 years later as well...  You see it probably wasn't screaming fans, but a loving family that was singing...

Go... go...go...

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving you,

Randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Beauty and the Beast" (Angfela Lansbury/Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson)

Welcome to Tuesday!!!  It's time to enter into a world of staff and Scripture.  It is a world that is filled with tantalizing nuggets of wisdom and mesmerizing tomes of tempo.  And on occasion a tale as old as time... Welcome to Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!

"Beauty and the Beast" by Angela Landsbury from the 1991 Disney Animated Classic
"Beauty and the Beast" - Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson end credits song from the 1991 soundtrack

It isn't really that unusual for a song from an animated film to become part of the culture. With the advent of the internet and youtube.com, this phenomenon has occasionally reached a fevered pitch.  Seriously, how many versions from how many people did you see for the now iconic song from Frozen, "Let It Go" (Tuesday's Musical Notes will be doing this song sometime...).  This doesn't count the myriad of children who broke into song at the most inopportune moment...but I digress.  Here are some of Disney's top-performing songs, most of which are animated favorites. 

Top 10 Highest Charting Songs from Disney Movies - streamingdisney.com

Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts) was originally hesitant to record the title song for the movie Beauty and the Beast.  Her concerns centered around her aging voice and ability to sustain longer notes.  She was assured by the writers, Asman and Menken, that her character was the only one who could sing the song.  Lansbury agreed to record "Beauty and the Beast" and was able to do it in one take.  The song would go on to win a Golden Globe for Best Original Song and the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

The Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson single version not only went to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it garnered several awards as well.  It won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.  It also helped introduce the world to Dion as it was on her eponymous 1992 album, exploding an already growing career in the recording industry.

And now we step into the controversy...

Beauty and the Beast 2017 - trailer

Perhaps you have heard that Disney has remade the animated classic into a live-action (well as live-action as you can for talking candelabra and clock, etc.) film.  Perhaps you have also heard that there is a controversy swirling around what promises to be another Disney triumph at the box office.  If you haven't heard, the character of Le Fou in the live-action film has apparently had his attraction for Gaston made more pronounced.  This has caused such a stir that Russia is considering banning the film because of the character who in some reports is obviously a homosexual.  Facebook erupted with "conversations" regarding LeFou.  Some well-intentioned folks have considered starting a boycott against the movie and Disney (again).

 

What's a Christian family to do?   

The Bible has much to say regarding "sin".  A biblegateway.com query produces over 1300 references in the New International Version of the Bible concerning the word "sin".  The result of the very first "sin", the disobedience to God's commands, was ex-communication from a perfect garden.  The result of the very last "sin" will mean separation from the perfection of heaven and more importantly separation forever from God.  So you can see, this very small word has some pretty big implications.

With regards to our conversation regarding Beauty and the Beast please consider the following:

1) A much larger word, "detestable", has been bounced around in association with the sin of homosexuality.  Another biblegateway.com query on this word produces much fewer results, but some that are incredibly significant for today's Notes.  Perhaps you have heard that Jesus described "homosexuality" as detestable.  If it's in the Bible that Jesus said this, I can't find it, in fact, the only time we see Jesus describing anything as "detestable" is In Luke 16:  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2016%3A14-16&version=NIV;MSG. 

2) Christian families should consider the tools of normalization that the enemy uses to make sin look "cool".  If we do this we find our television entertainment becomes very limited.  From the overtly adulterous The Bachelor, and The Bachelorette, where the next to last episode features premarital sex between the "star" of the show and his final "rose bearers', to the very conservative Last Man Standing, which aired an episode featuring lesbians, the enemy has obviously gotten a stranglehold on our choices for television entertainment.  I suppose there is the NFL...oh wait, there was a great deal made about a homosexual player not too long ago wasn't there?

3) As Christians, we must remember that folks need to work.  Many years ago, I was the manager of an entertainment store.  When we opened, against my desire, wishes, and outright disdain, we had a section in our book department called "lambda" which was a codeword for our homosexual section.  Very quickly it was discovered by some Christian friends in our area and they came to me suggesting that they would boycott the entire store because of this section.  My response...you certainly can do what you need to do, but consider the point that I am a brother in Christ, attempting to make a living for my family, your boycott would directly impact that living, including my ability to tithe to my church.  If you would like to see this section go away, make it a money issue.  Make sure that you and your friends purchase as many of our Christian books as possible so I can continue to expand that section.  Eventually, I will have to make the "business" choice to eliminate lower volume producing sections.  This seemed very plausible to my Christian brother and within the next year, we eliminated the "lambda" section.  

My point is, that we don't know what Christian brothers and sisters are fighting from the inside of Disney and other corporations to keep the enemy at bay with entertainment choices.  Boycotts in general do not work, they only hurt the people we would least be likely to want to hurt.  Be supportive of the good stuff and there won't be room for the bad.

Back to our question.  A Christian family, when faced with the dilemma of the cultural shifts that are so prevalent in our society should simply tell the Gospel.  Tuesday's Musical Notes respects the leaders of households who daily make a choice regarding how much of the culture they will allow into their family's structure.  The family unit is one of God's most treasured gifts and it is up to moms and dads to make the decisions as to how much or how little of the influence of the world they allow to impact their home.  That being said,  as Christians we have to be careful to express our disagreements with that culture in loving ways.  Don't get me wrong, we should always call sin what it is, however, we carefully evaluate our message and how it is expressed.  If we spend our time and energy telling the positive message of the Gospel of Jesus, we won't have time to be seen as "haters" against a society that has a destiny apart from God.  "Turn or Burn" is not a message that resonates with our world, I'm not convinced that it ever has.  Jesus said something about this when He was asked what the greatest commandment was.  The Gospel of Jesus as written by Mark 12:28-34 New International Version of the Bible

 

Please do not misunderstand.  As followers of Jesus, we should be against sin.  Homosexuality is a sexual sin, as are adultery and pornography.  We fall short if all we tell a person in the midst of that sin is that they are sinners.  Too many times we stop there and don't tell them the story of redemption that awaits them through belief in Jesus Christ.  The even better thing is what we can be for.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to overcome ALL sins.  Belief in Jesus and repentance of that sin, sometimes on a daily basis, is the better argument to a world that doesn't know any other way.  

You have to make the decision for your family regarding whether you will see the new Beauty and the Beast.  If you have been blessed with children, this decision will be especially important.  Be careful not to engage in the rhetoric the enemy uses to espouse hatred.  Make sure that everywhere you go, everything you do, and everyone that you engage, understands that there is another tale as old as time, true as it can be...

"Everywhere I Go" by Tim Timmons from the 2015 album Awake Our Souls

 

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving you,

Randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Changes" (Yes)

 

Welcome to Tuesday and Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!  

Here we go again, it's that time of year.  Sigh...  Yes, the dreaded time change is coming up this weekend...ugh!!!  We've said it before and we'll say it again, the first politician who realizes that this is EVIL not a necessary in the United States and puts forth a bill to keep either one or the other times as a year long time standard is a hero in my book and will get the only Tuesday's Musical Endorsement that will ever be made.  Ok, rant over.  Phew, I feel better.  At least until Sunday morning... but today is the first Tuesday of the month!!!   Time to dust off another entry from the email files and renew our relationship with previous non-blog Notes!    With that we enter the world where even Tuesday's Musical Notes are constantly moving through some changes...

     There aren't many musical groups from the '60s that are still together.  A few names come to mind:  Chicago, the Rolling Stones, Genesis, Chicago...  All of these bands have had recent concert tours.  Most of the members of the groups are in their '60s!!  In fact, Bob Seger will turn 72 this year (he says he is retired from touring, but we hope he changes his mind)  One band however has always set itself apart from these Rock and Roll legends.   Let's give them a listen from a concert video shot in 1984:  

               "Changes" by Yes from the 1983 album 90125  

While the name may not sound familiar, the band Yes has been around since 1968.  They are best known for defining what Progressive Rock, or ProgRock, was for the early 1970's musical scene.  Yes enjoyed some success in the 70's with their biggest hit being 1971's ""Roundabout" from Fragile.  But in 1983, they hit Rock and Roll Gold with the album 90125.  (The title for the album comes from the last 5 digits of it's barcode)  It included the number one smash "Owner Of A Lonely Heart".  3 other singles were released from 90125.  All of the singles broke into Billboard's Hot 100.  "It Can Happen" (51), "Leave It" (24) (18 videos, the first to use computer generated imagery,  were produced for this song, not sure you or I have time for that...maybe another day we should just...leave it...) and the rhythmically challenging "Changes"  (6), our video for the day.  Founding band members Jon Anderson and Chris Squire had musical backgrounds in the Church of England as they both served as choir boys.  While never considered a Christian act, religious influences and overtures can be heard in the music as well as in the lyrical content of many of the songs by the band that was a  2017 Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame inductee.  

Also of note, Trevor Horn from the Buggles (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Video Killed The Radio Star") played backing keyboards as well as provided backing vocals for 90125.  

You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.

- Brian Tracy

» We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers - but never blame yourself. It's never your fault. But it's always your fault, because if you wanted to change you're the one who has got to change.

- Katharine Hepburn
To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.

- Winston Churchill

» If you've ever made change in the offering plate, you might be a redneck.

- Jeff Foxworthy

If you Bing or Google "quotes on changes", it seems that everyone has something to say about this topic.   In recent years the word "change" has been bandied about quite a lot.  We have heard it in politics, in medicine, in regards to lifestyles, in education, and in religious discussions.  The landscape of our culture in recent years has seemingly seen changes overnight.   Many people want you to change to their way of thinking, or perhaps you want them to change to yours.  We have all seen changes that we like and some that we don't. 
 
Let's face it, everything changes.  In short, change changing places.  While you may have a particular music style that you like right now but trust me, even that will change.    Christian music is not immune from this inclination for change.  I suspect that the music that David put to the Psalms was very different than the Chris Tomlin or Hillsongs interpretations of the same scripture.  There was a time when Gregorian Chant was the dominant form of worship music in the church and only those who could read and sing were allowed to participate.  In more recent days, we have seen the transition from shaped notes and Heavenly Highway Hymns, to praise charts and lyrics on the screen.  What's even better is that the change has happened quickly enough that we can still enjoy both in the right circumstances!  I think if you were to ask most people if they like change, their answer would be......YES!
The Bible has an incredibly strong word for change.....transform.  It is a word that seems to mean much more than just change.  In Romans chapter 2 Paul writes about a transformation that we need in our lives.  The King James translation puts it in this familiar context:

Romans 12:2

King James Version (KJV)

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.

This passage essentially says that if we want the good, acceptable and perfect will of God to work in our lives, we should not allow the things around us to define who we are, what we do, or how we believe, but we should be transformed by the renewing of our mind.  That poses the question, "How do I renew my mind?"  Since you asked...

Romans 12:1-2

The Message (MSG)

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. 

In the KJV we are transformed by renewing our mind, in The Message paraphrase, if we fix our attention on God, we'll be changed from the inside out.  How does this process of change occur? 

 

The Bible has been a #1 bestseller for decades.  Can we see it's influence in our society today?  Do Christians read it daily and allow it to transform them by renewing their minds?  Do we fix our attention on God every day by reading what He has to say about how we are to live and then see our lives changing from the inside out?  Just like fellowship with believers serves to encourage, reading the Bible serves to transform and renew our minds.  Reading it changes our focus from the world and places it on God, keeping us from conforming to the world and helping us to transform into His likeness.  Our spiritual maturity is enhanced as we change.  Our ability to discern God's direction for us is empowered by that enhancement of our spiritual maturity.  Do you want to become more like Christ?  Read the Bible.  Do you want to become more spiritually mature?  Read the Bible.  Do you want to know God's good and acceptable and perfect will for your life?  Read the Bible.  Then keep lookin' for "Changes"!!

"Resurrecting" by Elevation Worship from the 2016 album Here As In Heaven

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy