$5000 Matching Donation, Joan Jett & Guess Who |
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J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here.
This past Sunday, I had the honor once again of giving the sermon at Ellport Community Church in Ellwood City PA, as Tom Milnes is still recovering from brain surgery (He should be back in the saddle this weekend for Palm Sunday).
I spoke about getting into a regular pattern of Bible-reading — something I started back in 1988 and have never stopped nor regretted. If you’re interested in seeing and hearing what I had to say, you can watch it here: |
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We’re sending out the newsletter a little early this week for two reasons:
1. I’m going to be attending my sister’s wedding (I even get to do the Gospel reading) tomorrow in Virginia.
2. We got a fabulous news yesterday from a fan who is offering a matching donation, and we wanted to get that information out there as quickly as possible.
You can read more about that matching donation in the first article below. I hate to rush off, but I have to start packing and making other preparations. God bless you! |
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Fan Will Match Donations Up to $5000 |
A fan in Pennsylvania contacted us yesterday and made an amazing matching-donation offer.
He will match all donations sent in response to this offer from now through next Saturday, April 19, at 11:59 p.m. PDT, up to a cumulative total of $5000.
This is an incredibly timely and specific answer to prayer. Although the donor didn’t know it, we had been praying this week that God might inspire someone to offer a matching donation to help us with our current needs, which are pretty significant.
It’s not a prayer request we make often, and it’s the first matching donation offer anybody has made in almost six months, so you can imagine how blown away we were to get the email from that fan. We praise God for His provision!
If you're interested in participating toward the matching donation, here's how you can help: (Safari users may need to manually scroll down the pages or use the navigation menu at the top of the page.) |
If you'd like to help, here are some options: |
Pray (first and foremost) Give by mail: ApologetiX, 208 Charlemma Dr., Pittsburgh PA 15214
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Donations aren't tax deductible, but they're worth twice as much!
Please do not worry if you can’t participate. We never ask donors to make matching offers, but when they do, we simply share the info with our fans. Historically, God has always provided the match. Just as He brings different people who make the offer, He brings different people who respond to it. |
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New Single: Joan Jett & Guess Who Parodies |
Last Sunday night, we released our sixth single of 2025. It spoofs top 10 hits from 1970 and 1988. |
I Ain’t Myself, Lord, I’m Something New (I Hate Myself for Loving You - Joan Jett and The Blackhearts) No Town (No Time - The Guess Who) |
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The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single |
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
Here are the stories behind the songs on our sixth single of 2025:
I AIN’T MYSELF, LORD, I’M SOMETHING NEW
"I Ain't Myself, Lord, I'm Something New" is based on is 2 Corinthians 5:17, which says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Believe it or not, I originally memorized the location of that passage thanks to a song on an old children's video by The Donut Man that my kids and I used to watch. If putting it into one of his songs helped me, I figure putting it into one of ours could help others.
My oldest daughter, Janna, who ought to be quite familiar with that Donut Man number, sings lead vocals on this one. If that weren't ironic enough, the Joan Jett tune we spoofed here came out in 1988 — the year I became a born-again Christian, which is what "I Ain't Myself, Lord, I'm Something New" is about.
My experience happened early in the year, and "I Hate Myself for Loving You" didn't become a hit till the summer, so I wasn't listening to the radio much by then, but I specifically remember a lady in our Bible study talking about how much she liked it.
Oh my gosh ... I just checked my files to see what day I got the title and idea for this parody. It was January 31, 2025. Why is that significant? Well, as I've recounted many times, January 31 is when I celebrate my re-birthday! On January 31, 1988, I walked into an empty church, poured my heart out to the Lord, and asked Him to come fill me up.
I sing about that day in our parody "Look Yourself," but I never noticed the connection while writing this one. I bet God did, though. "I Ain't Myself, Lord, I'm Something New" features Janna Jackson on lead vocals, J. Jackson on backing vocals, Tom Tincha on guitars, Rich Mannion on keyboards, Keith Haynie on bass, and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion. NO TOWN
I got this parody's title and a few other lines in May 2021, but then set it aside till March 2025. I wasn't sure which town it would be about: Sodom? Jericho? Nineveh? Babylon? Jerusalem in Jeremiah's day? Jerusalem in Jesus' day?
As I worked on the lyrics, it became apparent that the first chorus and verse would be about Sodom, spoken by one of the angels to Lot, and the second chorus and verse would be about Jerusalem, spoken by Jesus to the general populace, the disciples, and the weeping women who followed Him on the way to Calvary.
Of course, Sodom would be obliterated for all time, but Jerusalem would be rebuilt (as had already happened once before).
The hardest part to spoof was "No time, no time, no time, no time" at 2:48. Although "town" made a good replacement for "time" elsewhere, "time" was drawn out in this section, which made "town" sound too different. Finally, the night before recording vocals, I got the sequence "No vine, no wine, no shine, no sign.”
Some of the words could be taken at face value, but as a sequence, they mean this:
Jesus is the vine (John 15:1-7), and if you don't have Him, you won't have the wine (the fruit, the celebration, the wedding wine, or the Communion wine). He says we're meant to shine like a city on a hill (Matthew 5:14-16). If we don't shine, we'll end up like those to whom He said no sign would be given (Matthew 12:39, 16:4) except the sign of the prophet Jonah (alluding to Christ's resurrection on the third day). "No Town" features J. Jackson on lead and backing vocals, Tom Tincha on guitars, Keith Haynie on bass, and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion. |
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Great Update From ApX Fan Mike Doane |
We’ve told you before about a longtime fan and friend of the band in Maryland named Mike Doane, who learned in December that he has Large B-cell Lymphoma. On Sunday, he sent us this great update: |
I had a second PET scan scheduled for April 1 and a follow-up appointment with my oncologist on Friday, April 4. The results came back great! The nodes found in the first scan were between 25 and 38 cm in size and are now 3.5 cm or less.
According to my doctor, many of them are at sizes that would be considered cured. I am thankful that the drugs are working and know that all of your prayers have made a huge difference. Thank you! I still need to complete the last three treatments and the next one is scheduled for tomorrow. I am hoping I will continue to have minimal side effects, as I did with the first three, and am looking forward to the whole process being over (May 19, last treatment). Many thanks for letting me share my story with you and again for all your prayers. It has been very encouraging and appreciated! |
Thanks to all of you who are praying for Mike. |
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Second-Week Winner of Our Contest |
When we announced The Great ApologetiX CD Giveaway in our previous newsletters, we said:
"We’ll randomly select one winner per week on April 3, 10, and 17. Each of those people will receive our complete digital library and the 2025 edition of the ApologetiX digital songbook. On April 24, we’ll randomly select the grand-prize winner, who will get the complete set of all 77 CDs.”
This week’s winner was Christopher Standley on Springfield MO. Here’s what he wrote when he entered the contest: |
I was living in Port Angeles WA and working at a Christian bookstore in the 90’s, and the owner of the store had a whole bunch ApologetiX CDs for the customers to listen to while purchasing.
As a cashier, ApologetiX sparked my interest, because I wasn't just a Christian cashier. Romans 1:16 speaks of not being ashamed. Thanks to ApologetiX, I stood firm in His Word and gave others a wanting to listen. |
Congratulations, Christopher! |
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Win a Complete Set of All 77 ApologetiX CDs (No Purchase Required) |
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THE GREAT APOLOGETIX CD GIVEAWAY
Longtime fan Dave Whaley of Godfrey IL recently made the switch to all-digital and graciously donated his own ApX CD library back to us. He had almost all of our titles, and we were able to scrape together the rest to get a complete set of all 77.
In celebration of the 33rd anniversary of ApologetiX (our first concert was March 27, 1992), we will be giving away that complete set to one blessed (we don’t believe in luck) fan.
We’ll randomly select one winner per week on April 3, 10, and 17. Each of those people will receive our complete digital library and the 2025 edition of the ApologetiX digital songbook.
On April 24, we’ll randomly select the grand prize winner, who will get the complete set of all 77 CDs.
HOW TO REGISTER TO WIN
Here’s all you have to do:
Send us an email with the subject line “ApologetiX CD Giveaway" telling us why you’re an ApologetiX fan.
If you remember how you first discovered us, feel free to include that. If have any testimonies to share or a particular parody that has impacted you, you’re welcome to share that info, too. Please also include your mailing address.
NOTE: We plan to share excerpts from these paragraphs in future newsletters. If we share yours, we'll include your name and your city and state.
No purchase is required, but in order to qualify for the grand prize, you have to live in the United States. Sorry, international postage rates have skyrocketed in the last several years, even to Canada, let alone overseas. Mailing a package of this size would cost a fortune. However, anybody anyplace can qualify for the digital prizes. |
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Get ApX Complete Library, USBs, Songbook |
To get the complete ApologetiX library, ApX USB thumb drives, and/or the new ApX digital songbook — or to get more info about them — just click on the item(s) you want below. |
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We began our latest trip through the Bible on Wednesday, April 3. Note: If you don't have a Bible handy, you can look up these passages for free on Bible Gateway. They have about 60 different English translations/versions there to choose from, plus translations in many other languages, many of which also have multiple translations/versions. |
CLICK HERE to see the reading plan for the whole year. |
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Easter Season Playlist 2025 |
This year, Easter falls on April 20. Here's the 2025 edition of the ApologetiX Easter Season Playlist. There are now 56 songs in all. We put them in chronological/thematic order as best as we could.
We've included the CD where you can find each song. If ApX has done the song more than once, we listed the CD or single that contains what we consider to be the best version.
1. Another One Died for Us - Another One Bites the Dust - Queen (Unconditional Releases)
2. The Promised One - Der Kommissar - After the Fire (Overdue Books)
3. Hosanna - Rosanna - Toto (Easter Standard Time)
4. Act Selfless - Black Velvet - Alannah Myles (Play Nice)
5. That's Unbelief - Bad Company - Bad Company (Conspiracy No. 56)
6. One of These Guys - One of These Nights - The Eagles (Easter Standard Time)
7. Show Us the Way - Go All the Way - The Raspberries (Xit Ego Lopa)
8. I'll Prepare for You - I'll Be There for You - The Rembrandts (Easter Standard Time)
9. Although None Could Watch an Hour - All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix (Easter Standard Time)
10. Sadducees - Can't You See - Marshall Tucker Band (Septuagint)
11. Embarrassing Moments - American Woman - The Guess Who (That’s Too Bad)
12. Broke a Loaf of Bread - Locomotive Breath - Jethro Tull (Sandwich Platter)
13. Last Night - Last Kiss - Pearl Jam (Easter Standard Time)
14. Signora Pilate's Dream - Your Wildest Dreams - The Moody Blues (Apolog80s: Back From the Future)
15. Too Much Grime on My Hands - Too Much Time on My Hands - Styx (Easter Standard Time)
16. I Have to Die First - Eye of the Tiger - Survivor (Easter Standard Time)
17. Crossloads - Crossroads - Cream (Nichey)
18. Too Wicked for Paradise - Two Tickets to Paradise - Eddie Money (Easter Standard Time)
19. Man on a Cross - Man in the Box - Alice in Chains (Hot Potato Soup)
20. Killing My Suffering with His Son - Killing Me Softly with His Song - Roberta Flack (Quilt) 21. And the Crippled Will Walk... - And the Cradle Will Rock - Van Halen (SINGLE - not yet available on CD) 22. The Jews' Lost Hero - Juke Box Hero - Foreigner (Nichey)
23. Cemetery Came Alive - Semi-Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind (Easter Standard Time)
24. Every Crown Has Its Thorns - Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison (Eclectic)
25. Huge Slumber Party - Use Somebody - Kings of Leon (Easter Standard Time)
26. Didn't Just Die - Live and Let Die - Paul McCartney & Wings (Easter Standard Time)
27. They Didn't Believe Her - Daydream Believer - The Monkees (Come See, Come Saw)
28. Magdalena - Macarena - Los Del Rio (Easter Standard Time)
29. One Headline - One Headlight - The Wallflowers (Easter Standard Time)
30. Emmaus - Shambala - Three Dog Night (Easter Standard Time)
31. Scars - Cars - Gary Numan (Easter Standard Time)
32. Died and Rose - China Grove - The Doobie Brothers (Easter Standard Time)
33. Back Intact - Back in Black - AC/DC (Classics: Heavy)
34. Tom Saw Ya - Tom Sawyer - Rush (Classics: 80s)
35. No Shepherd Tonight/New Other Nature - No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature - The Guess Who (Soundproof)
36. Some Doubt - Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot (Nichey)
37. You May Be Bright - You May Be Right - Billy Joel (Easter Standard Time)
38. Easter - Easy - The Commodores (Quilt)
39. Rose Up - Roller - April Wine (Doves in Snakes’ Clothing)
40. Imagine How He Loves Us - Imaginary Lover - Atlanta Rhythm Section (Rock’s in Their Heads)
41. Sad Today in the Dark - Saturday in the Park - Chicago (Septuagint)
42. Role Never Changes - Roll with the Changes - REO Speedwagon (Zebraic)
43. Lived the Day You Died - Love the Way You Lie - Eminem Featuring Rihanna (Hot Potato Soup)
44. Simp Liztik - Nookie - Limp Bizkit (Classics: Heavy)
45. Place of Grace - Ace of Spades - Motorhead (Nichey)
46. God's Blood - Hot Blooded - Foreigner (1978) (Hot Potato Soup)
47. For Just You - Forget You - Cee Lo Green (2010) (Hot Potato Soup)
48. Selling the Dogma - Selling the Drama - Live (Zebraic)
49. One of Us Indeed - One of Us - Joan Osborne (Apoplectic)
50. Drop Your Knife and Hurry, Man - Rock You Like a Hurricane - The Scorpions (Play Nice)
51. Special Stone - (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone - The Monkees (Hot Potato Soup)
52. Jesus and Moses - Heat of the Moment - Asia (Music Is as Music Does)
53. Livin' What Jesus Spoke Of - Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin (Classics: Party)
54. Feelin' Stronger in the Faith - Feelin' Stronger Every Day - Chicago (Unconditional Releases)
55. All You Need Is Done - All You Need Is Love - The Beatles (Overdue Books)
56. Everybody Can Come to Christ - Everybody Have Fun Tonight - Wang Chung (Eclectic) |
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Influential Albums #1794–1800 |
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
Here are the latest entries in the "albums that influenced me" series I started writing in May 2020.
Note: Just because an album appears on this list doesn't mean I give it a blanket endorsement. Many of the secular albums on this list are mainly there because they wound up being spoofed by ApologetiX.
1794. I Scream Sunday - One Bad Pig Christian punk? You betcha. Texas-style ... straight outta Austin. I Scream Sunday (1991) was One Bad Pig's third LP, following the EP A Christian Banned (1986), and the albums Smash (1989), and Swine Flew (1990). I first heard about the group soon after I became a born-again Christian in '88, but I actually got to meet a couple of the members — bassist Daniel Tucek and rhythm guitarist Lee Haley — in the 2000s on one of the many occasions when ApologetiX played in the Lone Star State's capital city. I'd talked with Lee numerous times before on the phone and via email, when he was director of advertising sales for HM Magazine, a Christian publication focusing on hard music. ApologetiX advertised often in HM, both with print ads and by placing songs on their sampler CDs. Lee brought Daniel along to one of our shows and we got to hang out for a little bit. I'm not sure Lee had officially joined the band yet, but Daniel had been with them for many years by then. He plays bass on the I Scream Sunday LP and wrote or co-wrote five of the 15 songs, including the title track and the worshipful closer, "Wholly My Lord," the prettiest tune of the bunch (seriously). Daniel brought an I Scream Sunday CD to our show and even autographed it for me. I'd seen it in Christian stores when it first came out and had heard (and immensely enjoyed) the fourth track — a thrashy remake of "The Man in Black," featuring guest vocals by Johnny Cash himself. ApX alum drummer Keith Harrold had also raved to me about the clever title track. Once you get past the initial shock factor, the album actually has a lot to offer lyrically and even musically. There's a lot of thrash punk to start with, but the second half of the CD shows quite a bit of variety on songs like "For a Good Man," "Spirit of Murder," "Sober Up," "Never Forget the Cross," and "Wholly My Lord." It reminds me a little of The Clash; the early tunes are catchy punk, but the later ones inject other styles. The sixth song, "Cut Your Hair," sounds a little like a punkish version of Mötley Crüe's 1989 Top 10 hit "Dr. Feelgood." With all that being said, the words are what really impresses me, and I feel compelled to share some here: "What have we created? A monster or a lamb? Is it art and truth or product we demand? Do we lust for money? Do we water down the wine? Sometimes we're kissing up to man, and that's the bottom line" (from "Take a Look at Yourself"). "You're a man whose out of shape / But before that, you were an ape / In eons past, you were a worm / Not long before, you were a germ / Where you goin', where you been / Your cruddy heart is full of sin / Like Charlie Darwin and Carl Sagan / You've evolved into a pagan" (from "You're a Pagan"). And how about these from the title track: "Life is more than what it seems / Open your eyes and start to dream / Sunday's here and I have to scream / Living for Jesus is my theme / I ... scream ... Sunday! / Monday I mourn the world in pain / Tuesday's tears fall a bitter rain / Wednesday I whisper a prayer in grief / Thursday I thirst for some relief / Friday finds me on my face / Saturday sees me cry for grace / I scream Sunday!" That's not to be confused with the similarly titled "Ice Cream Sundae," which elaborates on the pros and cons of frozen dairy delights before the hard-hitting chorus, "The world is like an ice cream sundae; it's all gonna melt someday." I also highly recommend "Spirit of Murder," "Sober Up," "Bird Nest," "Never Forget the Cross," and "Wholly My Lord." 1795. Just Keep Goin' On - Reverend Dan Smith This album arrived in 1992, the same year ApologetiX made its debut at The Paradise Club in Irwin PA. We played a dozen shows there that year, but I also attended most other nights when other artists were performing. Somewhere along the way, that's where I first heard the Just Keep Goin' On LP ... or it might have been at the Christian bookstore upstairs, Our Father's Place. The opening track, "God's Radar," is the one that caught my attention, with the classic line "God's radar is fixed on you." Two additional songs that stuck with me were "Just Keep Goin' On" and "It Takes God to Build a House." The Reverend Dan J. Smith was 81 when Just Keep Goin' On came out. He had previously released albums in '71, '74, and '75. An Alabama-born gospel bluesman who sang and played harmonica, Smith moved to Georgia for a decade in his early 20s before finally settling down in New York City. My other favorites on this album are "I've Never Been To Seminary, But I've Been To Calvary," "I Walk by Faith," and "When Your Time Comes to Die." I also really like the lyrics for "To Another Room." There are 10 songs in all, plus a couple brief snippets with the reverend speaking. Then, on the final track, "Down Through the Years (Testimony)," he both sings and tells the story of how he came to Christ. Unfortunately, Smith died in November '94, just two months before what would have been his 84th birthday, but Just Keep Goin' On was a wonderful way to preserve his legacy. It's out of print, and I couldn't find it on standard digital platforms, but you can still check it on YouTube HERE. A posthumous final LP, Live at Fox Hollow, followed in 1995. 1796. By Heart: Piano Solos - Jim Brickman
By the end of 2024, jazz-pop songwriter/pianist Jim Brickman had put out over 70 LPs (counting compilations), including four that sold half a million copies each and 22 that topped the Billboard charts for new age music. Released in 1995, By Heart: Piano Solos was his second LP and his first to reach the Billboard 200. It stalled at #187, although it did go gold and also included his first of 16 singles to reach the adult contemporary Top 40, "By Heart" (with Laura Creamer). That's the only selection with lyrics on the entire album, and they saved it for last, so it's a little startling to suddenly hear somebody's voice after you've listened to 11 tracks with just a piano ... like sitting in solitude someplace, thinking you're alone and then finding out somebody else you couldn't see was there the whole time. But it's a great song. My wife, Lisa, brought this CD with her when we got married, and we played it aplenty. My favorite cut is the opener, "Angel Eyes." That was also the first Brickman tune Lisa ever heard on the radio, and it's what prompted her to purchase the CD. Two others I really like are "Lake Erie Rainfall" and "If You Believe" (featuring Martin Tillman on cello). Brickman is from Cleveland OH, so he obviously knows about Lake Erie rainfall ... and snowfall. 1797. Down the Road Apiece: The Recordings 1963-1966 - Manfred Mann When I wrote my entry on the 1974 LP The Best of Manfred Mann two and a half years ago, that eventually led me to further investigate the group's catalog from the '60s. Released in 2007, Down the Road Apiece: The Recordings 1963-1966 contained everything they recorded during their years with EMI — any track that appeared on a single, EP, or album — when Paul Jones was their lead singer. That includes the hits "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" (#1 U.S., #1 U.K.), "Pretty Flamingo" (#1 U.K., #29 U.S.), "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" (#2 U.K.), "Sha La La" (#3 U.K.), "Come Tomorrow" (#4 U.K., #50 U.S.), "5-4-3-2-1" (#5 U.K.), "Hubble Bubble" (#11 U.K.), "Oh No, Not My Baby" (#11 U.K.), and "You Gave Me Somebody To Love" (#36 U.K.). However those just nine of the 97 tracks on this four-disc collection, which also features a few outtakes and an old 11-minute interview with the group's members. My favorite numbers in order among the hits are "5-4-3-2-1," "Pretty Flamingo," "Come Tomorrow," "If You Gotta Go, Go Now," "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," and "Sha La La." Those songs all have vocals, but I was surprised at the number of instrumentals on Down the Road Apiece: The Recordings 1963-1966 and even more surprised by how good they were. Some of them reinterpreted other hits of the day like "I Got You Babe" (Sonny & Cher), "Still I'm Sad" (The Yardbirds), "My Generation" (The Who), and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (The Rolling Stones), but they have really creative, jazzy arrangements. Same goes for the others: "Why Should We Not," "Brother John," "Chattering," "Mr. Anello," "Sack o' Woe," "The Abominable Snowman," "Bare Hugg," "God Rest Ye Gentlemenn" (cute spelling, considering the band's name), "Spirit Feel," and "Tengo Tango." Not a bad one in the bunch. Nevertheless, most of the tracks do have vocals, and the ones I like best among the non-hits are "The One in the Middle." "John Hardy," "With God on Our Side," "Look Away," "I Really Do Believe," "Stay Around," "Tried of Trying, Bored With Lying, Scared of Dying," "She," and "I Really Do Believe." Down the Road Apiece: The Recordings 1963-1966 is only the first part of the story, though. Manfred Mann would go on to have more hits with a new lead singer and a new label, as we'll see in our next entry.
1798. Chapter Two: The Best of the Fontana Years - Manfred Mann In 1966, lead singer Paul Jones left Manfred Mann for a solo career, and the group added new vocalist Mike d'Abo. Jones started strongly with a couple Top Five U.K. singles, "High Time' (#4 U.K.) and "I've Been a Bad, Bad Boy" (#5 U.K.), but the new lineup of Manfred Mann fared even better. From 1966-69, they notched seven U.K. Top 10 singles (one of which made the U.S. Top 10 as well): "The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)" (#1 U.K., #10 U.S.), "Semi-Detached Suburban Mr. James" (#2 U.K.), "Ha! Ha! Said The Clown" (#4 U.K.), "Fox On The Run" (#5 U.K. #97 U.S., #5 U.K.), "My Name Is Jack" (#8 U.K., #104 U.S.), "Ragamuffin Man" (#8 U.K.), and "Just Like A Woman" (#10 U.K., #101 U.S.). Released in 1994, Chapter Two: The Best of the Fontana Years had all of those songs, plus the lesser hit, "So Long, Dad" (#52 U.K.). I particularly enjoy "The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)," "Semi-Detached Suburban Mr. James," "Ha! Ha! Said The Clown," "My Name Is Jack," and "So Long Dad." Like The Beatles and many other British Invasion groups, Manfred Mann began incorporating more exotic sounds into their music, and I really like what they came up with. In addition to the hits, my other favorites on this album are "It's So Easy Falling," "No Better, No Worse," "Each and Every Day," "Box Office Draw," "Sing Songs of Love," "Cubist Town," and "Funniest Gig." Mike d'Abo also wrote a couple songs that became classics for others: "Handbags and Gladrags" (Chris Farlowe and Rod Stewart) and "Build Me Up Buttercup" (The Foundations). Manfred Mann broke up in 1969. The following year, d'Abo played the role of King Herod and sang "King Herod's Song" on the original Jesus Christ Superstar concept album, which topped the Billboard 200 in '71. Meanwhile, keyboardist Manfred Mann himself formed a new group, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, and more hits would follow. In the 1980s, Paul Jones, formerly a militant atheist, converted to Christianity after Cliff Richard invited him to an event featuring well-known evangelist Luis Palau. 1799. Flood - They Might Be Giants The first thing I ever heard by They Might Be Giants was "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet's Head" from the group's self-titled debut studio LP in 1986. Too funny. I was listening to the local alternative station at the time, but I don't think the DJ named the artist, and neither the song nor the album charted. Too bad. "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet's Head" remained an anonymous, cherished, obscure-but-not-forgotten artifact in my brain for many years. Too long. In 1988, the duo (John Flansburgh and John Linnell) put out their second LP, Lincoln, which made it to #89 and included the hit "Ana Ng," (#11 U.S. alternative). And that brings us to the third TMBG LP. Released in 1990, Flood reached #75 and sold over a million copies, mainly thanks to an irresistible little tune written and sung from the perspective of a blue nightlight shaped like a canary — "Birdhouse in Your Soul" (#3 U.S. alternative, #6 U.K. pop). Love it. Two other tracks charted, one on each side of the pond — "Twisting" (#22 U.S. alternative) and "Instanbul (Not Constantinople)" (#61 U.K.), a cover of the 1953 Top 10 hit by The Four Lads. The rest of the tracks were all original ... and I do mean original. Those guys have a knack for singing things that haven't been sung ... or thought ... before. My wife, Lisa, brought this CD into our marriage. "Birdhouse" and "Instanbul" were among her favorites, along with "Minimum Wage" and "Particle Man," which proved to be very popular with our kids (as was "Birdhouse"). I agree with Lisa's choices. Other cuts that grabbed me on Flood were "Theme From Flood," "Twisting," and "They Might Be Giants." I also liked "Lucky Ball and Chain," "Someone Keeps Moving My Chair," and "Letterbox." Through 2021, They MIght Be Giants had released 21 non-compilation studio LPs, 17 of which made the Billboard 200. The highest-charting of those was Join Us (#32) in 2011. They've put out a large number of live albums, compilations and EPs, too — at least a dozen of each! The group had only three more charting singles, though: "The Statue Got Me High" (#24 U.S. alternative, #92 U.K. pop), "Snail Shell" (#19 U.S. alternative), and "Boss of Me" (#21 U.K. pop). Our youngest children, Natalie and T.J., have since found numerous TMBG songs they liked on YouTube. My favorite among those was "Dr. Worm." We also liked "Here in Higglytown," the theme song from the children's program Higglytown Heroes. I put that on a playlist for our older kids back in the mid-2000s. As if all those contributions to mankind weren't enough, They Might Be Giants did the song "Hot Dog!" from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (something I just learned while writing this entry), which technically makes it the song of theirs I've heard the most. 1800. Maroon - Barenaked Ladies Maroon was the fifth Barenaked Ladies studio LP, released on September 12, 2000. Two years earlier, the group had finally broken big in America with the #3 album Stunt and the #1 single "One Week." That kind of success proved hard to sustain, but Maroon reached #5 on the Billboard 200 (#2 on the Canadian albums chart) and generated BNL's only other U.S. Hot 100 hit, "Pinch Me" (#15 U.S. pop, #2 U.S. adult Top 40, #30 U.S. alternative, #4 Canada). Karl heard it before I did and was eager to share it with me (as had also been the case with "One Week" in '98) because of the witty wordplay. Two other singles followed: "Too Little Too Late" (#86 U.S. pop, #13 AT40, #9 Canada) and "Falling For The First Time" (#11 U.S. AT40, #15 Canada). I can't argue with the record label's choice of those three tunes for airplay — they're probably the cuts with broadest appeal musically and lyrically — but it's a shame "Falling for the First Time" didn't hit fare better. I think it's one of the best songs in their catalog — the music is instantly likable and the lyrics are clever, but there's also a real vulnerability and humanity in the overall production and presentation. My second tier would consist of "Go Home" (aside from an unfortunate-but-quiet "Did they just say what I think they did?" moment at the very end), "Baby Seat," and "Helicopters" (great storytelling and very creative use of the drums). Other memorable tracks include "Never Do Anything," "Off the Hook," Tonight Is The Night I Fell Asleep At The Wheel," and "Hidden Sun." Steven Page sings lead on nine of the 13 tracks and shares leads with Ed Robertson on another, but the two songs sung entirely by Robertson — "Pinch Me" and "Falling for the First Time" — are the ones that made it onto BNL's first greatest hits album in 2001. Keyboardist Kevin Hearn sang and wrote "Hidden Sun." Page and Robertson co-wrote all of the other songs with the exception of "Baby Seat," which Page wrote with Stephen Duffy (a.k.a. Tin Tin). |
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