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Wednesday, July 8, 2015

"Ecclesiastical" Music in the 70's


Ah, I remember it well. A beautiful song that I pretty much hated. It seemed the rest of the world loved this song but I found it soooooooo depressing. Funny that I now resonate so strongly with Ecclesiastes.

For your listening pleasure and metaphysical pondering I offer Kansas' highest charting single from the album "Point of no Return,"



Gotta love those 70's outfits and hairstyles.

While this idea is not taken directly from Ecclesiastes but is more closely aligned with Gen 3:19 (the first book in the Old Testament of the Bible and attributed to Moses) and Psalm 103:14 (a book in the Old Testament, much of which was penned by Solomon's father, King David), the rather depressing nature of the inevitability of death is reminiscent of Solomon's writing in Ecclesiastes. Solomon wasn't the only guy thinking about mortality and meaning. Apparently, the line "all we are is dust in the wind" is found in a Native American poem and certainly, the topic of mortality and "dust" is found in many other writings from various cultures.

Every time I hear this song I am reminded of 3 powerful images:

  • Hearing this on the radio while driving an orange VW Beetle and hating the song
  • Trying to slow dance to this decidedly unromantic tune
  • Kathy Hosfelt loved this song
I am older and wiser now. I always appreciated the musicianship and arrangement of the song. Now I understand more clearly Kerry Livgren's, the man who wrote this song, perspective. Ultimately, life without God is meaningless.  If there is no God we are left with nihilism and vacuous moral relativism.

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