Wednesday, February 14, 2007

You'd Think That People Would Have Had Enough Of Silly Love Songs. . .

. . . I look around me and I see it isn't so.

Take Clay Aiken's "Invisible" for instance: "If I was invisible, then I could just watch you in your room. If I was invincible, I'd make you mine tonight. If hearts were unbreakable, then I could just tell you where I stand. I would be the smartest man. If I was invisible (Wait..I already am.)" What girl doesn't dream of being stalked by an invisible man?

Or how about the brilliance of LFO's hit, "Summer Girls": "There was a good man named Paul Revere, I feel much better baby when you're near. You love fun dip and cherry Coke, I like the way you laugh when I tell a joke. When I met you I said my name was Rich, you look like a girl from Abercrombie and Fitch." This reminds me of when my brother and I used to play "Rhyme Out" and tried to rhyme as many words as we could. I actually wouldn't be surprised if this entire song was the result of a few rounds of "Rhyme Out."

And who could forget Brian McKnight's touching, "Back At One": "One, you're like a dream come true. Two, just wanna be with you. Three, girl it's plain to see that you're the only one for me. Four, repeat steps one through three. Five, make you fall in love with me. If ever I believe my work is done, then I start back at one." I'm still confused about the number of steps this plan actually entails.

Enough of silly love songs. Charles Wesley's "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" is an incredible song about love and the perfect antidote to the songs I just mentioned.

Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven to earth come down;
Fix in us thy humble dwelling;
All thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
Pure unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation;
Enter every trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit,
Into every troubled breast!
Let us all in Thee inherit;
Let us find that second rest.
Take away our bent to sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its Beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.

Come, Almighty to deliver,
Let us all Thy life receive;
Suddenly return and never,
Never more Thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
Serve Thee as Thy hosts above,
Pray and praise Thee without ceasing,
Glory in Thy perfect love.

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.

3 comments:

Toph said...

You've read Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs, right? My favorite is by the Carpenters:

Why do birds suddenly appear
Every time you are near?

Dave says, "You frankly have to ask yourself: Do I really want to be near someone who causes birds to appear suddenly? Didn't Alfred Hitchcock do a horror movie about this?"

Anonymous said...

Okay, so we'll get Brian McKnight to sing the Wesley diddy, add a soulfull talking interlude and it'll be a hit come next Valentine's! We're gonna be rich! ;O)

Anonymous said...

How do you repeat the steps anyways? I never got that about the song. Besides that, he never specifies when you stop repeating steps one through three. I think there may be an infinite regress issue here.

Oh, and my favorite thing in Dave Barry's book is the commentary on Billy Jean. Michael Jackson definitely does say, "but the chair is not my son" in the song. Every time I hear the song, I point this out to those with me, and it never fails to get a laugh. It's like a foolproof thing to say at a party or something.