Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Cry for Help" (HomeTown)

Hey there!  It's Tuesday and it's time for another edition of Tuesday's Musical Notes, a blog written by a music lover for music lovers of all shapes, sizes, and ear preferences. (Not your physical ear but the style of music you like to listen to, just in case that got weird really quickly!) 

One of the reasons The Notes exists is to help music lovers discover new things.  Sometimes the discovery exists in the form of a new song, like today, but other times more exploration is needed to bring the revelation about.   Who knows, there may even need to be a sign of some sort, maybe like a bush that is on fire but is never consumed by the flame, to bring about the introduction of a new concept to you.  Voila!  A discovery!!!   Never fret, whenever you feel like your left by yourself, Tuesday's Musical Notes is here to cheer, we can hear your cry for help...(even if you are in the mountains, maybe...tending sheep or doing backflips)

"Cry for Help" the March 27th, 2015 single by HomeTown, from their self titled, debut album

Much was accomplished by the 6 member band HomeTown in their brief, two-year existence.  After a 1000 person search throughout the Emerald Isle, Louis Walsh, the band's manager, put together the singers from all over Ireland who would make up HomeTown.  While not known well outside of The Land of Saints and Scholars, they made an immediate impact on the IRL (Irish Music Charts) with the first two singles from their debut album going all the way to #1 in their native land.  They also performed in the Coca- Cola Music Experience with Meghan Trainor to a sold-out Barclaycard Center in Madrid, Spain.  After achieving such highs in Europe, the band members decided to go on hiatus to pursue individual projects. "If we get a little lost and lose our way..." That's a shame for a band with such promise and maybe even a calling...

Another man with promise is the Bible character Moses.  Many folks know about the burning bush incident and the Ten Commandments, but there is much more about the life of Moses that we can unpack.  For instance, Moses was in the process of minding his own business, tending to the sheep of his now father-in-law, when God shows up and lets Moses know that He will be integral to the plan that God uses to answer the cry for help from the Israelites who are still in bondage in Egypt.  Here's the familiar story:

Exodus 2:15 - 3:9 New American Standard Bible/The Message paraphrase of the Bible/King James Version of the Bible parallel 

The recurring truth of the Bible is that God is always faithful.  He never changes!  He is omnipresent and hears the cries for help of those who call on His Name.  In this case, the cries for help came from the nation of Israel as it was struggling under the burdensome bondage and slavery of the Egyptians.  

After being discovered as a murderer, Moses high tales it out of Egypt and heads for a place where no one knows his name.  He assists some shepherdess' at a well and was identified as an Egyptian by the ladies he helped (guilt by association?).  The ladies take him to their father Jethro, (the priest of Midian) who gave Moses a job, and one of his daughters as a wife.  Moses begins his life as a husband, father, and nomadic shepherd when the Israelite's cry for help impacted his life in a major way.  

The shepherd Moses now becomes God's response to the cry for help that we read about in today's focal passage.  God got Moses' attention by the miracle of the bush that was not consumed by fire.  "Some kind of sign, sign.  Something to find, find". God got more than Moses' attention when He told Moses what was about to happen.  Moses did not understand completely what the plan was.  Moses was not bold in his agreement with God's request.  Moses did not want to do it.  After all, Moses was a wanted man in Egypt.  Moses made excuse after excuse attempting to find a way out of this situation.  Based on this story of Moses back and forth with God, can we really know what stress is...  I mean, have you ever tried to argue with God?  "No matter what the others say, all you need to know is..."  The cry for help was being answered and Moses was to be the instrument that God would use to bring about the deliverance of a nation.  

Moses was like so many of us.  Folks all over the world are crying out for help with a myriad of issues.  Whether they realize it or not, their main issue is they are not a part of God's family.  Yes, their sighs and groans may be about hazards that are causing their life to be unsettled or hard, but the real problem is that they are separated from Creator God.  God has heard their cry and He has called us to share His deliverance with them and show them miracles that only He can perform.  The biggest miracle they will see comes in the form of a changed life.

We may not be bold, or willing.  We may be scared and threatened.  We may make excuse after excuse of why we are not the person for the job.   We may be completely stressed out by what God is asking us to do, but if we will be faithful, so will our unchanging God.  The result? People will be delivered.  1 John 1:5-10 NASB/The Message/KJV

How has God gifted you to provide deliverance to others?  What talents do you have that you should surrender to God so that others may be freed?  How will you answer their cries for help?

Maybe this is your sign, sign.  Maybe this is your burning bush moment.  Don't wait.  Now is the time for you to answer a cry for help...

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving You,

Randy

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Tuesdays Musical Notes - "Renegade"(Styx)

Oh, welcome to the Notes where the bass drum has the very, next loud sound...

THUMP!    THUMP, THUMP!    THUMP, THUMP! 

It's Tuesday and we hope you are coping with this long, long, dumb lock-down... 

THUMP!    THUMP, THUMP!    THUMP, THUMP! 

Oh, don't you want to see all the things that we have in store for you...

THUMP!    THUMP, THUMP!    THUMP, THUMP!

Keep reading there is more coming down as we pass this interlude...

YEAH!!!

Welcome to Tuesday's Musical Notes where we are constantly on the lookout for things that will make your day livelier, make your thoughts lovelier, and your smile likelier!  It's Tuesday, the jig is up, The Notes are out...

"Renegade", the January 9, 1979 single by the band Styx, from the album Pieces of Eight  

For a song that is so well known, "Renegade" by Styx (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Boat on the River" (Styx), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Why Me?" (Styx), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Show Me the Way" (Styx), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Mr. Roboto" (Styx)), only made it as high as #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1979.  That #16 peak was enough to catapult the next single by Styx, "Babe", all the way to #1 and make "Renegade" a staple at "Classic Rock" radio.  

Written by guitarist Tommy Shaw, "Renegade" is the rare occasion in the Styx catalog where the principal writer of the song does not have the main guitar solo.  Shaw gave the solo to guitarist James (JY) Young.   Young would, later on, returned the favor by giving the guitar solo on his song "Half- Penny, Two- Penny" to Shaw on the 1981 Paradise Theater album. 

   

"Renegade" continues to be a fan favorite at Styx concerts and can be seen, as in our video above, at the end or as the encore to a concert by the Chicago based band.

"Renegade" is written in the first person about a man who has committed murder and is now awaiting his punishment.  As such, it has been used by television to not only bring about that 70's feel to a show but be the backdrop for highlighting a "scoundrel" or a scandalous moment. (Think Supernatural)  

In fact, "Renegade" might very well be used as a soundtrack to part of the life of the Biblical character Moses.  "Oh, mama, I'm in fear for my life from the long arm of the law.  (let's face it "the long arm of Pharoah, just wouldn't be the same...)

Exodus 2:11-15 New American Standard Bible/The Message paraphrase of the Bible/King James Version of the Bible  

We don't know much about Moses after he was discovered by Pharaoh's daughter and given his name until the next part of Moses' story which we find in today's Scripture.  Moses, after having been raised by his mother and at the very least was associated with the house of Pharaoh, has one of his most notorious "scoundrel" moments. Moses sees an Egyptian taskmaster mistreating a Hebrew laborer, he checks to see that no one is around, kills the Egyptian, the gets rid of the evidence by burying him in the sand.  THUMP,     THUMP, THUMP,     THUMP, THUMP. 

Moses, who would later pass down the "Thou shall not kill" law from God, has just committed murder.   He thought his crime was not noticed, but the next day, he came upon two Hebrew men who were fighting.  Infuriated that his "brothers" could not get along, Moses attempted to put a stop to the brawl, when he was accosted with the fact that his deed of murdering the Egyptian was known.  Pharaoh found out about it as well and set about to have Moses eliminated.  The jig was up, the news was out and Moses had to run.  

Moses found himself in the land of Midian.  He was a renegade, on the run from the law, fearful for his life, and in a strange land.  But there was a redemption plan in motion by which Moses would be astonished.  

Most of the modern world has heard of the name Moses and associate him with The Ten Commandments.  They even give credence to the fact that God gave Moses the commandments and appointed Moses the responsibility of leading as many as 2 million people out of Egypt to freedom and a promised land.  What they tend to forget is that Moses was a renegade.  He was a murderer and wanted by the law.  Even though Moses had done these horrific things, God used him as one of the greatest leaders we read of in Scripture.  Murderer to Man of God.  Lawbreaker to Lawgiver.  Renegade who had it made to Reverend who leaned on God.  That's quite the transition. That is exactly what God can do with a heart that is repentant, submissive, and willing.  

The point?  You don't have to fear for your life even though there's a high price on your head.  The lawman has said "get him dead or alive" and it's for sure he wants you dead.  But there is hope.  There is an escape.  There is a place for you to run.   There is a way by which the law that convicts you can no longer have any power over you.  The price on your head has been paid.  The person who paid it even wants to adopt you as His own.  

Nevermore to go astray. The judge will have revenge today, but it won't be on you.  IF, you accept the pardon that awaits.  IF, you turn away from the bad things that you do.  IF, you awake each morning with the goal of being more like Jesus, the boss of your life,  than you were yesterday.  No longer the wanted man...You are pardoned!!!

The jig is up, the news is out, they've finally found you...what will you do?

THUMP,    THUMP, THUMP,     THUMP, THUMP...

Serving HIM by serving You,

randy

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Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Boat on the River" (Styx)

Welcome to Tuesday and Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!  This is THE blog to find your favorite songs featured in a way you never have before, our Tuesday's Musical Notesy way!   While we typically feature great classic rock,  (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "One Thing Leads to Another" (The Fixx), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Here Comes the Sun" (The Beatles), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Wasted on the Way" (Crosby, Stills and Nash), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "For What It's Worth" (Buffalo Springfield)) Tuesday's Musical Notes has has been known to venture out into other styles, from Classical (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "William Tell Overture" (Gioachina Rossini),  to Country (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "I'm Sorry" (Brenda Lee)), Christmas favorites (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Christmas Time is Here" (Vince Giuraldi)) and the pop standards of the past that we now call Easy Listening (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "What a Wonderful World" (Louis Armstrong)).  We've even been known to venture into TV and Movie songs. (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "The Swing March" (Henry Mancini), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "The Easter Parade" (Irving Berlin via Bing Crosby), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Theme from Mission Impossible" (Lalo Schifrin)).  No matter what artist or style of music you prefer, Tuesday's Musical Notes has probably covered it!  Just search the blog or check out the monthly archives to find your favorite songs or discover new music.  

We love Tuesday's and music so much we had to express our passions by combining them and bringing them to you!  We hope you like what you read and our impacted by the commentary!  So, once again, Welcome to Tuesday's Musical Notes.

During the past few weeks, many folks have been working and schooling from home.  While we have experienced a cooler snap in our parts, many in the country and world are beginning to feel the effects that the spring season brings.  Warmer temperatures, the greening of the foliage and the beauty of the earth all combine to increase the desire to get out and experience nature.  Why we might even want to take a...

"Boat on the River" the March 16, 1980 single by Styx from the album Cornerstone  

Occasionally, a single by a hot musical act will soar in some geographic areas while it struggles in its native land.  Such was the case with the song "Boat on the River" by Styx. (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Why Me" (Styx), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Show Me the Way" (Styx), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Mr. Roboto" (Styx),)  The single, which featured the song "Borrowed Time" as the b-side, failed to chart in the US.  The rest of the world, however was another story.  "Boat on the River" went into the top 5 in German, Austrian, and Israeli charts and went all the way to #1 in the Swiss countdown, making it the biggest European hit for the Chicago based band. 

Mixing mythological references to the river the band is named after and the non-mythological moon landing site (yes, we've heard the theories, no we don't buy them...), "Boat on the River" is known for being one of the best acoustic and melodic songs written by Tommy Shaw, who was typically known for wanting the band to have a harder "rock" edge to their music.   It is a good listen before picking up your old copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology or perhaps checking out Exodus, chapter 2 in the Bible

Exodus 2:1-10 New American Standard Bible/The Message paraphrase of the Bible/King James Version of the Bible parallel  

Tuesday's Musical Notes is concerned that the great stories of the Bible are slowly fading from our collective conscience.  There was a time when everyone knew the stories of how God provided for the folks in the Old Testament , as well as His ultimate provision and the greatest story in the New Testament.  In April of last year, we started the process of telling those stories with a Tuesday's Musical Notes touch.  That first Bible story blog came in the form of the classic song by Chicago (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Beginnings" (Chicago)).

Today we continue the narrative with a conversation about the hero of the Judeo-Christian faiths, Moses. 

Moses' story has been captured and expanded upon by several Hollywood motion pictures.  The most memorable and The Notes' favorites of these films are  The Ten Commandments (Cecil B DeMille, 1956) and The Prince of Egypt (Dreamworks, 1998).  These films should be watched being mindful that they take a few liberties with the story lines, yet they do provide thought provoking questions that the Bible doesn't seem to address.  What were Moses' relationships like in his younger years?  How was he treated by the man who had given the order for the male children to be thrown into the river since it was this man's daughter who took him in?  

Like Jesus, we don't know very much about Moses' years as a child.  But according to the Exodus 2 passage, here is what we do know.

1) Moses was conceived by parents who were in the same tribe.  This was important, especially in early Jewish culture, as the history from Jacob's and Joseph's marriages were given as the example.  Remember, all of Jacob's sons had relocated to the area of Goshen in Egypt.  From these 11 sons a large quantity of people would be raised up.  Some estimate that there were close to 2 million people who left Egypt during the Exodus.  But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

2) Moses was born during the time of Pharaoh's death edict.  Moses was probably born in the home and was kept hidden from anyone who would have done him any harm.  All of his male contemporaries were being drowned in the Nile.  But for 3 months, Moses' family kept him safe.

3) Moses parents were unsure of the outcome of their next actions, but they were sure about Who was in charge.  The Bible says that Moses "boat on the river" was placed into the "reeds" along the river bank.  We aren't told that Moses floated up or downstream, we're just instructed that Pharaoh's daughter came by and discovered Moses, under the watchful gaze of Moses' sister, probably Miriam.  So, technically, Moses was cast into the Nile after all.  He  had a safe and dry mode of transport. Remember what the Egyptians had the Israelites doing...making bricks with straw and mud.  Chances are Moses' mom would have been good at constructing something water tight enough to last until Moses was discovered.  

4) There was no mistaking that Moses was Hebrew.  Pharaoh's daughter acknowledges the fact in the narrative.  There is a chance, purely our speculation, that this was one of many daughters of the Pharaoh.  Pharaoh would have doubtless had many wives. So there is possibility that Moses would not have been on the ruler's radar.  

5) Moses was raised by his own mother and she was paid to raise him.  We do not know if Moses' mom was taken into Pharaoh's daughters court, but the fact that she adopted Moses leads us to believe that Moses, possibly his birth mother and Miriam were no longer living in Goshen and responsible for making bricks.

Isn't it ironic, dont'cha think?  

Moses, who was supposed to be drowned in the river by government decree, WAS placed in the Nile, but in a boat that was discovered by the daughter of the ruler who made that decree!  

Moses, who was abandoned by his family in an attempt to save him, was discovered by the most powerful family in the land who then placed him in the care of his birth family, AND  paid them to take care of him!  

The frown on his face disappeared as his boat on the river transported him to safety.  He didn't cry out anymore as his life was spared and he was adopted into the king's family.  Moses life was truly miraculous and he hadn't even turned 2 or 3 years old yet.  

So friend, are you in a boat on the river?  Are you crying out, waiting for the waves to stop crashing and the river to stop flowing so quickly?  You can be saved from the planned destruction by the enemy as you are taken out of your own boat on the Nile river and adopted into The King's family...and you won't cry out anymore...

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving You,

randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "The Sound of Silence" (Simon & Garfunkel)

Welcome to Tuesday's Musical Notes!  It is Tuesday, May 5th.  If you celebrate it, Happy Cinco de Mayo!!! If you don't,  Happy Tuesday!!! 

Today The Notes takes a departure from its normally enthusiastic, bubbly, encouraging demeanor and explores a darker side.  We live in dark times, but realistically, they are no more dark than what we read about in history books or hear our grandparents tell us about, they are just different.  How we choose to face this darkness determines how we live our lives.  Today we explore the darkest of all topics and it is masked in the Sound of Silence...

"The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel from the October 19, 1964 album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.

or for a more modern take

"The Sound of Silence" from the August 25, 2015 album Immortalized by Disturbed  

Simon and Garfunkel (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" (Simon and Garfunkel)) were signed by Columbia Records after a studio audition where they used an acoustic version of  "The Sound of Silence".  However, upon the initial poor performance of their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., Paul and Art called it quits.  Paul actually moved to London.  Art stayed with his mom in New York.  

Nearly a year later, "The Sound of Silence" began a heavy rotation in college markets on the East Coast.  With Paul out of the country and Art safely tucked away at Columbia University, Tom Wilson, the Columbia record producer who had worked with Bob Dylan and other folk artists of the time, remixed the album adding percussion and other rock instrumentation.  Since the group had disbanded, Wilson was not contractually obligated to get Simon and Garfunkel's permission to do the remix.  Nope, they didn't know about it.

The rest, as they say, is history.  "The Sound of Silence" went all the way to #1 in January 1966 and battled back and forth with The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out"  for the #1 spot all through that month. (We haven't done "We Can Work it Out" but here's a few other Beatle's tunes that have been Notesified:  Tuesday's Musical Notes - The Beatles' Archive)  2004's Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of all Time" list placed "The Sound of Silence" at #157.  BMI, the recording industry royalties, copyright, and publishing group has "The Sound of Silence" as the #18th most performed song of the 20th Century.  And the above cover of the song by the band Disturbed has, as of September 2014, had 1.5 million downloads and as of today, the music video on youtube has been viewed over 600 million times.  You read that right.  600 million.  Not too bad for a band that broke up after their first album.  Good thing they didn't enjoy the sound of silence...

You've probably heard that the most deafening sound that can be produced is that of silence.  While there is much that one can learn by the Psalm 46:10 New American Standard Bible/The Message paraphrase of the Bible/King James Version of the Bible parallel admonition to "be still and know" that He is God, rarely do we want complete silence surrounding us.  Many folks do their best work/life with ambient noise in the background, even if its just the appliances of the home running or the soft hum of the computer.  I shudder to think what being in a place where there was no noise at all would be like.  Yet history provides us with a few examples of attempts to make silence more prevalent.  

In Exodus 1 NASB/The Message/KJV we find an attempt to silence a generation of male children.  One would imagine the cacophony of screams as babies were taken from their mothers to be thrown into the Nile River by a dictator whose only goal was to keep insurrection at a minimum.  The edict from Pharoah was first met with disobedience by midwives but their efforts would eventually be overrun by their government's overreach.  This is a very dark time in mankind's history and it seems somewhat ironic that Pharoah would intentionally hamstring his country's future by eliminating an entire generation of workers.  The fear of losing control, however, outweighed the economic benefits and an entire generation of Hebrew children were lost.  Imagine the sound of silence in those homes after there was no more strength to grieve.  

Another saying with merit is that history tends to repeat itself.  We find truth in that saying by examing a New Testament truth where 2-year-old boys in Bethlehem were the target of another paranoid leader who wanted no threat to his kingship's power and authority.  The Gospel of Jesus according to the disciple Matthew, Chapter 2 NASB/The Message/KJV  Imagine the sound of silence in those homes after the reality that there was no recourse for the citizens of Bethlehem settled in.  

On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States determined that pregnant women have the right to abort their babies without excessive government interference.  Since that time, 61,628,584 children have been killed.  Obviously, Pharoah and King Herod have nothing on the United States of America.  The difference between those 47 years and the excerpts from Bible history?  THE 20TH CENTURY WOMEN CHOSE TO HAVE THEIR CHILDREN KILLED.  "Hello, darkness my old friend..." Imagine the sound of silence that exists where laughter, artistic endeavor, and love could have existed.  

Just like the times of the Pharoah and King Herod, there have been costs to the decisions that have been made in the last 47 years.  The Notes ponders what losses have truly incurred on mankind due to the total deprivation of a generation of folks.  Imagine the economic contributions that 61,628,584 citizens could have made.  Ponder the idea that the person made in God's image that was eliminated could have been the next Beethoven, Marie Curie, Einstein, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or Benjamin Franklin.    Imagine the love that could have been expressed if only a fraction of that massive number would have lived!  "In restless dreams, I walked alone..."  

Yes, the call rings loudly, "Thou Shall Not Kill", yet morality seems to have been flung into the Nile River.  Yes, there could have been equally tragic ramifications from one or more of these individuals because we live in a fallen world, yet why would we remove a generation of influencers for the sake of one so insidious?  Yes, Tuesday's Musical Notes believes a woman has a right to choose, yet the choice should be made in the act not the results of the act, and allow God to work in instances that are tragedies.  That's what faith is about.

61,628,584 voices that never share, does anyone care to stop this sound of silence...

Yet, there is hope.  Even in the face of the unspeakable.  If we believe what we say we believe here at Tuesday's Musical Notes, we must shout in the silence that Jesus Loves Everyone, even those of us who have made poor decisions.  There is hope, there is recovery, there is peace, there is love waiting to flood the sound of silence and bring resolution to the broken soul.  It is only too late if when you pass from this life into eternity future, you haven't believed that Jesus is the only way to get to God's love and restoration.  

No matter what you have done.  He said on the cross as He was dying, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they are doing."  That not only applied to those who were crucifying Jesus, but to you and me today.  The Apostle Paul put believers struggle the best way ever when he said in his letter to the Roman church, " ...I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.  " ( Romans 7:15-16 NASB/The Message/KJV)  If the great apostle can make this claim, there is hope for you and me.  Jesus loves you and we here at Tuesday's Musical Notes do as well.  

Trends tell us that abortions in the United States are at the lowest they have been since 1973.  Hope shines light in the darkness.  In and through this hope, we can continue to make the difference needed to dispel...the sound of silence...

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving You,

randy