Friday, June 26, 2009

Friday Five: Talkin' About ... Pop Music

Mary Beth over at Revgalblogpals writes:

The sad news of Michael Jackson's untimely death has me thinking about music and its effects on us - individually, as cultures, as generations. Let's think about the soundtracks of our lives...

1) What sort of music did you listen to as a child - this would likely have been determined or influenced by your parents? Or perhaps your family wasn't musical...was the news the background? the radio? Singing around the piano?
My family is very musical, in an amateur sort of way. My uncle played classical music by ear, my dad had a natural "Bing Crosby" type voice, and my mom liked to play "standards" on the piano. We listened to a lot of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals on the phonograph (this was my mom's favorite music to clean by), and they liked to sing and play together songs like: "Tennesee Waltz," "Sentimental Journey," and "Always."



2) Going ahead to teenage years, is there a song that says "high school" (or whatever it might've been called where you lived") to you?
I'm going to go with my knee-jerk first response and say Simon and Garfunkel, "Bridge Over Troubled Water."
3) What is your favorite music for a lift on a down day? (hint: go to www.pandora.com and type in a performer/composer...see what you come up with!)



4) Who is your favorite performer of all time?
James Taylor. I like Bing Crosby too, but that's more from my upbringing.
5) What is your favorite style of music for worship? Bonus if you include a video of any of the above!
I'm eclectic and like all sorts of styles, from folk songs and contemporary to high-church hymns. I just don't get some of the worship wars, particularly the people who like praise choruses but not old hymns. Right now, I just can't stop listening to "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling." But I also enjoy singing "The Summons", and Marty Haugen's "All Are Welcome," and "Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service."

I'll leave you with the last verse of "Love Divine"

Finish then thy new creation, pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation perfectly restored in thee!
Changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love and praise.

14 comments:

DogBlogger said...

Good play! Thanks for reminding me of a bunch of songs I like.

DogBlogger said...

Good play! Thanks for reminding me of a bunch of songs I like.

Shalom said...

Fun play! I saw James Taylor in concert last year, and he was fantastic.

Auntie Knickers said...

Great play -- Bridge over Troubled Water means my last year of college to me.

RevDrKate said...

Fabulous memories all the way from chidhood on through the FoH hymns! Thanks.

Auntie Knickers said...

Now I've listened to /watched the videos - that photo of Sinatra as a young man with the tie untied - WHOO! I can see why the bobby-soxers were screaming. Thanks!

Sue said...

Ah, good memories in some of those songs for me.

Great play!

LoieJ said...

Thinking about songs of my youth makes me wonder if any of the current "artists" have any anti-war songs now like there were back during Viet Nam.

Jane said...

I also love singing Love divine all loves excelling - to either Hyfrodol or Blaenwern -
Great play loved your memories

MumPastor said...

These are all wonderful songs! I love your clips of James Taylor and Frank Sinatra, and I have to admit to loving all the hymns you listed! Great play.

Lori said...

I love James Taylor too!

Mary Beth said...

I think we have similar musical tastes! Thanks for the "love divine" earworm; now I'll get to hum it all day.

Barbara B. said...

Hooray for JT!

Rev SS said...

Love this play, and the memories it awakens. Thanks