The Sunday Sermon
A sermon can be defined as many things – a discourse, a lecture, a form of advice giving, a motivational speech. Whether in the churches, synagogues and mosques of Europe or in the tribes of indigenous peoples around the globe, we have turned to our spiritual leaders for insight and direction. We would receive our nuggets of spiritual wisdom often through a sermon. But times are a changing for many of us, and we are increasingly resistant to organized religious ceremonies.
So where do we turn for deeper understanding?
I argue that the wisdom we seek can be found through personal expression (art). A good song is the new scripture; it’s the contemporary storytelling from our tribal leaders.
The Sunday Sermon exists to highlight a song and/or video that has specific meaning for me. Perhaps the lyrics have resonated with something that I have been unable to express myself. Perhaps the video is artfully created and deserves to be viewed by more people. Or perhaps the song is just downright fun. Whatever the specifics, I have chosen these songs in the spirit of sharing; they are the soundtrack to my life, and perhaps you will find them as inspiring as I have.
If you feel sparked by a song/video, please leave a comment and share your reactions.
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[...] 21, 2010 · Leave a Comment This Sunday’s Sermon: The First Lady of Rock asserts that a heart full of love is simply [...]
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[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: He may not know how to cover himself (oversized powder blue, floral pant suit?), but when it comes to covering Marvin Gaye, Ben Harper is all awesomeness. It’s a beautiful ode to one of the best treatment techniques in all of history – the sexual kind of healing. “You’re my medicine, open up and let me in. Darling, you’re so great. I can’t wait for you to operate.” [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: It’s can be awfully crazy out there. But Louis always manages to bring me back to a state of wonderment. I dare you to walk down the street with this song playing on your iPod, and NOT feel your heart quiver a bit. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: If you’re a true nature’s child, Canadian rock band Steppenwolf reminds you to be wild. And godspeed Denis Hopper. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: A delightful blend of love, serenity and troubles melting like lemon drops. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: The current queen of pop music tackles (successfully?) those British dudes that write songs. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Ms. Lauper brings continued life to the anthem of the outsider, asking us to fear not when making the choice to be ourselves. Amen. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Comprised of a group of elders (70 years or older), Young@Heart is a choir that breathes unique life into contemporary pop songs. And in turn, proves that aging does not equate the loss of awesomeness. Amen. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Back in 2004, at the age of sixty nine, Loretta Lynn released the most successful crossover album of her career. The album received numerous accolades, but perhaps more affecting is the raw vulnerability that Lynn exposes. We see that genuineness can make beautiful art. Amen. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Originally recorded by The Platters in 1955, “The Great Pretender” was reinterpreted by the legendary Freddie Mercury in 1987. The clip references many of the previous music videos of Queen, and reenforces the camp value that we came to expect (and appreciate) from Mercury. Lyrically the song is a winning anthem for all of us who prefer the fertile landscapes of our imaginations over the somewhat harsh tendencies of reality. Amen. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: ‘The National’ is a rock n’roll band based out of Brooklyn, and lead by the husky vocals and matter-of-fact lyrics of Mr. Matt Berninger. In ‘Slow Show’ we have a man wanting to hurry home to his love, to put on a “slow, dumb show” – the type of precious, performance-based interactions that happen between lovers, meaningless to anyone else, yet laced in sentiment for sweethearts who have created their own romantic rituals. Hold onto those romantic rituals. Amen. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Scala & Kolacny is the Belgium girl’s choir who have gained fame by covering rock songs by such bands as Radiohead, U2, Nirvana and Rammstein. They’re currently making big waves across the pond, and will be providing the ‘creepy’ soundtrack to the new Facebook movie called “The Social Network.” In this clip they ballad-ize Metallica’s ‘Nothing Else Matters,’ metamorphosing a heavy metal classic into a haunting new creation. Take something and make it your own. Amen. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Picture yourself in the crow’s nest of a softly creaking wooden sailboat in the middle of the ocean. It’s nighttime. All you see is a million stars above you and the endless expanse of water, which only serves to reflect and expand those million stars. Josh Ritter is there, waiting to rescue you, should you fall overboard. Amen. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Back in 1999, the princess of hip hop paired up with the icon reggae legend to reinvent this classic track. As this summer fades into fall, the lights are naturally turned down low. Let the moon come shining in, and find someone to give some good lovin’. Amen. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: American folkster-poet Joshua James begs for the madness of war to stop. Could there be a more primary or compelling request in this world? Amen. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: In 1995 the world stood in wide-eyed wonder as a 21-year old girl sung about “going down on you in a theatre.” Despite argument over improper application of the term, Ms. Morissette’s “Ironic” music video is a slice of 90′s iconography. The queen of pain and self-help songwriting has been unapologetic in her approach and delivery, singing about life and love. Because sometimes there’s a little black fly in your chardonnay. And sometimes there isn’t. Amen. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: If it came casually floating onto your radio, you probably might dismiss this song as another sappy country ballad. But there’s something special about the man behind the music. Charlie Pride is an example of a man who transcended barriers; he is one of the few African Americans to have successfully built a career in the mainly white country music industry. Mr. Pride has charted new waters, and in doing so, has subtly said, “Boundaries are made to be tampered with.” [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Janelle Monae is a Kansas cupcake that is currently the coolest kid on the music video airwaves. With a troupe of gyrating dancers, some awesome threads and a video that is both arty and entertaining, Ms. Monae has arrived fresh on the scene with the composition of someone who has been tightrope-walking for years. Her savviness is seductive. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Eddie Vedder provided the haunting soundtrack to my favorite movie from 2007, Into the Wild. The movie was based on the life of Christopher McCandless aka “Alexander Supertramp.” He was a man who decided to run away to Alaska to chase his dream of adventure and solitude and renunciation. And if you are familiar with his story, then you know that this dream ultimately killed him. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: “We are going to explore the cosmos in the ship of the imagination” – Spanish cutie-patootie El Guincho takes us on an intergalactic visual smorgasbord of golden topless women and panda-murdering hunks. It is both contemporary, cutting-edge art AND self-indulgent hipster drivel. And that’s just fine with me. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Britain’s own spritely darling, Beth Orton, is known to link the worlds of electronica and folk music. This track (Central Reservation) is an amped up version of the original song, which is sparse and haunting. Both recordings are lovely in their own regards. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Every once in a while a song comes onto my radar that makes me stop and listen. When I heard this song for the first time on Monday afternoon as I prepared to go for a jog, I did indeed stop. The simple expression of taking nothing for granted produced a miniature rainstorm on my cheeks. I am, of course, a sentimental sap, but if we’re able to step beyond the adult contemporary packaging of Mr. James, we might be able to see that the song is preaching a lovely little nugget of wisdom. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: The whimsical Florence and her marvelous machine have done some lovely covers in the past couple years, including “Halo” by Beyoncé and “Borderline” by Madonna. But their take on Robert Palmer’s ode to love addiction is the smoothest. And in doing so, providing support to all of those who suffer from love cravings. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Led by the comforting vocals and introspective lyrics of Tony Dekker, Canada’s folk-rock sweetheart’s Great Lake Swimmers have provided the soundtrack for many crisp, candle-lit autumn evenings spent sipping tea and pondering life’s complexities. In Stealing Tomorrow Dekker sings about the sadness of building walls, and how we might be sacrificing our tomorrows through our stubborn or guarded tendencies that we engage in today. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Pogo (aka Fagottron on YouTube) is a young Australian buck who takes sound clips from movies and remixes them into new delicious pieces of music. On this track, however, he has ventured for the first time into “the real world” (or at least his mother’s garden) to capture original sound and image. Who knew that this was hiding among his mother’s pots and shrubs? [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Released in 1976, on an album of the same name, “Long May You Run” is supposedly written about Neil’s first car — an old funeral hearse. Others have suggested that the song is written to a friend who he lost to an overdose. But, as a long distance runner, I take it for it’s literal value. I just wanna to run far. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Australian cutie crooner Ben Lee walks in a park with his guitar, playing tribute to one of the biggest songs of 2008 — Kids by MGMT. Joggers bound past. Empty park benches await people-watchers. Ben sings to a dog. It’s like there could be nothing more natural than a guy going for a walk, strumming his guitar. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: It’s no secret that I’m a fan of the “cover.” In this interpretation of the Kate Bush classic, neo-soul artist Maxwell delivers a little slice of male vulnerability to a whole new demographic. For many years I believed that Maxwell was assuming a female voice in the song, figuratively. Yet, as I further examine the lyrics, I am left questioning who actually is the subject of the song – this woman? Is it the singer? A Mother? A partner? And since, it has become rather irrelevant. I see it more now as an ode to feminine strength. [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: With his trademark bushy beard and warm buttery voice William Fitzsimmons sings about the sadness of a relationship ending. Goodbyes are often pauses rather than endings, but still are never easy. But they also permit “hellos.” [...]
[...] This Sunday’s Sermon: Originally recorded by The Platters in 1955, “The Great Pretender” was reinterpreted by the legendary Freddie Mercury in 1987. The clip references many of the previous music videos of Queen, and reenforces the camp value that we came to expect (and appreciate) from Mercury. Lyrically the song is a winning anthem for all of us who prefer the fertile landscapes of our imaginations over the somewhat harsh tendencies of reality. Amen. [...]
[...] Sunday’s Sermon: This peaceful ballad has been a quite anthem of mine for many years now. And what better way to round off another year then with a hopeful song that encourages us to look in puddles for the (not-so) subtle signs of life. [...]