Tuesday's Musical Notes - "So Far Away" (Dire Straits)

Welcome to Tuesday and another edition of the only blog in Internetland to provide you with groovy tunes and grace-filled truths.  It's Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!  

It has been some time since we featured a Musical Note that only saw the digital form of an email to friends and those who requested The Notes in its early days.  (You remember... 2012?) But today you are in for a treat!  From March 27, 2012, here is Tuesday's Musical Notes the email redux!!!  

Great Tuesday to ya friend!  It's time for the Notes!!!

Chances are if you have been listening to music for very long, you have determined favorite songs, or bands or more generally a favorite style that you are drawn to as you tune your radio dial or pay your XM subscription.  Many of the artists who have entertained us over the years have had great success, while others have struggled or never made it past one hit. (Anyone remember Charlie Dore's "Pilot Of The Airwaves"? "Pilot of the Airwaves" by Charlie Dore from the 1979 album Where to Now, (oh yeah, there's a Tuesday's Musical Notes coming for that one!!! stay tuned...)  

For every group that has lasting appeal, there are literally dozens of groups that are one-hit wonders or never made it at all.  In fact, the band that has stayed together the longest, the folk band The Brothers Four, have been touring together since 1957 and have had only 1 chart hit, 1960's "Greenfields" ("Greenfields" by The Brothers Four - 2nd single released as a group).  For 61 years they have been entertaining the folk music crowd and touring together.   I hate to admit it, but I had never even heard of them until I looked them up online.  

The Brothers Four are not alone within the musical fields of longevity.   Many of our favorite featured bands have been touring 50+ years.  For example, the band Chicago  (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Old Days")  has been touring together for 51 years.  (and there is my unapologetic Chicago plug, ya had to know it was coming!!!) 

Here is an article that details some of our favorite bands whose inceptions began, well,  about the same time mine did..."The Oldest Rock Bands still Performing Today, Then and Now", April 24, 2013, by TheFran from geekshizzle.com (Make sure you look at the comments for several obvious oversights including Chicago...sigh)  

It is obvious that with this kind of longevity in the music business, strong relationships within these band have formed.  You might even say they were Brothers In Arms.

"So Far Away" by Dire Straits from the May 13, 1985 album Brothers in Arms

These "Sultans Of Swing" wanted their MTV as they got their "Money For Nothing" traveling down the "Walk Of Life" as "Brothers In Arms".   In 1977, the Knopfler brothers, Mark and David, started a band that they called Dire Straits.    Dire Straits zoomed to the top of the charts with 1977's "Sultans Of Swing" from their eponymous debut album.  But it wasn't until 1985 that they had the biggest impact on the music industry with Brothers In Arms. 

 "So Far Away" was the first single released from the album and peaked at #19 on the US charts.  Upon the strength of "So Far Away" and with MTV in its heyday,  "Money For Nothing" was released as the 2nd single from Brothers In Arms.   With heavy rotation for the video as well as a vocal assist from Sting,  "Money For Nothing" catapulted to #1 on the charts guaranteeing the success of the album as well as instant stardom for the band.  3 more songs would be released as singles from Brothers In Arms ("Brothers In Arms" (didn't chart in the US), "Walk of Life" (peaked at #7) (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Walk of Life"), and "Your Latest Trick" (didn't chart in the US)) making for a total of 5 of the 9 songs on the album.  Quite the feat considering some of the "heavy hitters" that were around in the mid-80's.  

In case you were wondering...  Here are some other albums that had multi-single success:  Chock Full O' Hits - The Albums That Spawned the Most Top 10 Singles (US) - rateyourmusic.com

Dire Straits would have 1 more studio album, 1991's On Every Street,  and then Mark Knopfler, who was by then the principal writer for the band decided that the constant touring and sometimes overwhelming success of their music was not what he had in mind for his life.  Dire Straits officially disbanded for the 2nd time in 1999.  Based on their success in the late 70s and throughout the 80s, (mostly because of Brothers In Arms impact on the music industry) Dire Straits was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.  

Today's featured song, "So Far Away From Me", bemoans the aspects of a long distance relationship and the frustrations that can come with it.  Have you ever been in that situation?  Have you ever been far away from the ones that you love and can do absolutely nothing to remedy the situation?  Perhaps you've heard the phrase "absence makes the heart grow fonder".   I'm not sure I buy that.  Relationships can only be cultivated in the day to day experiences that are shared together.  The same is true of the relationship we have with God.  He so desires a relationship that He was willing to do anything for us to have the opportunity to be close to Him. 

"Here I am again in this mean ol town..."

The Bible is replete with examples of individuals and communities that are far away from God.  One instance is the story of Joshua and Jericho.   After the death of their great leader Moses, his right-hand man, Joshua was leading Israel into the promised land.  Remember the story of Jericho?  At the very least, 600,000 men were marching around the wall and at the end of their march, they yelled in triumph.   For perspective's sake, The University of Michigan's football stadium will hold 107,601.   That means a group that was 5.576 times the size of Michigan stadium stood and yelled at the walls of Jericho.  Yes, the walls came tumbling down. 

The walls coming down and the take over of the city really is the big story here.  But there is a passage of scripture after the walls came down that is equally important regarding the future of the city of Jericho.  

Joshua 6:26a says,  "26 At that time Joshua imposed this curse:

The man who undertakes the rebuilding of this city, Jericho, is cursed before the LORD."
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)   Joshua 6 Christian Standard Bible/The Message paraphrase of the Bible/English Standard Version of the Bible parallel

That would strategically place the city of Jericho, far away from anything having to do with the children of Israel and more importantly God.    

To this day, Jericho has a bad reputation in Israel.  However, God has a story of redemption even for a city that was cursed by the great leader Joshua.  This city, that has been ostracized by God's people, is one of the cities to which Jesus would travel.  Jericho was not so far away from Jesus' love, that He wouldn't go there.  Nothing or no one is.  

 Perhaps you've heard of a wee little man?  In Luke 19:1-9 not only was Jesus in this city that Joshua cursed, but he was having supper with one of the most corrupt men in the city, Zacchaeus, a tax collector.  Zacchaeus and the city of Jericho became recipients of God's grace and mercy through Jesus as He proclaimed to the crowd,

“Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” The Gospel of Jesus according to Dr. Luke, chapter 19, verse 1-9 CSB/The Message/ESV

"Where are you, when the sun goes down..."

Did you see that?  Jesus was in the worst town in Israel with the worst citizen of the town and He provided the possibility of redemption for both!!!  So what?  2 takeaways if I may be so bold.  1)  You can never be so far away from God that He isn't attempting to reconcile with you.  He will go anywhere to restore you to Himself.  2) Believers who say they are striving to be more like Jesus should be prepared to go to places they wouldn't normally go.  Especially if God is already there working!!! They should also be prepared to visit with folks who have nothing in common with them and show them love.  In essence, believers should be willing to go to the worst part of their town to visit with the worst person in that area and love them.  You see, friend, you don't have to go to the slums and ghettos of a foreign country, sometimes you just need to walk out your back door...

The town that in Joshua's time was so far away from God had officially been given the opportunity for redemption by God's Son.  Jesus still proclaims this very thing today as He claims you to be an adopted son or daughter of His.  God is telling you that no matter what your life history to this point, you can receive redemption.  The same is true for Christians who have strayed from the way.  God can restore.   There is no place you can be in God's eyes where you are.....

 "So Far Away From Me, so far I just can't see.....so far away from me, you're so far away from me."

'Til Tuesday...

Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy