Reece Gardner: Music that transcends generations

What is your favorite kind of music? I wrote about this a few years ago and I want to expand on it now. There is some music that just seems to transcend any particular label, such as: "You Tell Me Your Dream," The Ink Spots; "Cool Water," The Sons of the Pioneers; "God Bless America," Kate Smith; "Up A Lazy River," The Mills Brothers; "A Little Bitty Tear Let Me Down," Burl Ives; "Danny Boy, "Ray Price; "The Great Pretender," The Platters; "Together Again," Vince Gill. And the list goes on and on.

I have been a basic country music fan all my life, but some music is just simply GOOD music. The success of a song is often determined, not just by who performs it, but who wrote it. Kris Kristofferson wrote a song a few years ago that became a hit recording for Johnny Cash. Probably one of the main reasons for that was that Kris and Johnny had both LIVED the message in that song, which began thusly: "Well, I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn't hurt; And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad so I had one more for dessert; Then I fumbled through my closet and found my cleanest dirty shirt; I shaved my face and combed my hair, and stumbled down the stairs to meet the day."

The title of that song was "Sunday Morning Coming Down." and both the author and the singer had been there. It is always interesting to learn how great songs, particularly hymns, came into being, and how they stay relevant down through the ages. For example, in 1904 Civilla Martin was in New York with her husband, Walter. They were planning to travel to an event that particular day for Walter's preaching assignment. However, Civilla woke up sick, and Walter was about to cancel his plans, when their young daughter said, "Daddy, you don't have to stay home because of Mother - God will take care of us."

So Walter fulfilled his appointment, and when he returned Civilla handed him the words to "God Will Take Care of You," which she had written in his absence, and which has provided comfort to people down through the ages, with the first inspiring words being, "Be not dismayed what-e'er betide, God will take care of you."

There is power in music, folks, especially when it comes from the heart.

Now to close with a little humor: A man was walking along a California beach and stumbled across an old lamp. He picked it up and rubbed it, and out popped a genie. The genie said, "OK, you released me from the lamp so I will grant you one wish."

The man thought about it for a while and then said, "I've always wanted to go to Hawaii, but I'm scared to fly. Could you build me a bridge to Hawaii so I can drive over there to visit?"

The genie laughed and said, "That's impossible. How would the supports ever reach the bottom of the Pacific Ocean? Think of how much concrete.....how much steel! Think of another wish."

The man agreed and tried to think of a really good wish. Finally, he said, "I wish that I could understand women better, know how they feel and what they are thinking when they give me the silent treatment...know why they're crying, know what they really want when they say 'nothing'...… know how to make them happy...."

The genie said, "Do you want that bridge to be two lanes or four?"

Have a GREAT day!