Feed Your Ears

[Luigi]

This one is for my cousin who just switched switched from chemotherapy to hospice. In the Catholic tradition, most of the songs are hymns intended to be sung in liturgies. So while Catholic hymns have references to death, resurrection, and heaven, there are precious few that mention dying or entering into heaven (other than May the Angels Lead You into Paradise). Maybe that's because Catholics have never defined what heaven will look like. But other Christian traditions have lots of songs that describe visions of heaven (I haven't posted any of those yet) or getting to heaven - Angel Band (a.k.a. Oh Come, Angel Band), I'll Fly Away, When I Wake Up to Sleep No More, There'll Be Shouting on the Hills of Glory, and many others. There are, of course, dozens of versions of Angel Band on YouTube; Jeffrey Shurtleff and Joan Baez sing two of the three verses I've heard, and they nail the harmony. 

 

Edited February 24, 2024 by Luigi

[Luigi]

Earl Montgomery wrote "One of These Days" in 1972 and George Jones recorded it the same year. Emmylou Harris recorded it in 1975 and had a hit with it on the country charts (#6). So the song is over fifty years old, and this recording is nearly fifty years old, too, but it still moves me every time I hear it. 

 

[Luigi]

Many people have recorded Leonard Cohen's "The Story of Isaac." I'm not crazy about Cohen's interpretation of the Biblical story: 1- Isaac was not nine years old when this happened - he was big enough and strong enough to carry the firewood for the holocaust up the mountain; 2- The story is richly complex, and Cohen reduced it to an antiwar song in the Viet Nam era. But it does fit with today's first reading, and I like Buchanan's gutsy rendition (don't let the folksy introduction fool you) and his arrangement. On another note, I've always thought that this would make a good anti-abortion song if the singer changed a couple of words here and there, intentionally or otherwise. 

 

[Luigi]

Reverend Gary Davis, sometimes referred to as Reverend Blind Gary Davis, offers us some simple but sound advice - Say No to the Devil.

 

[Luigi]

Here's a personal prayer in the guise of a country song by The Gentle Giant, Don Williams. 

 

[Luigi]

This is Psalm 113 sung in Hebrew. The musical setting is supposedly - I have no way of knowing whether it is or not - the original melody sung by the Levites in the temple in Jerusalem. The oldest text of the psalms (The Masoretic Text) have markings, similar to diacritical marks, over the words. In 1976, Suzanne Haik-Vantoura claimed that those marks were a kind of musical notation, each indicating a not in a seven-now scale. I'm not fond of the video, but the music is kind of interesting. I include below the words of Psalm 113 (from the USCCB web site) for anyone who doesn't understand sung Hebrew. 

Praise, you servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.

Blessed be the name of the LORD both now and forever.

From the rising of the sun to its setting let the name of the LORD be praised.

High above all nations is the LORD; above the heavens his glory.

Who is like the LORD our God, enthroned on high, looking down on heaven and earth?

He raises the needy from the dust, lifts the poor from the ash heap,

Seats them with princes, the princes of the people,

Gives the childless wife a home, the joyful mother of children. 

[Luigi]

"A Tramp on the Street was written by Grady & Hazel Cole around 1933. It's been recorded by lots of people - Molly O'Day, Wilma Cooper, Peter, Paul & Mary, Joan Baez, Norma Jean, The Statler Brothers, and lots of others. Hank Williams does a good straightforward version of it, true to the original melody, and you can understand all of his words. It ties in to today's Gospel reading, too. 

 

[Luigi]

From Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat comes the song "Poor, Poor Joseph," a retelling of today's first reading, as composed by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Weber. The video is lyrics only - no images. 

 

[chrysostom]

On 2/24/2024 at 9:48 PM, Luigi said:

Earl Montgomery wrote "One of These Days" in 1972 and George Jones recorded it the same year. Emmylou Harris recorded it in 1975 and had a hit with it on the country charts (#6). So the song is over fifty years old, and this recording is nearly fifty years old, too, but it still moves me every time I hear it. 

 

amesome

[Luigi]

The Carter Family - the original group of A.P Carter, his wife Sarah, and her cousin Maybelle Carter (married to A.P.'s brother) - recorded Weary Prodigal Son in 1931. It's the simplest retelling you'll ever find of the parable in today's Gospel. It's simple, singable, and sincere. A.P. sings lead, Sarah sings harmony, and Maybelle plays the guitar. 

 

[Luigi]

I find Colter Wall's "The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie" intriguing. Perhaps you will, too. 

 

[Luigi]

In yesterday's song, Colter Wall implies that he sold his soul to the devil in exchange for musical skills. That's a pretty old idea in American folk music; blues musician Robert Johnson is said to have done something similar. The reverse side of that coin is Charlie Daniels' 1979 "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," in which Johnny, the natural-born fiddler, bests the devil by playing good ol' Amurcan folk tunes (Fire on the Mountain; Chicken in the Breadpan; Granny Does Your Dog Bite). Thus, he not only saves his soul, he also wins a golden fiddle from the devil. So this is basically a folktale set to music. WARNING: The last line contains strong language (SOB); sensitive listeners may find it offensive - the on-air radio version substituted "son of a gun." 

 

[Luigi]

Hope Church is in Memphis. I don't know which denomination they are - I'm guessing they're non-denominational. I don't know how to classify the music this group makes - rock? contemporary Christian? (church) garage band? And I don't know how to classify they song - inspirational, maybe ? - it's not a psalm, or a hymn, it doesn't tell a parable. IN spite of everything I don't know about it, I like this song, "Good Gonna Rise." Lyrics are included in the video. 

 

[Hna.Caridad]

On 3/4/2024 at 9:30 PM, Luigi said:

In yesterday's song, Colter Wall implies that he sold his soul to the devil in exchange for musical skills. That's a pretty old idea in American folk music; blues musician Robert Johnson is said to have done something similar. The reverse side of that coin is Charlie Daniels' 1979 "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," in which Johnny, the natural-born fiddler, bests the devil by playing good ol' Amurcan folk tunes (Fire on the Mountain; Chicken in the Breadpan; Granny Does Your Dog Bite). Thus, he not only saves his soul, he also wins a golden fiddle from the devil. So this is basically a folktale set to music. WARNING: The last line contains strong language (SOB); sensitive listeners may find it offensive - the on-air radio version substituted "son of a gun." 

 

 

I was wondering if/when this song might make an appearance on this thread!  Something I've noticed:  when it's played on country music stations, you'll hear "son of a gun"; when it's played on rock stations, you'll get the coarser (and misogynist) language.  I didn't realize the history behind the lyrics, which sent me down an enormous rabbit hole--thanks for that trip!

"Fire on the Mountain" is an old folk tune.  It's also a song that was written by George McCorkle of the Marshall Tucker Band in the hopes that his friend, Charlie Daniels, would include it on his 1974 album of the same name.  He didn't, so the Marshall-Tucker band recorded it in 1975.  Daniels then came back and referenced it in 1979 in "The Devil Went Down to Georgia".

Another fun thing I learned:  "Chicken in the bread pan pickin' out dough / Granny does your dog bite? No, child, no" are sometimes separate songs and sometimes lyrics in the same song:

https://home.lyon.edu/wolfcollection/songs/applechicken1265.html

I'm enjoying this thread--keep it up!

[Luigi]

5 hours ago, Hna.Caridad said:

 

I was wondering if/when this song might make an appearance on this thread!  Something I've noticed:  when it's played on country music stations, you'll hear "son of a gun"; when it's played on rock stations, you'll get the coarser (and misogynist) language.  I didn't realize the history behind the lyrics, which sent me down an enormous rabbit hole--thanks for that trip!

"Fire on the Mountain" is an old folk tune.  It's also a song that was written by George McCorkle of the Marshall Tucker Band in the hopes that his friend, Charlie Daniels, would include it on his 1974 album of the same name.  He didn't, so the Marshall-Tucker band recorded it in 1975.  Daniels then came back and referenced it in 1979 in "The Devil Went Down to Georgia".

Another fun thing I learned:  "Chicken in the bread pan pickin' out dough / Granny does your dog bite? No, child, no" are sometimes separate songs and sometimes lyrics in the same song:

https://home.lyon.edu/wolfcollection/songs/applechicken1265.html

I'm enjoying this thread--keep it up!

I'm glad you're enjoying the thread and the selections. I'm also glad to know that you're "doing your homework!"

[Luigi]

A Southern Gospel Revival is a group, not an event. I think it's really just a group of friends in Texas who like traditional gospel music, so they came up with a name for the group, just for this project. The lead singer on this song is Courtney Patton; she has a strong alto voice. The song was written by J. D. Jarvis in 1967 and it's been recorded a couple of times by name brand bluegrass singers. The structure of the song is pretty simple, but that means it's easy to sing along with, and one could make up additional verses pretty easily, too. The song is called "Take Your Shoes Off, Moses." 

 

[Luigi]

Jean Redpath is a Scottish folk singer. Here she delivers the Quaker hymn "How Can I Keep from Singing" in a pretty straightforward version, accompanied by mostly violins. 

 

Edited March 8, 2024 by Luigi

[Luigi]

I posted a song by Willie Mae Ford Smith previously, and I'm posting another one now - "I'll Never Turn Back No More" - written by Dr. Thomas Dorsey, also recorded by Mahalia Jackson. But I prefer Willie Mae Ford Smith's version. It's got a little bit of a spoken introduction; she performed this at a church celebration of her 80th birthday, so she's talking to a lot of people who know her. It's taken from the documentary "Say Amen, Somebody." If you haven't seen it, I recommend it - it's about gospel music and features Smith, Dr. Dorsey, Sallie Martin, The O'Neill Twins, The Barrett Sisters, Zella Jackson Price, and maybe some other folks. 

 

[Luigi]

The Williams Brothers have been around for over 60 years in one form or another. They have a real smooth sound. This song and video are from 1985. That was around the time music videos were new and innovative. Another interesting feature of this song is the word play of NObody, EVERYbody, SOMEbody, and ANYbody - you see the same kind of word play in a lot of country songs. Here's "I'm Just a Nobody." 

 

 

[Luigi]

Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote "I Say a Little Prayer for You" for Dionne Warwick in 1967. She had a hit with it on pop radio (#4 on the pop charts). Indicating that there was a time in this society when people could not only talk about prayer in public, they could sing about it! And they did. And no one complained. Of course, the vamp-out lines of this indicate that this is a love song - everything on the radio in those days was under cover of a love song. BTW, Dionne Warwick is Whitney Houston's aunt. 

 

Edited March 11, 2024 by Luigi