What Have I Been Listening To? (February 2014)

I confess that my listening hasn't been as broad as I would like this past month, but here are a few highlights. Some are new to me and others aren't; hope you enjoy.

"Call of Stonehenge" by the Ethno Music Orchestra

"A Single Act of Disobedience" from One Night With the King

"Jesus Loves Me" as performed by David Klinkenberg

"For the First Time in Forever" from the movie Frozen (admittedly I've been listening to the whole soundtrack a lot but decided to include this one. The duet between Elsa and Anna is especially well done).

"Holy (Kadosh)" by Karen David

"Second Chance" by Rend Collective Experiment

How Can I Keep from Singing?

Analysis Method: "MALL"
Key -
M = What is the meaning of the lyrics?
A = The lyrics are clearly against Biblical teaching.
L = I don't know what the Bible says about these lyrics.
L = I can glorify God when I listen to these lyrics.
Some of my thoughts are included in gray.

Verse 1 

There is an endless song echoes in my soul 

I hear the music ring 

And though the storms may come I am holding on 

to the rock I cling 

Chorus: 

How can I keep from singing Your praise 

How can I ever say enough, how amazing is Your love 

How can I keep from shouting Your Name 

I know I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart want to sing 

Verse 2:

I will lift my eyes in the darkest night 

For I know my Savior lives 

And I will walk with You knowing You’ll see me through 

And sing the songs You give 

Chorus 

Bridge: 

I can sing in the troubled times sing when I win 

I can sing when I lose my step and fall down again 

I can sing cause You pick me up sing cause You’re there 

I can sing cause You hear me Lord when I call to You in prayer 

I can sing with my last breath sing for I know 

That I’ll sing with the angels and the saints around the throne 

Chorus

This song was submitted as a student request, and I thought it would be a good entry to get back into writing after the break. This song is clearly written from a Christian perspective, and I don't see any problems with any of the lyrics. What I was surprised to learn in researching this song;s lyrics were inspired by a much older "How Can I Keep from Singing." Written by an unknown author and set to music hymn composer Robert Wadsworth Lowry in the late 1800s, that version of the song begins with "My life flows on in endless song; Above earth's lamentation."

A danger in a song like this that I see is for people to sing it over and over and completely miss the implications of the words. The first verse expresses powerful awareness, leading into the rhetorical questions of the chorus. Then, the second verse and bridge are responses to the beginning. If there is a King who loves us and a "rock" strong enough for us to hold onto, then the reasoning is that no circumstances should be beyond what we're given the strength to handle. Unfortunately, there are those who don't want to talk about struggles or challenges, and that outlook misses out on the beauty of this song.

Musically speaking, I hear a stirring melody in this song that I think causes a lot of people to feel passion as they sing it. The melodic contour (or direction) is very sequential and effectively varies the parts that are stepwise and the parts that move by skip. The movements of the verse remain relatively small, whereas the chorus introduces much larger jumps - again, contributing to the emotional aspect of this song.

 

SQUILT Set 4, #1 - "Maple Leaf Rag"

Title: "Maple Leaf Rag"
Composer: Scott Joplin
Genre: Ragtime
Notes: The ragtime genre was developed and became popular from around 1895-1918. Ragtime is marked by the use of "syncopated" rhythms, or rhythms that bring emphasis to parts of the beat that usually aren't as strongly heard. Scott Joplin became famous in 1898 when "Maple Leaf Rag" was published, and his work is recognized as being influential in later forms of music. Ragtime lost popularity around 1917 when jazz really began to take the stage, but it experienced various revivals throughout the 1900s.

Related Artists: George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, Benny Goodman

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**

What Have I Been Listening To? (January 2014)

I am excited to get back to writing after taking a break for the holidays while my family came to visit Indonesia. I will hopefully get back to post song analyses by next week, but in the meantime here is a glimpse of some songs I've been enjoying lately. Note that this is from the previous month, thus the Christmas songs.

"Defying Gravity" from the Broadway Wicked

"For Good" from the Broadway Wicked

"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" as performed by the Annie Moses Band

"Carol of the Bells" as performed by Pentatonix

"Countless Wonders" by Chris Tomlin

"Upon This Rock" as performed by Kristin Chenowith

 

A Thousand Years

Heartbeats fast

Colors and promises

How to be brave

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall

But watching you stand alone

All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

I have died everyday waiting for you

Darling don't be afraid I have loved you

For a thousand years

I love you for a thousand more

Time stands still

Beauty in all she is

I will be brave

I will not let anything take away

What's standing in front of me

Every breath

Every hour has come to this

One step closer

I have died everyday waiting for you

Darling don't be afraid I have loved you

For a thousand years

I love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you

Time has brought your heart to me

I have loved you for a thousand years

I love you for a thousand more

One step closer

One step closer

I have died everyday waiting for you

Darling don't be afraid I have loved you

For a thousand years

I love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you

Time has brought your heart to me

I have loved you for a thousand years

I love you for a thousand more

*Disclaimer* I have not read the Twilight books nor seen the movies. To an extent, a better knowledge of the story would be important in accurately analyzing this song. On the other hand, I think it is also fair to consider the song by itself as separate from Twilight. To that end, I will answer the 8 questions in regards to the music and lyrics, and then I'll follow-up with some comments related to Twilight.

1. Is there anything I notice right away that's good about this song?

Musically speaking, this song's use of timing, rhythms, and pitch create a unique and captivating flow - which I think are strong contributors to its popularity. Elegant simplicity is another descriptor that comes to mind - though, that being said, I think the song pushes these characteristics just a little with being a bit too long.

2. Is there anything true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, or praiseworthy on which I can dwell?

At its core, despite a couple of issues I'll talk about later, I hear the idea of sacrificial love coming from this song. There is an element of depth to this love that can be so easily missed in other artistic expressions that are purely physical in their framework. Certainly there are descriptions of physical characteristics (heart beating fast, beauty, etc.), but overall I hear this song as being about patience and self-denial.

One passage of Scripture that comes to my mind - though certainly not in the context of a romantic relationship - is Philippians chapter 2, where Paul talked about Jesus' sacrifice in emptying himself of his full glory as God and coming in the likeness of men to die a brutal death. Of course, we also have the passage in Ephesians 5 which tells husbands that their love for their wives should be sacrificial in accordance with Christ's example. I'm not thinking that this is exactly what the song was getting at, but there is still a seed of Truth there on which I can dwell.

Another passage in Scripture I think of connects with the line "How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?" In the letter of 1 John, the apostle John masterfully addresses true love in God, being that we love because God first loved us. He then goes on in chapter 4 verse 18 to say that "there is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear."

3. When I listen to this song, does my thinking become conformed or transformed?

As I described above, there is an element by which this song helps me transform my thinking to the pure and righteous aspects of a relationship. At the same time, I struggle a little with the "I have died everyday waiting for you" line. That sounds like a sort of crippling dependence and relational idolatry that would not be in line with God's call to people in Jesus. That line of thinking leads to conformance with a worldly point-of-view that might place a relationship in the place God should have in our lives (Matthew 22:37-38)

4. Does this song cause me to set my mind on things above or on earthly things?

A sacrificial, lasting relationship built on deep ties of commitment is absolutely a thing of Heaven. Beyond that, the "thousand years / for a thousand more" line implies the expectation of eternity. So, overall, I want to say "things above," but at the same time I have trouble answering this question without thinking of some of the song's ties to the Twilight movie. More on that below.

5. Is this song leading me to feel anger, rage, malice, or slander?

No

6. Does this song contain filthy language or encourage me to use filthy language?

No

7. Is this song calling me to pursue youthful passions?

This song's musical presentation, along with its lyrics, lead me to feel that "no," this song isn't calling people to youthful passions. I fear, however, that many listeners may hear this song and just feel warm and fuzzy inside without really thinking through the implications of it. I fear that many people have probably sung this or played this for a girlfriend/boyfriend with whom they have broken up within days/weeks. I'm not suggesting that it's wrong to realize that a person you're dating is not the partner with whom you should get married, but I am saying there is great potential for people to draw on this song's expressions when in reality they have no intention of being sacrificial in their commitment to the other person.

8. Can I listen to this song in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him?

Yes, I think so. After analyzing this song, I am mostly drawn to thoughts of Jesus and his sacrifice and commitment for me. From those thoughts, I feel greater desire to make hard decisions to continue committing to my wife even when I'm sure situation after situation will arise when it might be easy to choose something else or not be as dedicated to my marriage as God would have me be.

In terms of this song's connection to the Twilight book series and movie series, I confess that I haven't read the books or watched the movies. I did spend some time reading information about them online, but I still want to comment with care. My feelings about the premise of this song still hold true in relation to the story (at least so far as the synposes I read) - Edward and Bella are both willing to sacrifice for each other. My main concern with the association with the book is the idol that I believe the stories have come in some people's lives - to the point at which it might nearly be another sort of reality for them. Certainly it's not fair to impose that on all people, and I'm not trying to - merely mentioning my caution with this story.

In reading some about Stephanie Meyer, I understand that she is writing from a Mormon faith perspective, and that sheds a little light on some of the things I read about the series. Assuming she truly is writing from that conviction, then I can appreciate that there is a strong moral foundation upon which the stories are built. At the same time, when taken far enough, elements of some major worldview differences will come out between the Mormon worldview and Christian worldview, and for that reason I would caution anyone from truly being swept away by what they read in the stories.

SQUILT Set 3, #4 - "Wade in the Water"

Title: "Wade in the Water"
Artist: Traditional African American Spiritual, arranged by Moses Hogan
Genre: Spiritual
Notes: The African American spiritual genre developed over as African slaves were brought over to the United States and interacted with the culture of the Europeans who enslaved them. This form is unique to the United States and was not developed in the same way as Africans traveled to other parts of the world. The basis for the songs are strongly linked with Christian influence and old Christian hymns, and the Africans who created spirituals often had two meanings behind the words - the ideas of Christianity and the hardships of being a slave.

Related Artists: Moses Hogan, Barbara Hendricks, Derek Lee Ragin, Jessye Norman

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**

SQUILT Set 3, #3 - "My Heart Will Go On"

Title: "My Heart Will Go On"
Artist: Celine Dion
Genre: Ballad
Notes: "My Heart Will Go On" was released with the hit movie, "Titanic," in 1997. It quickly became a huge success and was the world's best-selling song single of 1998. It has also been recognized by some as one of the best ballads of the 1990s.

Related Artists: Anastacia, Michael Bolton, Cher, Josh Groban

**Disclaimer: While I believe that all of the SQUILT music chosen is appropriate for classroom use, some songs may not completely align with a Christian worldview. Songs done by related artists are also not guaranteed to be in line with the values of a Christian worldview. Parents should help their children develop discernment in this area.**