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Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Doctor My Eyes" (Jackson Browne)

Here we are on another Tuesday!  Are you excited?  I sure am!  Tuesday's are the absolute best day of the week!!!  If you'd like to know why, check out one, two, or thirty Tuesday's Musical Notes in the archives.  There are over 500 blogs of some of the best music ever imagined from which you can choose.  They will certainly give you a taste of why Tuesday is so revered by this blog.  

Welcome!  We are supremely glad that you clicked on the link or searched, or maybe just stumbled upon our humble blog filled with music and musings!  It's Tuesday's Musical Notes, a part of the Cross & Kin Family Entertainment empire.  Well, as long as you consider a blog and a YouTube channel (Cross & Kin YouTube channel) an empire, yup it's an empire!  We like it around here and we hope you will too!!!  If you don't dig what we're laying down, maybe you need to say...


No need to adjust the fine-tuning on your computer, tablet, phone, or other such device (you can't adjust the fine-tuning on them anyway). What you are witnessing is the progression of time, not any ailment in your ocular senses.  Did you notice how the key of our great song today got lower as the years went by?  Also, I have to confess, I dig the mop top Jackson Browne as opposed to the Grandpa Jackson Browne hairdo.  Yet I digress (even as I look into the mirror with intrigue and introspection...)

There is a definitive sound that emanated from Southern California in the early to mid-70s.   I suspect artists like The Eagles (Tuesday's Musical Notes - The Eagles), Linda Ronstadt (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "When Will I Be Loved" (Linda Ronstadt)), Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Poco, and Little Feat paint the picture of the sound that you may very well be humming right now.   These were bands that bridged Country, Folk, and Rock into an amalgamation of great music without sacrificing any of the mentioned genre's standards.  

The songwriting was rich and sometimes very deep, expressing the desire for freedoms of a generation that had previously been tamped down without the "in your face, protest volume" of the sixties.  In some respects, this sound even satisfied the Rock-N-Roll naysayers who said that you could never understand the lyrics of the "new music".  While these same folks heard the lyrics they still didn't always resonate with the meaning.  Yet, they tolerated the music because the sound was more appealing to a wide variety of folks. And thus Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart was born.

Enter Jackson Browne.  He was just 16 in 1967 when one of his songs was recorded by Nico (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Sunday Morning" (The Velvet Underground)).  Thus began a progression of songwriting that would take Jackson Browne into the orbit of Rock-N-Roll royalty.  He co-wrote the 1972, #12 single,  "Take It Easy" with The Eagles which was released shortly before his self-titled debut album (sometimes mistakenly referred to as Saturate Before Using).  By this point, he was known in the music industry as a gifted songwriter, but as his album got airplay, the world would soon see that his songwriting prowess was not the only skill he possessed.

"Doctor My Eyes" was the very first single released by Browne and soon became a radio staple, soaring up to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, you know, that other chart by Billboard and establishing him as a recording artist.  With vocal background assistance from contemporaries Graham Nash and David Crosby (Tuesday's Musical Notes - Crosby, Stills, & Nash (and sometimes Young)),   the studio version of the single, features  The Section (band) - wikipedia.org) and quickly made for a top-ten hit that would establish Jackson Browne for many years to come. The song proved to be so popular it was covered by The Jackson 5  later that year.  ("Doctor My Eyes" - The Jackson 5 from the May 23, 1975 album Looking Through The Windows) Today with that popularity, "Doctor My Eyes" is an expected and anticipated part of Jackson Browne's concert setlist. 

"Doctor My Eyes" is a song about how the singer has seen and is facing the trials of life and how that sight and determination can skew the perspective and dull the senses for the remainder of his life.  The music is ironically circumspect with its upbeat tempo and lively instrumentation against the subdued, melancholic lyrical content to the point of the song having an upbeat pessimism.  That's why the song seems to resonate with virtually everyone as seemingly there does come a point in time when you can become numb to the repetitive things in life, and you need to step back and reevaluate.  This reexamination can be an eye-opening (or closing) experience... depending on who you might encounter as you process your pondering, going your way, say as you are walking on a road to Damascus...

What...just...happened?!!!  Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor of Christians in Jerusalem, asksthe High Priest of the Jews for a warrant to go to Damascus to begin grabbing up believers there and sending them back in shackles to Jerusalem to be prosecuted.  With his entourage in tow, Saul sets out, but as we read in the story, his journey to Damascus becomes a different kind of sightseeing trip. 

Tuesday's Musical Notes loves this portion of the Biblical narrative.  We've covered it before in Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Blinded By The Light" (Manfred Mann's Earth Band)and while not directly referencing our passage from Acts, we've visited how God communicates in Tuesday's Musical Notes - "The Voice" (The Moody Blues).  Give them a read when you can, they both offer a different perspective on those 2 great songs.  

 "...'Cause I have wandered through this world and as each moment has unfurled..."

Saul has an encounter with a powerful light all around him and for the first time in his life, he heard The Voice.  Saul falls to his knees and listens as The Voice asks him why is he perpetrating this persecution.  At this point, Saul cannot see but he has the will and courage to ask The Voice, whom he might be, possibly the Lord, whom he knows as Yahweh.  Jesus then confirms that it is indeed Him and continues the interrogation of Saul regarding his motivations to wreak havoc on the church.  Saul's entourage could add nothing to the conversation as they too heard The Voice but were speechless at what they were witnessing.    

The NASB says that Saul's eyes were open but he could not see.  Seems a fitting phrase for many folks around us today perhaps.  Saul's assistants helped him along the remainder of the trip to Damascus.  Saul was so impacted by this encounter that he neither ate nor drank anything for 3 days.  I don't know about you, but I start getting hangry after about 3 hours.  But I digress... One would imagine this deprivation would cause Saul's other senses to kick in.  It seems that he has a great deal of introspection during these 3 days as well.  "...Doctor, my eyes, tell me what you see I hear their cries, just say if it's too late for me..."

Enter Ananais (Nope, this is a different one from chapters 4 and 5. Tuesday's Musical Notes- "Honesty" (Billy Joel)).   The Voice spoke to him as well.  Yet his response to Jesus was significantly different from Saul's.  Much like in Philip's story from last week, Ananais didn't question who it might be telling him to go.  Jesus gave Ananias the street address and name of the occupant.  He also told him that Saul of Tarsus was there waiting for him.  And he was to do what?  Lay hands on him and restore Saul's sight?  Ananias did however question the mission as he had heard about Saul's perspective on the church, knew that Saul had the documentation necessary to arrest any believer, and was fearful of what Saul might do upon their encounter.  God unpacks the rationale for Ananias and instructs him once again to go.  As incredible as all of this sounded, Ananias got up and went.

"...Doctor, my eyes cannot see the sky.  Is this the price for having learned how not to cry?..."

Ananias' obedience resulted not only in Saul regaining his sight but getting the ability to see for the first time in his life.  He had experienced Jesus as only the apostles had.  Saul, in direct contrast to who he had been before,  believed and was baptized.  I find it interesting that in each iteration of the Scripture, Ananias calls Saul, "brother Saul"  Was there evidence to Ananias of the life change that had occurred in Saul?  " Doctor, my eyes have seen the years And the slow parade of fears without crying.  Now I want to understand..."  

The Bible goes on to say that Saul revived his body by eating after he had his soul revived by his interaction with Jesus.  From there Saul goes, hangs out with, and was ministered to by the very disciples of Jesus he was intent on arresting and dragging away in shackles.  These folks had the ultimate opportunity to affirm everything that Saul had experienced.  The Lord had assured Ananias to not be afraid and then God gave them a reason for rejoicing!!!  "...Doctor, my eyes, tell me what is wrong. Was I unwise to leave them open for so long?..."

With what they potentially faced with Saul as their guest, I guess we really can rest in that whole "Do Not Be Afraid" command found throughout the Bible.  There is practically enough for one a day for a year!  If we live in that reality, maybe, just maybe, we won't have to cry out to an optometrist!

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<>< 
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Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "The Heart Of The Matter" (Don Henley)

Many times in life we are faced with the opportunity to begin something new.   A new job, a new investment, trying a new restaurant, or a new place to go on vacation all share the upside of anticipation providing their own brand of anxieties and excitement.   
In my previous occupation,  new things occurred every week as there was an expectancy on Tuesdays of what new material (primarily music and video) would be released on this day.  (Sadly, the Music and Motion Picture industries have since switched to Fridays as a release day for new releases.   That leaves us with having all of our excitement on Tuesdays saved for, well, Tuesday's Musical Notes!)  With each Tuesday at the store, we would have the aforementioned anxieties and excitement in the hopes that we had enough product to meet the needs and desires of the public for the material that would make its premiere in its given formats.  Our levels of stress would be directly dependent on the hype and buzz surrounding each release. Then the day arrived.  Tuesday was here!!!  And it was finally time to get down to the heart of the matter...


Today's featured song was written by Don Henley (Tuesday's Musical Notes search - The Eagles), Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (Tuesday's Musical Notes search - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) & Fleetwood Mac (Tuesday's Musical Notes search - Fleetwood Mac), and JD Souther (see previous Eagles references).  It was released as part of Don Henley's third studio collection, the Billboard 200 #8 hit record, The End Of The Innocence.  "The Heart Of The Matter peaked at #21 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #2 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks charts.  

The song gained a resurgence, as did many of the individual Eagle's solo hits, when featured on their Hell Freezes Over tour.  "The Heart Of The Matter" was prominent in the acoustic portion of their setlist.    

It was also covered by soul artist India.Arie whose version went all the way to #7 on Billboard's Smooth Jazz Songs chart. (Do they have a chart for EVERYTHING?)  This version of "The Heart Of The Matter" has seen its own share of popularity buoyed by its inclusion in television (Brothers & Sisters episode "Act Of Will") and motion pictures (Sex And The City trailer and snippet in the movie)

Good songs never go away, you just wait for an equally good cover to come along.  For Don Henley and maybe India.Arie, their heart of the matter may not as yet have peaked as they wait with anticipation and excitement for a new chapter in the song's life.  Perhaps... like being featured at Tuesday's Musical Notes!!! 

Have you ever experienced a similar time in your life?  A time where you could hardly wait to get to your heart of the matter? More than likely your existence probably doesn't depend on what new music or video may be released this week, but there are other new things in your life about which you are equally as excited or anxious.  The day arrives for your new thing and it's time to get down to the heart of the matter and experience it for yourself.  

That's where we find ourselves in our Notesland travels.  We have been traversing the landscape of the Bible and exploring the great lessons that can be learned from the examples of the Israelites and their prophets in the Old Testament.  

But before we continue our deep dive into the specific stories, and the lessons they teach about life, we must take a side road of celebration. (Pick your favorite noisemaker sound.  Got it?  Make a celebration noise now!!!)  Next Tuesday, Tuesday's Musical Notes will celebrate 10 years of existence on the internetosphere.  That's right, that makes 520 episodes of Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!  You really should check out some of the great songs featured.  They are to your left in the year and month breakdown that is the Tuesday's Musical Notes Archive...look left....almost there...got it!  Now peruse and ponder!!! Join us next week as we take a moment to reflect on the past decade of musical and meditative discoveries.  You don't want to miss this one!!!

But for today, we must traverse back down our "new thing" highway. We find ourselves today on the precipice of something new and exciting.  There is much anticipation and perhaps a bit of anxiety.  Welcome to The New Testament!   Let's take a minute with our friends from The Bible Project to take a peek at what lies ahead (after the Anniversary celebration next week of course...did we mention it's been 10 years?)


As you can see, there is much we need to unpack in the coming weeks.  We will do that in our own unique, musical soundtracky Tuesday's Musical Notes way to which you have become accustomed, but for today, let's take a moment and take a bird's eye view of The New Testament.

My personal conviction is that all of the incredible lessons learned in The Old Testament provide a pathway to the events of The New Testament.  We have witnessed many great lessons provided by the stories of God's chosen people.  They have been tasked with telling the world about God.  Unfortunately, they missed the mark many times as their idolatry and disobedience led them down pathways they were not supposed to go.  This missing the mark is called sin and The Old Testament is replete with example after example of those who were good folks but inherited the sinful nature given to all of us by Adam.  Unfortunately, those who came after them rarely learned the lessons that their ancestors provided and strayed even further away from God.  

This is where we find ourselves today.  After the Intertestamental Period we discussed last week (https://tuesdaysmusicalnotes.blogspot.com/2022/05/tuesdays-musical-notes-stuck-in-middle.html), we come to The New Testament and the heart of the matter, the Man Jesus.  That's right.  Jesus was a man.  But He was also God.  He was 1/3 of the Trinity (God (Father), Jesus (Son), and God (Holy Spirit)).  The New Testament frames this God coming to earth event in the form that we could understand.  Now don't get me wrong, there is much in The New Testament that I have yet to grasp. "...The more I know, the less I understand.  All the things I thought I knew, I'm learning again..." You too?  That's what reading the Bible is all about.  With each trip, we discover and rediscover that there is more and more we need and ultimately want to learn about God's character, Jesus' sacrifice, and Holy Spirit's indwelling.   All of this is on occasion partnered, especially in the later sections of The New Testament, with some very confusing portions that combine allegory and metaphor to enhance our journey but cause some real conversations as interpretations vary.  Notice we said the "interpretations" vary, NOT the Word Of God.  We'll get to some of those passages in the coming weeks.  There may be some really different music heading our way as a result too!!!  

Remember that those who wrote The New Testament were just as inspired by God as were Isaiah, Jeremiah, David, Daniel, Moses, et.al.  The difference in their inspiration?  God in the form of Jesus was right there with some of them.  Yes, there were episodes where Jesus appeared in the Old Testament, however, He rarely did life with the patriarchs  He encountered during those times.  As pointed out in the overview video, the writers of The New Testament were a part of the narrative of Jesus' life for at least 3 years.  His brothers, Jude and James, were part of His story for a much longer part of the time even though they came to a saving knowledge of Jesus sometime after His resurrection.  Regardless of their exposure, (Paul had an afternoon...) the writers of The New Testament understood that what they penned was the heart of the matter and that The Old Testament had been laying the foundation for the new thing that was about to be experienced by the entirety of the world.

In The New Testament, we see many of the prophecies of The Old Testament come true, especially with regard to Jesus.  You see friend, The Bible is Jesus' story.  The Old Testament points to Him as each book has some illumination of Him or prophecy regarding Him.  The New Testament points to Him as The Gospels tell of His life, death, and resurrection and then goes on to tell the story of His bride, the church.  Depending on your Bible, the table of contents, maps, indices, and concordances can all point to Him as well!!!  

I think Don Henley was making a valid point:  "...These times are so uncertain.  There's a yearning undefined and people filled with rage.  We all need a little tenderness.  How can love survive in such a graceless age?..."  There is an answer to Mr. Henley's lyric regarding love's survival.   It is God's people, embracing God's plan, and working through God's will to make sure that more people go to heaven and fewer people go to hell.  God's plan was to redeem and restore mankind through the family of Abraham.  This story of the execution of that plan becomes The Old Testament.  The plan continues being accomplished in The New Testament as followers of Jesus become adopted into the family of Abraham and become a part of the restorative plan.  

So friend, are you a part of that family?  Are you part of the restorative process back to God?  You can be even...  "...though your will gets weak and your thoughts seem to scatter, you soon see that it's about forgiveness...forgiveness..."   A forgiveness that we cannot comprehend or perceive.  But one that God grants mercifully and gracefully for those who realize that it's time to get down to the real heart of the matter...

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy

 

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Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Star Wars (Main Title)" (John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra)

...A short time ago in a blogosphere really, really close by...

Ok, now you've got an earworm!  Me too!!!  But we'll have to wait just a minute because, you know, the opener and all...

Welcome to Tuesday's Musical Notes where a variety of music is utilized in a myriad of ways that perhaps you've never thought of!  Go ahead, check out the archives and see if it isn't the widest array of musical genres that you've ever experienced.  You can find the archives for all 513 of our trepidacious trips into Tuesday's Musical Notesland on the left-hand side of your screen.  But watch, out!  The Surgeon General warns that reading Tuesday's Musical Notes could be habit-forming.  It's like opening a new bag of Doritos...you can't eat just one, but I digress!  It's Tuesday and let's get started with the OTHER three most recognizable notes in music (the most recognizable is probably the opening lick to Beethoven's Fifth, but his track didn't make the top Twenty on Billboard!).


It was a movie that began many things.  Its music inspired a generation of high school and college bands to reach the standards of the London Symphony, who performed it first.  As stated, it has one of the most recognizable introductions in all of music history and solidified the bourgeoning soundtrack market around the world.  And as far as movies go...this movie provided a modicum of hope.

"Star Wars (Main Title)" is one of those rare instrumental movie songs that are so incredible and popular that they are produced and released as a single.  This single peaked at #10 on Billboard's Hot 100.  While this isn't unheard of for instrumental songs, it is a rare thing for a nouveau classical song.  The song and its b-side "Cantina Band" were compiled as a disco, mash-up by Meco and charted concurrently with its inspiration charting, going all the way to #1.

Let's face it.  The modern movie soundtrack has become the "Classical" music of our day.  And there has been no one to surpass the genius that is John Williams.  He turned 90 years old this year and continues to compose music that will be our generation's contribution to the classical music realm.  Here's a brief featurette on the conductor and composer:  "Composer John Williams" - CBS Sunday Morning - September 22, 2019

The subtitle of the first Star Wars film is "A New Hope".  As the crawler scrolls, with William's main title providing the background we soon read about a galaxy that is in jeopardy of being ruled by an evil tyrant.  But there is hope.  As we proceed into the movie, that hope comes in the form of a teenage boy who is very strong in the "force".  Luke is a typical teenager working for his uncle in what seems to him to be a dead-end gig.  But there is hope.  Luke encounters a set of droids who "accidentally" display a message from a princess who proclaims the despair of the situation the galaxy is in.  But there is hope...

Seem familiar?  It should.  This whole storyline reads like the outline for another story that the Notes have been visiting lately...


Our prophet Ezekiel finds himself in familiar territory as he continues to pronounce the future through examples over the next 20 chapters of his book.  It seems that there will never be an end to the gloom and doom and then all of a sudden...there is hope.  Jerusalem is denounced for its rebellious debauchery and then there is hope in the form of God's grace.  The nation is about to be carried off like eagles carrying away their prey and then there is hope in the form of God's restoration and salvation.  The surrounding nations are harshly and destructively judged for their treacherous treatment of God's chosen people and then there is hope in the form of Israel serving as priests to the nations. 

So many shadows and mirror images in our world today...and there continues to be hope. 

You see friend, there is always hope.  In mankind, there is always a glimmer of seeing that things will turn out for the best.  That's not to say that many trials and sometimes devastation may have to be endured to reach that place of hope, yet it does exist.  That hope comes from the continuous promises of God, the One who created you and me.  As we have seen time and again in the Bible before Ezekiel, during Ezekiel, and will see in the future pages we will traverse, God is still providing new hope every day.  

We are fast approaching a date on which most people in the world celebrate, Easter.  The realities of that day are the ultimate expression of hope.  

Imagine if you will, an itinerant preacher who had performed miraculous things is brought up on charges of blasphemy.  But there is hope... This preacher is then found guilty in an illegal trial and sentenced to be crucified, the vilest and most dehumanizing form of capital punishment ever devised.  But there is hope... His executioners, friends, and even some of those He had healed watched as the One whom his followers thought would be a peaceful king died.  But there is hope... Those who tended to his corpse had to do so quickly as the time of their most important religious observance, Passover, was approaching within hours.  But there is hope... His body was placed in a sealed tomb and was not touched until Passover was complete.  But there is hope...  

The hope of a few of His followers was manifested in a tomb that no longer was sealed and no longer held His body.  The hope of many more of His followers were consolidated as they saw Him, alive and in person.  The hope of His most intimate friends was sealed forever as He ministered to them in person and gave them the instructions on which to live the remainder of their lives.  The hope of our eternity future was ordained as He ascended to go represent us before God.

So dear friend, as we continue our journey through the great stories of the Bible, we must always view them through the lens of our eternal hope.  No, it is not a new hope.  It is the most ancient hope that we have ever experienced.  The God who created us ensures us that even though we live in a world that is tainted and there seems to be much pain and suffering all around us, there is hope.  

That hope comes in the form of God the Son, the man Jesus.  If you'd like to know more, please email me at rawacr@gmail.com...

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy

 

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Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "O Christmas Tree" (Vince Guaraldi Trio)

Have you ever noticed the effect a well-decorated Christmas tree can have on a home?  Maybe that is why many around the world want their Christmas tree up as soon as they possibly can.  Maybe, as is our case at Casa deCrossa, the tree being there brings a fresh and new aspect to our home.  If you have an artificial tree, it can be a very economical way of providing something "new" to your home every year...certainly cheaper than buying a new sofa!  And, a Christmas Tree is rarely decorated in exactly the same way from year to year, thus accounting for a "refreshed" feel each year.  

The first Christmas trees are sometimes associated with the reformer Martin Luther as he is said to have been the first to decorate an evergreen with lighted candles, but the first "on the record" occurrence comes in the form of a keystone sculpture on a private home in Turkheim, Alsace a town located in what at that time was Germany (now in France).  This sculpture is dated 1576.

The song "O Christmas Tree" is taken from the German tune "O Tannenbaum", a song that was not initially considered a Christmas song, but a folk tune about love lost.  Since its adoption by The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" (Andy William/Pentatonix)), "O Christmas Tree" has been covered by virtually anyone who has a recording contract and by many independent musicians who just love the song.  

Our "cover" pick for today's featured song is by the Vince Guaraldi Trio from the soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas. Let's enjoy, shall we?


All totaled, there have been 37 full-length album/box set releases of Vince Guaraldi's music.  While most of my generation, and granted most of his royalties, recognize him for his iconic soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas, his other music is truly something that is rarely duplicated in the genre of Jazz.  Guaraldi had one single to make the Hot 100, 1962's "Samba de Orpheus" and from 1955 to 1976, he incorporated 75 different musicians to play on his projects.  But it is his association with the Peanuts television animation that has endeared him to folks over the last 50 years.  

Guaraldi provides a simple yet, certainly Jazz version of the Christmas standard, "O Christmas Tree" to the climax of A Charlie Brown Christmas cementing the story with the indelible imprint to the Charles Schultz vision.  I wonder if other visions of trees come with a soundtrack?


Someone's having difficulty sleeping again.  It seems that Nebuchadnezzar just can't learn his lesson.  Even though he has acknowledged the God of the Hebrews, he is reticent to get over that whole "statue of myself" moment in chapter 3 and surrender completely in worship to the God of the Hebrews.  

We find our King Nebi, having another dream in chapter 4.  This one is about a tree.  Doubtless, not the kind in which ornaments are hung, but a tree of considerable size.  Once again, he is desperate for an interpretation of his dream and calls all of the soothsayers, interpreters, and magicians (MAGI) to his chambers to explain the dream to him.  The "wise men" of Babylon are stumped.   Our intrepid hero Daniel comes in late and lays the smackdown.  Nebi has a "you are the tree" moment which is followed up with some bad stuff being shaken out of that Nebi tree as its interpretation.  

It seems that Nebuchadnezzar hasn't taken the hint that the God of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is the ONLY TRUE GOD.  Therefore, the ONLY TRUE GOD was going to get Nebi's attention.  The king is having a nice stroll along the rooftop of his castle saying..." look at what I've done=, yup, I built that!" when BAM!!! Animal brain!  That's right!  Nebuchadnezzar the king of the whole world of his time, was suddenly reduced to saying "Waaazzzzuuuuuppp!" to the cows.  Moo! Moo!

For 7 years, he roamed the fields around Babylon eating grass like an animal and neglecting his general well-being.  The Bible describes his unkempt appearance as: "Hair like eagles feathers and fingernails like birds claws...I wonder if worms were tasty to him too?  All of this is because of his pride and arrogance.  This is a guy who saw Jesus in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, yet did not allow this encounter to change his life.  This is a ruler who had no one in his kingdom who could interpret his dreams other than an agent of the One True God and yet, he still thought that he had gained all of his kingdoms on his own merit. 

I confess to you friend, that I suffer from similar moments of pride.  I reflect on accomplishments and am very quick to believe my own "press" about what I have done...In my mind, my sufficiency has been what has gotten me to this point.  I guess to be blunt...I have a "Nebi" moment.  But just like Nebuchadnezzar, if I am not careful, I also have the humbling that comes in concert with such arrogance.  Another king from another age had a similar experience and put his reflections down on paper...or maybe papyrus?  


The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride, arrogance, the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate. - Proverbs 8:13

When pride comes, then comes dishonor; But with the humble there is wisdom. - Proverbs 11:2

Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Be assured, he will not go unpunished. - Proverbs 16:5

Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. - Proverbs 16:18

Before destruction the heart of a person is haughty, But humility goes before honor. - Proverbs 18:12

The above passages were written by that king from another age who was also the leader of the world of his time, Solomon.  He is also credited for being one of the wisest people to ever lived.  As you can see, he wrote a great deal about pride and its affecting.  He could write about "pride going before a fall" because he lived it.  Because of his own pride and arrogance, Israel would engage in a civil war that ripped their country into 2 separate kingdoms.  Seems he did not acknowledge the wisdom to which he had access.  

   
The humbling of my pride is so evident at this time of the year as it usually manifests itself in full display at Christmas.  I consider myself to be a creative person, However, with regards to Christmas decorating let me tell you!  I am very quick to understand what my limitations are.  My involvement in the decorating and gift wrapping at Christmas is relegated to bringing our Christmas tree down from the attic and hanging icicle lights on the house.  The only interaction I have with wrapping paper is to buy more and get the previous year's favorite paper to a position of accessibility.  That is my wheelhouse!  Taking the credit for the beautiful Christmas Tree we have in our home would be ludicrous...I live with a wife and 2 daughters. They seem to partner all the time with my other daughter, her husband, and my four grands in keeping my pride in check.  They truly are gifts from the Almighty!!!

So this year as you admire your decorative prowess, bask in the glow of the gazillion lights you were able to fit on a 2-foot tree or enjoy the beauty and simplicity of homemade ornaments made by the hands of precious ones now and in the past years, be humble.   As you remember the accomplishments of this past year, be grateful to the One who provided the opportunities for success, and the comfort for failures.  Reflect on the greatness of God, His provision, His guidance, His protection, His salvation, and His sacrifice.  Ponder the fact that our inclusion of a Christmas Tree in our celebration of Jesus' birth foreshadows another tree, one that has as its decoration the humility and blood that should have been ours...and then sing with a different perspective... "O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely are thy branches...

'Til Tuesday,
 
Loving HIM and loving You,
randy 
<><

 

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Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "I Wanna Be Santa Claus" (Ringo Starr)



 



Welcome to Tuesday and another Christmasy edition of Tuesday's Musical Notes, the blog where Christmas music meets contemplatable musings all tied up in pretty paper, pretty ribbons of blue...or red or well, you pick your paper... 


Since its inception, Tuesday's Musical Notes has loved exploring the season of Christmas and the music that accompanies it.  Go check out the December archives on the left to see if your favorite Christmas melody has been given "The Notes" treatment!  Also, we rarely solicit comments, but if you have a thought or conversation you'd like to begin, our comment section is available at the bottom of the blog, we'd love to hear from you anytime!!! 

Many years there is at least 1 album or artist that becomes the favorite Christmas album for the holidays.  Retailers struggle during the lead up to Christmas week, to keep up with the demand for that particular album.  Who will it be this year?  Dolly? Mariah? Pentatonix, Carrie. Leslie Odom Jr?  Of course, with streaming capabilities in many markets, the demand for physical units becomes less of a problem this year...sigh, remember the days when you paid for something that you could actually hold in your hands?...but I digress.

Sometime in October, the deluge of Christmas music begins to pour out into the marketplace.  Singles and full-length albums of Christmas standards, and new music wishing to become a standard, are released to the public in the hopes of having 4th Quarter success.  (Somewhere in midst of all the "Jingle Bells" and Red-Nosed Reindeers we lost the musical Message of Christmas, but more on that at a later date).

With this myriad of seasonal songs, a few will tend to fall through the cracks and not get noticed (Didn't know about Leslie Odom Jr's (simply titled The Christmas Album) until this week!!!).  While these "second 10 or 20"  offerings for the season are good albums and certainly deserve a listen, sometimes the timing or the marketing just doesn't quite live up to some of their compatriot's seasonal selections and they quickly fall into next year's Christmas cutout bin.  Such was the case for Sir Richard Starkey's Christmas album from 1999. 

Who you may be asking is Sir Richard Starkey?  You might know him better by his Beatle name...Ringo Starr.


Even though it received strong reviews, I Wanna Be Santa Claus did not light up the Christmas music world.  (It would be swallowed up in the sales phenomenon that was Kenny G's Faith album (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Auld Lang Syne" (Kenny G Millineum Mix))).  

Ringo's Christmas album was a 50/50 split of perennial standards and original songs and featured several celebrity guest artists (as so many of Ringo's albums do) including ELO's, Jeff Lynne, Aerosmith's Joe Perry, and former Eagles band member Timothy B. Schmit. 

I Wanna Be Santa Claus is the only full-length, solo Christmas project released by any member of the Beatles.  As a group, they produced the fan club songs we referenced last week (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)" (The Beatles)).  Paul McCartney, (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Wonderful Christmastime" (Paul McCartney)), John Lennon, and George Harrison (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "The Light that has Lighted the World" (George Harrison), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Got My Mind Set on You" (George Harrison)) reserved their seasonal celebrations to Christmas singles.  Ringo's Christmas album sets him apart from his Fab Four brethren even though the album never charted and sales were low despite receiving good reviews from critics.   

Ringo's motivation for being Santa Claus is so he can give all of the toys away, ride in the sleigh, and make every dream come true.  That sounds pretty close to the job description with which Santa has been labeled through the years.  One qualifier that Ringo however never places on his being Santa is the judgment of the behavior of folks over the course of the year. The "naughty and nice" list is nonexistent in Ringo's Christmas economy.

But Santa does have his list and he checks it twice, just to find out who's naughty and nice, as the song goes.  How does Santa come to the determination of who is "naughty" or "nice"?  For that matter, how do any of us measure what is good, bad, naughty, nice?

Rest assured friend, there is a benchmark, a guide to what is good and bad in our world.  It comes from the One who created the world, it's called the Bible.  All of the rules, the laws, the commands in the Bible are given for us to have a moral, ethical, and spiritual code by which to live and interact with others that make up the only race, the human race (everything else is culture and melatonin).

For example, The Book of Leviticus - New American Standard Bible/The Amplified Bible/King James Version of the Bible parallel is the initial set of laws given to the children of Israel as they began their new nation.  Leviticus gets into the specifics that were laid out by the ten commandments given to the Israelites in the latter part of Exodus.  God gave them these instructions to provide the boundaries which they would need to establish their government and to keep them as the "peculiar" people He desired them to be.  Although these laws were given to a people of ancient history (3000-4000 years ago) many of the rules of Leviticus still apply and have been used in establishing our own legal system.  

In reading Leviticus, you quickly see the specific nature of the laws that were given.  Remember the context in that this 3rd book of the Bible was given to a group of folks who had been slaves their entire lives.  The only rules they had previously were given to them by their Egyptian taskmasters.  Now they were free and to avoid another "Golden Calf" moment in the life of their nation, God provided rules for them.  

When Jesus came, He fulfilled all of the prophecies of the Old Testament.  When Jesus came, He fulfilled the law.  This means that Jesus not only satisfied the requirements for prophecy, but He came to show what the true meaning of love is by giving His life as a satisfaction for the price of our sin, our wrong-doing. The Letter to the Roman church, chapter 6 - NASB/AMP/KJV He also drilled down all of the laws from the Old Testament (which men had perverted) into 2:  Love God and Love everybody else.  Even though some of the laws given in Leviticus seem archaic and not applicable to us, they provide us with tangible ways of showing the love that Jesus will speak of in the Gospels The Gospel of Jesus written by the Tax Collector - Matthew, Chapter 22, verses 34-40 NASB/AMP/KJV., The Gospel of Jesus written by Mark, chapter 12, verses 28-34 NASB/AMP/KJV.  

The laws of Leviticus and in the remainder of the Bible are for our individual use. They aren't given for us to serve as Santa Claus be determining who is bad or good, nor are they intended for us to interpret for other folks, mete out on other folks, or to use to judge other folks.   Holy Spirit uses these laws to convict US individually of the sin that so easily besets US. Not as a tool for us to convict others.   The Letter to Hebrew Christians, chapter 12, verses 1-3 NASB, AMP, KJV  Our challenge this Christmas season is to resist the desire to wanna be Santa Claus determining who goes on the "naughty or nice" lists and love as Jesus commanded in Matthew and Mark.     
Holy Spirit's job is to convict. He doesn't need our help in that role.  As believers, our job is to tell the Gospel and make disciples by engaging, encouraging, and edifying, as well as coming through for everyone as we exist in one another's lives every day, bringing Christmas cheer.  

"It's a waltz, it's a waltz and I'm happy!!!"

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving You,
randy 

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Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "The Christmas Waltz" (Frank Sinatra)




Welcome to Tuesday and New Year's Eve!!!  Will you watch the ball drop?  Will you ring in 2020?  Got your resolutions ready?  Have you picked out your New Year's Eve blog to read?  What's that...you don't have a blog that you read every New Year's Eve?  Well, friend, you're in the right place.  Because right now, that's what I said, right now you are in Notesland, the swingin' Notesland!!!  "What is Notesland?", you may ask?  It's the hippest blog on the planet filled with instruments and insight, musical themes and Messianic theology.  It has exactly what you are looking for as a music lover and it's all FREE!   That's right friend, always ad-free, and pop up free (if you have your security up to date that is).  All the focus is on the music and The Message.  It's Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!  Welcome!

Today is a special day in Notesland as we countdown the most read blogs of 2019!  But before we get to that, let's explore just a sample of what makes Tuesday's Musical Notes THE blog you read this week and every week...

Today's featured song is a perfect example of why Tuesday's Musical Notes should be your go-to blog for New Year's eve!  This song is one of a regal few who happen to have that oom pah pah, that 1,2,3, that 3/4 time that is rarely featured at Christmas or for that matter popular music.  AND it is by the Chairman of the Board, Ol Blue Eyes, The Voice.  You might know of him by his given name...Frank Sinatra.


"The Christmas Waltz" is a cherished seasonal classic that has been covered by many artists.  Most notably:  Peggy Lee (1960), Doris Day (1964), Bing Crosby (1966), Pat Boone (1966), The Osmonds (1976), The Carpenters (1978), Barry Manilow (2002), as well as many others.  In fact, Harry Connick Jr.'s cover from 2003 was the first to make any of Billboard's charts.  His version of "The Christmas Waltz" peaked at #26 on the Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart.

And now we'd like to welcome you to this year end synopsis of the best of the blog!  Here's 2019's best from Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!

Speaking of charting, we here at Tuesday's Musical Notes, with the assistance of Google's Blogspot, keep track of the number of "reads" each week's blog receives from November to November of each year.  While it isn't Billboard, we find checking in on the top 10 every year to be fascinating, and nostalgic.  Thank you so much for finding Tuesday's Musical Notes and then coming back each week to see if we're silly or serious, or maybe just to check in on some trivial aspect of a favorite song!  Regardless of your reason, Google tracks 'em and we count 'em down.  

Without any further blah, blah, blah, here are the top ten read Tuesday's Musical Note from 2019!

Welcome to the countdown!!!

#10!

Usually, our end of the year countdown features more than 10 songs due to several ties.  This year our retrospective of the best of Tuesday's Musical Notes only has one.  Of the songs tied at #10, one features a set of Righteous Brothers, the other The King of Pop! 

At #10 here's:



Comin' in at #9 is the youngest song in this year's end of the year survey.  Not only is it the most recent non Christmas blog written at Tuesday's Musical Notes, but it also features the song that came out most recently.  Here's the band Creed from 1999 with the #9 entry in Tuesday's Musical Notes year-end countdown.


Most of the songs appearing as a feature on Tuesday's Musical Notes are international successes.  This worldwide acclaim bolsters the artist's popularity while it's foreign chart successes continue adding to the song's longevity.  Tuesday's Musical Notes is proud of the fact that readers all over the world "click in" to read each week.  Over the course of the Note's 7 1/2 year history, we have over 37,000 hits from these top ten countries: United States, France, Russia, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Canada, Vietnam, Belgium, and a country that is only known as the Unknown Region (whoever you are in that Unknown Region... a huge THANKS!  Chances are you read Tuesday's Musical Notes at some risk.  Our prayers are with you each week!!!)  It just goes to show you that great music is border-less and that all of us as are a part of one race, the human race (everything else is skin shades and culture), that enjoys great musicianship combined with an incredible lyric. Thanks to all of you around the world who read The Notes!!! 

Now on with the countdown!

Our song at #8 features a group whose popularity peaked in the late '60s and early '70s.  Here's the granddaddy of  psychedelic songs with the 8th most popular blog for 2019.


One might think it odd that a blog that is driven towards promoting Evangelical Christianity would feature a song about the moon being in the seventh house and the alignment of the planets.  Baby, You ain't seen nothin' yet!  The blog at #7 is a blog about associating with the enemy of Christians.  Yes, the devil.  Here's Van Halen with their 1978 hit from their eponymous debut album.  (As a warm-up, you may want to make sure you listen to, and turn up "Eruption" from the same album.)


We cannot express this enough.  Tuesday's Musical Notes is a blog about our relationship with God.  It is a blog that holds the Bible as the source of all truth.  It is a blog that proclaims that Jesus is the focus of the Bible.  It is a blog that attempts each week to encourage the journey to restoration from the broken relationship we have with God through Jesus.  It is also a blog that attempts to encourage believers to be more like Jesus today than they were yesterday.  

While we absolutely love music of all kinds, the driving force behind Tuesday's Musical Notes is never the highlighted song or artist.  Tuesday's Musical Notes is written each week with an extreme desire to see those who are separated from God come to be restored through knowledge of the saving sacrifice of Jesus.  

The theme of several Tuesday's Musical Notes is travelling down roads.  Some of the notes are very direct in their traveling pathway...





 Others are more indirectly "road" songs:



As you can see, "roads" and their destinations are a reoccurring theme at Tuesday's Musical Notes.  In fact, there is a road that we mention on several occasions throughout Notes history.  It is called the Roman Road.  It is a pathway that will step by step show you the way to revitalizing your relationship with the God who created and loves you.  Won't you take the first step down that road today...

You see friend, the Bible says this:


Romans 3:23 NASB/The Message/KJV  - we must acknowledge that our relationship with God is severed due to our disobedience called sin

Romans 5:8 - NASB/The Message/KJV  - God desires the relationship to be restored and provides a way for that to occur

Romans 6:23 NASB/The Message/KJV  - we must realize that if we do not "change our ways" and restore our brokenness we will depart from this life to a place separated forever from God and everything else that could ever be construed as "good".  God provided a way for that not to happen and you can spend your eternity future with Him and those who have accepted His sacrifice

Romans 10:9-10 - NASB/The Message/KJV  - when we confess that Jesus is THE restorative power through His death, burial, and resurrection, we are saved from the "bad" eternity future

Romans 10:13 NASB/The Message/KJV   - Jesus is the ONLY way to heaven.  It sounds so simple, yet there it is.  Call on the Name of Jesus, turn away from the bad things that you consistently do, believe Jesus is who He said He is and did what the Bible says He did, and you will forever be with Him

Romans 11:36 - NASB/The Message/KJV  - through Holy Spirit's power, (which resides in you upon your turning from your sin) make Jesus the Boss, the King, the Priority of your life and allow His message to flow through you, changing you into His likeness in the process 

THIS message is why Tuesday's Musical Notes exists...

And that's our tribute to "Roads".  A subject frequented here at Tuesday's Musical Notes!

#6!

Movies and their soundtracks feature heavily into Notesland.  The song at #6 is emblematic of why.  It is so intrinsically tied to its movie that it is a rare occasion that one is not mentioned without the other.  It was also the debut song for  2019.


You've read 'em, we're countin' 'em down...

Before we go on to the top five of 2019's most-read Musical Notes.  We'd like to draw attention to the Honorable Mentions, those notes who just missed this year's collection of the best.  Interestingly enough, it was a tie by the same artist,  Sir Paul McCartney.  'nuff said...



#5

Let's go for a ride with our driver Joni Mitchell in our "Big Yellow Taxi", the # 5 most-read blog for 2018!


Tuesday's Musical Notes loves to feature a variety of musical acts and songs.  From one-hit-wonders to the titans of music's landscape.  Hopefully, you have noticed the diversity of beats and players in this year's recording of the cream of the crop from 2019.  (Honestly, I'm getting tired of writing "countdown"...it could be very creative from here on out!)

Without doubt, One of those titans of the musical landscape is Eric Clapton. His song is the feature for Tuesday's Musical Notes 4th most read blog of 2019.  


Ascending the ranks of our salute to "lyrics and life-saving" is the blog from the first of April.  You know, that time of the year where you can expect the range of the weather goes from rainy to monsoon making it very easy to sing the song at #3...


Closing in on the top of the pops!  Only two more Notes to go and we'll know what was the most read for 2019!  Before we do, we mentioned that Google/Blogspot keeps a rolling tally each time one of the 395 Tuesday's Musical Notes are read.  You can find any of those Notes in the archives to the left of the screen.  You can also search for your favorite artists or songs to see if they have been twisted terrifically on Tuesdays!!! (I know the search featureworks!  I've tried it!!!) That being said, each year we want you to be aware of the most read blog EVER!  

Once this blog took the top spot it has stayed there and eclipsed all of the other blogs in Notesland. It debuted on February 18, 2014, and soared into the musically annotated atmosphere.  Enjoy the most read blog at Tuesday's Musical Notes ever...open that door already!


Thanks again for taking the time each week to join us in the celebration of music and Majesty!  I enjoy the challenge of being able to take a song and see just how it can be applied to our lives and our eternities.  In fact, you might say that I'm Into Something Good...


Any guesses to #1?  I confess it was a surprise to me as I was putting our year-end encyclopedia of enlightenment together. (Told ya it was gonna get creative!) It comes to us from early in the year, January 15 to be specific.  In fact, 4 out of the 5 blogs from January were featured in the top ten.  That's a new stat for those keeping the books!!  (Analytics anyone?)  Our #1 joins the #2 song in featuring acts from Great Britain as a part of the British Invasion of the '60s.  Nope, not the Beatles.  Nope, not the Rolling Stones.  This solo act is known for her penchant to hang out...Downtown...

The #1 blog in 2019 for Tuesday's Musical Notes...Petula Clark, "Downtown"


And there you have it, friend.  Petula Clark's Downtown joins these past year's best Notes:


That's it!  The best Tuesday's Musical Notes from 2019 all wrapped up in a New Year's eve toast to you our wonderful readers!  We can't say thank you enough for checking in each week from all over the world.  We hope you will continue to enjoy the Notes as we explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new...wait, sorry...

To be continued in 2020!!!  Happy New Year!!! 

Tuesday's Musical Notes is a production of Crossgate Entertainment.  The views and opinions expressed attempt to be Biblical and life-altering.  The Notes are produced in the palatial second story offices of yours truly, Randy.  No animals were injured as a result of these proceedings.  Thanks again and we'll see you next year here at Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!

'Til Tuesday 2020

Serving HIM by serving You,
randy
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