Welcome to the last Tuesday of 2020! Was that a celebratory scream we heard or perhaps a sigh of relief? Regardless of the sound you just made 2020 with its pandemic/election/economic/
Welcome to the blog known as Tuesday's Musical Notes!!! Have you followed us this December? If you have then you know, we've been doing a tribute to The Beatles and their solo Christmas singles as our featured songs. Here's what we've seen so far:
Today it's George Harrison's spin on the turntable as we feature his seasonal entry "Ding Dong, Ding Dong". Released late in the Christmas season of 1974, "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" peaked at #36 on Billboard's Hot 100. It includes backing instrumentals and vocals from Tom Scott (The Blues Brothers), Ringo Starr (The Beatles), Alvin Lee (Ten Years After), Ron Wood (The Rolling Stones (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Sympathy for the Devil" (The Rolling Stones)), Gary Wright (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Dream Weaver" (Gary Wright)), and Mick Jones (Foreigner (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Cold as Ice", Tuesday's Musical Notes - "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Foreigner)).
Meant to rival McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime", "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" didn't quite catch on and is rarely heard on the radio at Christmas, New Year's, or the week that is in between the two.
Lyrically, "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" features some of the words inscribed in carvings around the home (Friar Park on the Thames) Harrison purchased from Lawyer/Microscoptist Sir Frank Crisp. Harrison began using the homilies and aphorisms ("...Yesterday, today was tomorrow, And tomorrow, today will be yesterday..." as taken from today's song) in some of the songs that would become the Billboard #4 ranked, Dark Horse album of which "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" is a track. Considering the tumult that Harrison's personal life was at the time, it also expresses the desire to see the dawn of a new year with an optimistic hope for the future, while reflecting ever so briefly on the challenges of the past.
Speaking of reflecting on the past...
"In September of 1986, the pop group The Bangles scored a number one hit with the song "Walk Like an Egyptian..."
And so it begins!
On February 25, 2008, we were asked to add a musical perspective to our church's newsletter. The above is the first line from the first newsletter. (That article also became its own Tuesday's Musical Note on September 10, 2013: Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Walk Like an Egyptian" (The Bangles)) About once a quarter we would submit an article to the newsletter that derived its title from a famous (at least famous to me) song and bring a musical and Biblical perspective to that song. In 2009, that newsletter ceased. For the next 3 years, songs and Scripture would come to mind. "Oh, I should write that down." or "Wouldn't that have made a nice newsletter submission." were thoughts that continued to occur. There was an eventual need for an outlet to get them out of my head. Finally, I decided that I would dedicate part of my week to sending out those thoughts as an email. We used the newsletter format and titled the email "Tuesday's Musical Notes". (Many of the Musical Notes allude to the rationale behind Tuesday. Can you find them? Yup, check the archives to the left) With the encouragement of one of those email readers (thanks again Heath!!!), "Tuesday's Musical Notes, the blog" was birthed in May of 2012 with this gopher-inspired song:
Today, after 443 blog entries, over 55,000 views, and 8 and 1/2 years, The Notes continues to find readers all over the world. Thank you so much for your support!!!
As we anticipate what 2021 may have in store for us, we want to take a moment to review a few highlights from 2020's submissions to Notesland.
With that, Tuesday's Musical Notes is pleased to present, commercial-free and in its entirety, the 2020 Top of The Notes countdown!!!
"All that you do must be done in love." - 1 Corinthians 16:14
Every year we take the opportunity to celebrate the top 10 most read Tuesday's Musical Notes from the previous year. These are the Musical Notes that have been viewed the most from the end of November 2019 to the end of November 2020 as tabulated by Blogspot and Google.
There's much to do so let's get started with the tie at #10.
Coming in at #10 of the most viewed Tuesday's Musical Notes in 2020 is the only tie of 2020. These Notes were back to back entries on the 1st and the 8th of September. The first is one of two movie songs in our year-end countdown. Surprisingly, they just happen to both be from the movies of the world's favorite spy, Bond, James Bond. Tying for #10, From the 2006 motion picture Casino Royale with Daniel Craig in his first outing as James Bond is:
The second is a classic from the Commodores with Lionel Ritchie on lead vocals that celebrates relaxing as much as you can. It is the first of 3 "Commandment" songs that make 2020's countdown. Here celebrating the Sabbath is the Commodores with "Easy".
Typically, Tuesday's Musical Notes features popular music from our formative years of the 80s. Every once in a while we step away from those classic charts and expand our musical horizon by tasting from another decade or another genre. Such is the case of the Musical Note that ranks at #9 in our year-end countdown. Here is a walk down the New Age musical mile with a hit from a pioneer of the genre, Kitaro.
For most of 2020, Tuesday's Musical Notes has been adventuring through the great stories of the Bible. We are firmly convinced that there are never enough conversations about these incredible narratives of how God moves in mankind's life. We began our excursion in the book of Genesis on April 19, 2019, with Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Beginnings" (Chicago) Since that time we have gone through the books of Genesis and Exodus.
As we have made our way, we've explored some passages in great detail. The Notes featured a different song for each of the Ten Commandments. Beginning August 18th and running through October 20th, Tuesday's Musical Notes explored the commandments in a way that you probably never experienced in Sunday School. (Umm....yes that's another archive plug. You know what to do!!!) Three of those ten explorations made this year's annual countdown. We've already seen the Sabbath celebrated at #10, the other two "Commandment" Notes are at #8 and #7.
At #8, is the second James Bond song as well as the second film song featured in this year's countdown. Before we take a look at #8, we are reminded that movie theaters were struck especially hard with the pandemic this year and thought it would be interesting to see what the final box office totals might be. Here as a TMN extra, are the top-grossing films of 2020 as tabulated by Box Office Mojo:
# 2 - 1917 (2020) - Trailer
It would appear that the only new thing under the sun in Hollywood this year was the #2 1917. Interestingly all of the other films are either sequels, remakes, or based on established characters. Hmmm...
And now on with the countdown...
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39
The 8th most popular blog for 2020 is based on the 6th Commandment and taken from the 16th movie about super-spy James Bond. Here is Gladys Knight with the title song from the 1989 EON productions film "License to Kill".
Number 7!!!
Not to be left out of the Musical Notes based on commandments is the 8th command that God gave to the Israelites at the base of Mt. Sinai, "Do Not Steal" The Musical Note based on this command comes from a band that includes a couple of Red Hot Chili Peppers in their recipe from time to time. Here is Jane's Addiction with "Been Caught Stealing", number 7 on our annual Tuesday's Musical Notes countdown.
The top 6 spots in our countdown all come from the first two months of 2020. Must have been a hard winter... Kicking off our top 6 is this blog from January 28. It is from rapper MC Hammer and is something that The Notes suspect and hope that many people did this year..." we've got to pray just to make it these days..."
The views keep getting larger as the blogs keep going higher...
Before we reveal the top 5 Musical Notes for 2020 we'd like to reintroduce you to some of the favorite blogs since that beginning time of Tuesday's Musical Notes we eluded to earlier. Every time a Musical Note is read an angel gets his...no that's not right. Google keeps track each time a Musical Note gets read from the archives. You read 'em. Google counts 'em. We count 'em down. These are the most popular Tuesday's Musical Notes of all time as of today. Please think of it as our request and dedication to the readers who love the blog about music and The Messiah. We write, "Dear readers of Tuesday's Musical Notes..."
That was our look back at the favorite Tuesday's Musical Notes of all time. Dedicated to our readers from all over the world. Miss one of them? Click on the link and you'll be instantly transported to the land of percussion and prophecy, sounds and signs, notes and Numbers...well you get the picture. Take a look!
We won't stop till we reach the top...
Without a doubt, one of the greatest drummers of all times was Neal Peart of the band Rush. He, Geddy Lee, and Alex Lifeson made up the trio that many would say were the hardest working band in history. With 19 studio albums, 11 live recordings, 11 greatest hits collections, and 10 box sets of their music, it is very easy to see why they would be given that moniker. Their single "Working Man" from their debut, the self-titled record Rush also happens to be the feature song that comes in at #5 on our countdown.
Sadly, Neal Peart died in 2020. He was only one of many musical artists that lost their life in 2020. In Memorium here is Tuesday's Musical Notes salute to musicians who passed this year...
Not profiled in the above video is one musician whose death continues to leave a large impact on the lives of those who knew her. On June 23rd, Tuesday's Musical Notes remembered our dear friend Carrie Taylor. Here's James Taylor...
"Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13
The number 4 most read Tuesday's Musical Note comes to us oddly enough from February 4, 2020, when we were just beginning to feel the impact of some of the "Changes" that were coming our way due to the coronavirus. It would also be the first musical note after yours truly had quadruple-bypass surgery. Changes indeed!!! Thanks if you prayed. Doing great!!!
February was the best overall month for the readership here at Tuesday's Musical Notes! All of the top 4 blogs came from the 2nd month of the year and all were written during the recuperation period of the aforementioned heart surgery I had on January 30. (Happy Birthday Justin!)
Coming in at #3 is the classic by a man you don't mess around with. Here's Jim Croce's April of 1972 #8 hit...
Tuesday's Musical Note is read around the world in places like The United Kingdom, Portugal, Canada, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, France, and an "Unknown Region" as Google describes it. We want to thank those readers as well as readers from our #1 country for reading The Notes, the United States. We hope you enjoy our weekly encouragements, challenges, and thoughts about music and how it can apply to our eternal condition. There is a place at the bottom of each Musical Note for comments, so please share your thoughts. We'd love to hear from you!!!
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him." John 3:16-17
2 songs are left. One is from the band who can't say no. The other is from the ultimate vagabond. Which one will reach the #1 spot? Let's find out as the countdown rolls on...
At #2 comes the classic hit from the Progressive Rock band Yes. It would be their highest charting song (peaking at #13) until 1983's #1 smash - "Owner of a Lonely Heart" from the 90125 album. It comes in at #2 and is the second song by Yes featured as a Musical Note (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Changes" (Yes)) Here is the #2 Tuesday's Musical Note based on a song from the 1971 album Fragile by Yes.
#1!!!
"Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. By this, the love of God was revealed in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this, we know that we remain in Him and He in us because He has given to us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, we also are in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God must also love his brother and sister. - 1 John 4:7-21
We mentioned earlier that Tuesday's Musical Notes is currently basing its blog on a chronological look through the Bible and its great stories. One of the most memorable of those stories is about a lad clad in a coat of many colors. A young man whose dreams would get him into trouble of insurmountable odds only to see the God he served, use those troubles for the salvation of His chosen people. That story is of course about Joseph, the ultimate "Dreamer"...The story about an ultimate vagabond, by a group of ultimate vagabonds, is the #1 viewed Tuesday's Musical Notes. From February 25, 2020, here is Supertramp with "Dreamer"...
And there you have it. The ten most-read posts of Tuesday's Musical Notes for 2020. Before we sign off on this year's countdown, we'd like to leave you with this personal note. If you believe in Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation, love. If you allow Holy Spirit to guide the steps of your life, love. If God is preparing a place for you to be with Him forever, love. In this past year, we have seen the results of a lack of love by so many people. I am convinced that if believers would love others the way Jesus loved others while He walked on this earth, we could change everything. Yes, there will be detractors, deniers, and down-right haters, but many others would embrace your tangible efforts to show them love. Tuesday's Musical Notes exists to encourage the love of Christ to everyone. If you'd like to know more about His love, please let us know. Leave us an email address in the comment section with your questions and we'll do our best to see what answers may lie ahead for both of us.
In other words..."If I speak with the tongues of mankind and angels but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good." - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
That does it for us for 2020. We look forward to visiting with you again in 2021 as we continue to explore the great stories of the Bible. (Leviticus and Numbers are next...where do we go from there?!!!). Have a great New Year's celebration and as always...
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving You
randy
Tuesday's Musical Notes is a production of Cross & Kin Entertainment. All of the comments expressed were those of the writers of Tuesday's Musical Notes and should be considered for their relevance in your everyday life. Due to covid and the uptick in Christmas Card mailings, your package could be delayed in its delivery. No animals were harmed in the writing of this blog. Action figures sold separately. Avoid temperature extremes and store in a cool, dry place. See ya next Tuesday!!!
POST CREDIT SCENE
Fade to scene: Moses is standing outside of an elaborate, but hand made large tent. He slowly turns towards the entrance and hears THE voice..." Close immediately to black, screen card reads "Tuesday's Musical Notes continues January 5, 2021..."
