"Pssst...hey, it's Tuesday! Have you read Tuesday's Musical Notes yet?"
"What in the world is Tuesday's Musical Notes?"
"It's a blog. A really sweet blog that features a song every week and then tells about it."
"Wow, that sounds fun! I like music!!!"
"Well, you'll love Tuesday's Musical Notes! It explains the song's origins, covers, and sometimes some trivia and then usually has some kind of inspirational message that goes along with it. I've never read anything quite like it!"
"I'll have to check that out!"
"If you love music, you really do! There are over 400 songs that have been featured. Some of them are really well known, and some are a bit more obscure but equally enjoyable."
"You say there's an inspirational message as well? I sure could use some inspiration right now...2020 ya know!"
"I hear you! Give yourself a little bit of time, because once you start reading The Notes, you won't want to stop!"
"Addictive eh?"
"Yup, but it's a good addiction. It's the one blog I read consistently every week."
"Ok, you've convinced me, I'll go find it right now."
"Watch out for that opener, it comes off as a monologue and can get kind of wordy sometimes, but if you'll get past it, you'll usually have a lot of fun. Enjoy!!!"
Welcome to Tuesday and another edition of Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!
Today we hit the "way-back" button as we travel to the land of 1966. This is a strange land where speaking to inanimate objects seems to be en vogue and sounding like a crooner from the '20s gets you a #1 hit. In this land, songs are written by one person, sung and recorded by another with a band that isn't a band. When the song becomes famous a band is formed to go on tour to promote the song and they become an overnight sensation. This land also features many other folks who line up to cover the song, but none with the success of the original. And so we sit back and relax as the singer cups his hands together to make a megaphone and sing along..."Oh-bo-de-oh-do, oh-bo-de-oh-do, Oh-bo-de-oh-
"Winchester Cathedral" is one of the only #1s on Billboard's Hot 100 to feature a bassoon as a significant part of its instrumentation. ("Tears of a Clown" by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles is the only other #1 that we can think of here at The Notes)
Written by British songwriter Geoff Stephens, "Winchester Cathedral" featured vocalist John Carter (who cupped his hands over his mouth for the "megaphone" feel during the recording) and a group of studio musicians for the single. Once the single became popular, The New Vaudeville Band was formed to promote the song on tour and record a full-length album. Band manager for the newly formed group, Peter Grant would later find himself managing the likes of The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Immigrant Song" (Led Zeppelin), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Thank You" (Led Zeppelin), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Stairway to Heaven" (Led Zeppelin)
The song won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Recording in 1966 and was covered most notably by Frank Sinatra (1966), Rudy Vallee'(1967) (whose vocals from the vaudeville era were emulated in the song), Fannie Flagg (1967), and The Four Freshmen (1968).
"Winchester Cathedral" replaced "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by The Supremes and one week later was replaced by The Beach Boys (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Be True to Your School" (The Beach Boys), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "I Get Around" (The Beach Boys)) and their hit "Good Vibrations".
Interestingly enough, the actual Winchester Cathedral (original construction dates back to 641, destroyed in 1093 to make room for its successor, and is now the longest cathedral in the world) never answered The New Vaudeville Band's inquiries...
The very first church building project occurred about 2000 years prior to Winchester Cathedral's construction by the Anglo-Saxons and a little over 3400 years before "Winchester Cathedral" would become a #1 hit. It was built by former slaves who were journeying through the desert to a new homeland.
In Exodus 25-31 New American Standard Bible/The Amplified Bible/King James Version of the Bible parallel, we see the results of the first revival among the people of God as the Israelites made a massive commitment to God and His commands. Not only did they make a covenant of obedience with God, but they also began the preparation for a portable church, a place where God would come and commune with Moses and the priests of the Israelites as they journeyed to the Promised Land. In these chapters, God is very specific about the dimensions, material, transportation, accouterments, and priests who serve in this new cathedral. He provides Holy Spirit to skilled craftsmen to see to the construction and supervision of the tabernacle. God then tells the Israelites to bring an offering to provide for this new construction (yes this is a passage of scripture that supports the fact that you should give tithes and offerings to your local church). The Israelites gave so much that Moses and the leadership had to tell them to stop. Can you imagine?
Once all the instructions were followed, the Israelites would be allowed to worship in this new cathedral. Specifics were provided for how and where they could do such worship. The tools for their worship all had meaning beyond what the Hebrews could imagine at their time. The completed tabernacle looked something like this:
The holiest of the tools of worship in the tabernacle was the Ark of the Covenant, the seat of God. You know that thing that had "Top Men are working on it..." from the June 12th, 1981 Motion Picture Raiders of the Lost Ark Yup, that one...
The priests who were to attend to the Ark were given even more specific instructions about how to handle and transport the Ark. Not following these instructions or having a casual attitude toward the Ark resulted in severe consequences. Nope, not the consequences seen in Raiders...
Once the new cathedral was built, the Israelites could set out for the Promised Land with God continuing to guide them. They would have to take down the tabernacle and rebuild it every time God instructed them to stop on their journey through the wilderness. (A predecessor to the modern day churches who utilize rented spaces on the weekends for services and have to transport, set up and test gear every weekend. Our salute to you!!!)They had the 10 commandments, the extra regulations for living, and now the tabernacle with the Ark of the Covenant. What could go wrong?
In the Covid-19 era we now currently face, many churches are struggling with attendance, consistency in giving, and gaining a vision for the future. Our Scripture today reminds us that God has a specific plan for the Church even in the age of the virus. The Church, especially at this time, must make the effort and sacrifice to show that it isn't a bunch of cob-web, infested, cold, unloving, buildings that do not answer the questions from a broken-hearted singer, but a vibrant, clear-minded, loving group of people who won't let anything stand in the way of finding tangible avenues to display the love they have for those who may or may not wear a mask, those who may have voted for a different person than they did, those who skin pigment may be a different shade, and yes those who do wrong things, or as Scripture calls us, sinners.
But the Bible, specifically Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:12-19 NASB/AMP/KJV says that we can now be the residence of God in our world. That's right, our bodies can be a modern-day tabernacle/cathedral for God. Through Holy Spirit, we can communicate, be guided, and sometimes disciplined by God instantaneously. This indwelling is reserved however for those who believe. Those who believe should have this indwelling on display daily as an outpouring of love to God and man.
Love that is generated by a heart absorbed by Holy Spirit is the only remedy for the true plague that besets our world today. This is a love that is patient, a love that is kind...1 Corinthians 13 NASB/AMP/KJV We can only achieve this by being a believer in Jesus and being transformed into His likeness.
The point today. Believers should never be like Winchester Cathedral. Because of Holy Spirit's being inside of us, we should react when we see someone in need by ringing bells, bringing a meal, making a thoughtful phone call, providing a front porch grocery delivery, or yes indeed...by wearing a mask. We should find a way to not let ANYONE in need walk by us. And we should remember that EVERYONE has the need for a relationship with Jesus. Our bodies, our Winchester Cathedrals, should never be accused of letting anyone down..."Oh-bo-de-oh-do, oh-bo-de-oh-do, Oh-bo-de-oh-
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by Serving You,
randy
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