Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Get On Your Feet" (Gloria Estefan)

Welcome to the Tuesday corner of the internetosphere!  It's Tuesday's Musical Notes proudly presented with no commercial interruptions by Cross & Kin Entertainment!  Check out the latest at Cross & Kin's YouTube channel, Cross & Kin, and get ready for another father-daughter duo of delectable video content coming to your device this week (or next week if you're reading this later)!   
But for now, it's time to get on your feet, get up and make it happen...cue horns!!!


"Get On Your Feet" was released on the precipice of a new decade coming along.  Music would forever be impacted by the 90s influences of grunge, alternative, and the explosion of hip-hop and rap.  But the holdouts from the 80's electronic drum kits, heavy synths, and occasional horn sections still plastered radios and record stores.  This late-80s sound is significantly different from the New Wave pop and Punk that began the decade and it paved the way for what was to come.

One of the bands that defined this sound was Gloria Estefan and her partners in rhyme, The Miami Sound Machine.  The hit-maker's, Cuban influence was evident in the percussive elements of many of the band's songs, "Conga", "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You", etc..  The band owned the mid-to-late 80s with 9 top 40 singles, including today's featured song which peaked at #11 on Billboard's Hot 100 listing of hit singles and at #5 on Billboard's Hot Adult                                                        Contemporary Tracks chart.  

"Get On Your Feet" was written by John DeFaria, Jorge Casas, and Clay Ostwald, members of the 1987-1988 version of The Miami Sound Machine.  It was produced by Emilio Estefan Jr., the founder of The Miami Sound Machine and Gloria's husband of 45 years.  Upon its release, it was met with mostly positive reviews and along with 4 other top 50 singles propelled the first Gloria Estefan solo project Cuts Both Ways to Gold sales status.  While The Miami Sound Machine were the principal instrumentalists for the album,  Gloria's now trademark vocals became synonymous with any of the projects in which they partnered, hence the solo designation.

Fantasia Barrino covered the song on the Gloria Estefan-inspired episode of the third season of American Idol and it can be heard in several episodes of the fourth season of NBC's hit comedy Parks and Recreation.  

A staple of the dance music scene of the 80s, "Get On Your Feet" follows the recipe set forth by the band's previous dance hit "Conga" for being a fun, percussive, and positive song that makes you want to immediately do what the title suggests....get on your feet!  Get up and make it happen!!!


Paul and Barnabas find themselves preaching in Lystra (present-day Turkey).  While they had begun to see a pattern develop in the communities they visited something happened here that had not happened in the other places they had been.  The Bible says that the missionaries encountered a man who had been crippled from birth.  Paul caught the man's gaze and perceived that he was becoming a believer as his faith was revealed when their eyes met. "...Deep in your heart is the answer,  find it, I know it will pull you through..."  Upon this revelation, Paul said "Get on your feet" and the man instantly got up and made it happen.  The King James version says that the man "leaped" and got up and walked...probably not with the accompaniment of a horn riff though.  

While the Bible eludes to wonders and signs done by Paul and Barnabas on this initial missionary journey, this was the first miraculous healing of a lame person that is indicated.  With this healing, the folks of the region thought Paul and Barnabas gods and began making preparations to worship them going so far as to call Barnabas, "Zeus" (Greek god of the sky and chief among all Greek mythological gods) and Paul, "Hermes" (herald of the Greek host of gods) as he was the spokesperson of the missionary team.  There was a Greek temple to Zeus outside of the city and the priest from this temple went so far as to bring sacrifices to the men.  As you would imagine, this upset our team and they immediately began correcting the people informing them of their humanity and that this was not at all what the Gospel in which they preached and healed was about.   Even with Paul and Barnabas unpacking the Gospel for the crowd further, the missionaries found it difficult to keep the citizens of Lystra from making sacrifices to them.

Jews from Antioch and Iconium (the towns where Paul and Barnabas had previously preached) heard about the commotion and they were instantly incensed.  They stoned Paul, drug him out of town, and left him for dead.  "...I think it's true that we've all been through some nasty weather..."  Ya think?  But this is just the first of many attempts on the apostles' lives as they continue to go to town after town and preach to Jews and Gentiles the Good News of Jesus' sacrifice and salvation.   "...Get on your feet, don't stop before it's over..."

So friend, when is the last time you were beaten nearly to death by folks throwing rocks at you for what you believe?  While it does happen, it is a rare occasion in Western culture. Do not be mistaken, you will face persecution, maybe even ostracizing if you get on your feet and make telling the world about Jesus happen. Here's what Jesus said about getting on your feet...The Gospel of Jesus according to Matthew, a tax collector, chapter 10, verses 16-31 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV The clarity you experienced upon your salvation experience may be overcast with fear and doubt, but persevere!  Get on your feet!  Stand up and take some action! Get on your feet!  Don't stop before it's over!  Get on your feet!  The weight is off your shoulder... Oh-oh-wey-oh...

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
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