Sing Out Loud
“And after singing a
hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives."
Matthew 26:30
Richard and Karen Carpenter grew up in the town where I lived, Downey, California. Out of their home a few blocks away, they wrote music that continues to be played the world over. Karen, the greatest of altos in my opinion, sang the famous words, “Sing…sing a song…sing out loud…sing out strong.” Its power is world-wide.
Richard and Karen Carpenter grew up in the town where I lived, Downey, California. Out of their home a few blocks away, they wrote music that continues to be played the world over. Karen, the greatest of altos in my opinion, sang the famous words, “Sing…sing a song…sing out loud…sing out strong.” Its power is world-wide.
Have you ever thought
about how pervasive music is? There has never been a single human culture
which did not produce some kind of music. We have discovered cave paintings of
prehistoric people playing flutes and horns. Music is a part of all major
occasions across all cultures; weddings, funerals, pageants, rites of passage,
birthdays, anniversaries, parades, and festivals. But singing, in particular,
is universal.
From Wal-Mart to Wall Street, in elevators and automobiles, in the most remote jungle villages to the most crowded city streets, music is everywhere. And we like it that way. We insist that our cars come equipped with the latest technology for playing music. We buy millions of dollars worth of music every year. It is an essential component in virtually every form of entertainment we experience.
And have you noticed how music is used in advertising?
Years ago, musicologists discovered that certain kinds of music produce predictable behaviors in people. Slow, peaceful music actually has a physiological affect. Our heart rates slow down, our digestion is stimulated and our saliva glands become more productive. Then some advertising guy ran across that study and wondered if there was an application for it in his industry. So they started playing slow, peaceful music in grocery stores. They noticed that shoppers took their time down the aisles. They stayed longer in the stores. The longer shoppers stayed in the store, the more they bought. So the next time you go to the grocery store, take your portable music device and a Van Halen CD. You’ll save money.
Then someone discovered that people can remember information better when it is accompanied by music. So an advertiser came up with this:
“Gillette…the best a man can get.” “Have it your way, have it your way” Burger King says. And McDonald’s sings, “I’m loving it!”
If you really think about it, you would see how amazing that little
From Wal-Mart to Wall Street, in elevators and automobiles, in the most remote jungle villages to the most crowded city streets, music is everywhere. And we like it that way. We insist that our cars come equipped with the latest technology for playing music. We buy millions of dollars worth of music every year. It is an essential component in virtually every form of entertainment we experience.
And have you noticed how music is used in advertising?
Years ago, musicologists discovered that certain kinds of music produce predictable behaviors in people. Slow, peaceful music actually has a physiological affect. Our heart rates slow down, our digestion is stimulated and our saliva glands become more productive. Then some advertising guy ran across that study and wondered if there was an application for it in his industry. So they started playing slow, peaceful music in grocery stores. They noticed that shoppers took their time down the aisles. They stayed longer in the stores. The longer shoppers stayed in the store, the more they bought. So the next time you go to the grocery store, take your portable music device and a Van Halen CD. You’ll save money.
Then someone discovered that people can remember information better when it is accompanied by music. So an advertiser came up with this:
“Gillette…the best a man can get.” “Have it your way, have it your way” Burger King says. And McDonald’s sings, “I’m loving it!”
If you really think about it, you would see how amazing that little
song is. It is
the unlikely merger of hotdogs and narcissism through the power of music.
In Montreal, the city government was wondering how to solve the problem of loitering gangs of teenagers in a public park. They started piping in classical music. It was effective, the teenagers left. Music is an extraordinarily powerful means of communication and expression. We even make a decision about the church we attend based on music.
In Montreal, the city government was wondering how to solve the problem of loitering gangs of teenagers in a public park. They started piping in classical music. It was effective, the teenagers left. Music is an extraordinarily powerful means of communication and expression. We even make a decision about the church we attend based on music.
April 14, 1912. Eleven-forty p.m., The largest, most
luxurious steamer to ever sail the oceans was making her way across the North Atlantic when an iceberg sliced a gash through the
hull. Within a half-hour, the Titanic’s lifeboats were adrift in the frigid
waters, most of them only half full. Within an hour, some of America’s wealthiest, most
influential people, and hundreds of poor immigrants
hoping for a chance at the American dream, would go down with the ship. What did they do once they realized the lifeboats were gone and the ship was sinking? Legend has it that the ship’s string quartet serenaded the doomed passengers with the song, "Nearer My God to Thee."
Spring, approximately 33 AD, Jesus and His disciples have shared a meal together. His arrest is minutes away. He already feels the sting of the whip, the pain of the nails, the thrust of the spear, the separation from His Father. And what happens next in the story? According to Matthew 26:30, "And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." In Jesus most difficult hour, He took time to sing to the Father.
hoping for a chance at the American dream, would go down with the ship. What did they do once they realized the lifeboats were gone and the ship was sinking? Legend has it that the ship’s string quartet serenaded the doomed passengers with the song, "Nearer My God to Thee."
Spring, approximately 33 AD, Jesus and His disciples have shared a meal together. His arrest is minutes away. He already feels the sting of the whip, the pain of the nails, the thrust of the spear, the separation from His Father. And what happens next in the story? According to Matthew 26:30, "And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." In Jesus most difficult hour, He took time to sing to the Father.
Whatever you are
facing today, take time to sing. Take
time to worship. Take time to offer the
Lord praise whether you are in the valley or the mountaintop. David knew it. Jesus did it. And Israel would often go into battle
with the choir leading the way. There is
power in praise. Go ahead and sing out
loud…and watch what God will do in you and through you.
Terry Risser
Reflections:
1) Is
music something that comes to you naturally or do you have to work at it?
2) Why
is it important to make praise a regular part of your life?
Copyright 2014- Terry Risser
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