Crowd shot masthead ApologetiX Logo Keith Haynie plays bassBill Hubauer plays lead guitarJ. Jackson sings leadJimmy Vegas Tanner plays drums
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03.18.24Get Multiple Downloads for One Donation
03.18.24USBs Include New Single & Next CD
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03.18.24Over 1650 Tracks for $100
03.16.24Influential Albums: 1402-1408
03.16.24New CD Slightly Delayed, BOGO Continues
03.16.24How to Get the ApX Library, USBs, Multiple Downloads
03.16.24This Week's Bible-Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
03.16.24Easter Season Playlist 2024
03.12.24This Week's News Bulletin
03.09.24Influential Albums: 1395-1401
03.09.24This Week's Bible-Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
03.09.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
03.05.24This Week's News Bulletin
03.03.24New Single: '74 Solo Smashes
03.01.24A Serious Problem We're Trying to Address
02.29.24All About Our Next CD
02.29.24Influential Albums: 1388-1394
02.29.24This Week's Bible-Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
02.29.24Clues for 2024 Single #5
02.25.24This Week's News Bulletin
02.22.24Get Ready for Our Next CD
02.22.24Influential Albums: 1381-1387
02.22.24This Week's Bible Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
02.22.24Wayne Is Retiring, What's Next for Him and Us?
02.22.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
02.19.24This Week's News Bulletin
02.19.24New Single: Billy & The Beach
02.16.24Influential Albums: 1374-1380
02.16.24This Week's Bible Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
02.16.24Remembering ApX Friend Paul "Doc" Nigh (1956-2024)
02.16.24Clues for 2024 Single #4
02.10.24Influential Albums: 1367-1373
02.10.24Fans Making Plans to Attend Our Big Show September 1
02.10.24This Week's Bible Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
02.10.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
02.06.24This Week's News Bulletin
02.06.24New Single: '74 & '83
02.03.24ApX Lead Singer/Lyricist Shares His Testimony 36 Years Later
02.03.24Influential Albums: 1360-1366
02.03.24This Week's Bible Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
02.03.24Latest CD Added to iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Etc.
02.02.24Clues for 2024 Single #3
01.29.24This Week's News Bulletin
01.26.24Influential Albums: 1353-1359
01.26.24How to Get the ApX Library, USBs, Multiple Downloads
01.26.24This Week's Bible-Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
01.26.24Flashback: J.'s Vision for ApologetiX in 2014
01.26.24J.'s Vision for ApologetiX in 2024
01.26.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
01.24.24Checking in With ApX Alum Drummer Fred Behanna
01.22.24This Week's News Bulletin
01.22.24New Single: '70s #1 Hits That Remade '60s Top 10 Hits
01.19.24Influential Albums: 1346-1352
01.19.24Encouraging Message from Longtime Fan in Oklahoma
01.19.24This Week's Bible-Reading & Rock Thru the Bible
01.15.24This Week's News Bulletin
01.12.24Influential Albums: 1339-1346
01.12.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
01.12.24Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
01.12.24New Testament Reading Started Wednesday
01.11.24New Worship Songs Available from ApX Alum Bill Rieger
01.08.24New Single: '81 & '83
01.08.24New CD BOGO Ends Sunday
01.08.24New USB Thumb Drives on the Way
01.05.24Clues for 2024 Single #1
01.05.24Influential Albums: 1332-1338
01.05.24Have You Heard About the Other Music City Miracle?
01.05.24This Week's Bible Reading & Rock Thru the Bible
12.29.23Influential Albums: 1325-1331
12.29.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
12.28.232023: A Record-Breaking Record-Making Year
12.28.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
12.26.23This Week's News Bulletin
12.26.23New Single: 1974 & 2008
12.23.23Influential Albums: 1318-1324
12.23.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
12.23.23ApologetiX Updated Christmas Playlist
12.18.23This Week's News Bulletin
12.18.23New Samson CD Mailed to Fans, New Orders Sent as They Come In
12.16.23Influential Albums: 1311-1317
12.16.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
12.16.23New Story
12.16.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
12.11.23This Week's News Bulletin
12.11.23New Single: '83 & '84
12.11.23ApX Apparel: Order by Tuesday with Express Shipping
12.07.23New ApX Apparel and More: Order Soon for Christmas
12.07.23Influential Albums: 1304-1310
12.07.23Just Reword CD Added to iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Etc.
12.07.23Clues for 2023 Single #25
12.04.23This Week's News Bulletin
12.02.23Influential Albums: 1297-1303
12.02.23This Week's Bible Reading & Rock Thru the Bible
12.02.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
12.02.23New Shirts & Other ApX Merch Coming Soon
12.02.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
11.28.23This Week's News Bulletin
11.28.23New Christmas Single: All '80s
11.24.23Influential Albums: 1290-1296

Stories Behind This Week's Single, Pt. 1
Wed., Mar. 13. 2019 9:53pm EDT

J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.

Shortly after we announced our new song "Mephibosheth" on Facebook, longtime ApX fan Curt Sweitzer posted this on the band's page:

"J. Jackson has done it again! He has put out a song that makes me get out my Bible reference books in order to figure out who this person is in this new song. Don't remember this name in my Bible reading."

That's so good to hear, Curt! I first got the idea for "Mephibosheth" in 2006. I'd known about the guy for a lot longer than that, but the parody grew out of a response I used to give when people would ask me how we got ideas for songs. I'd explain that there are three basic ways:

1. You're not thinking of anything at all and God just pops an idea in your head.

2. You've got a song in mind and you're looking for biblical concepts/characters that rhyme with that song's key words.

3. You've got a biblical concept/character, and you're looking for a song with words that rhyme with it. "For example," I'd say, "what rhymes with Mephibosheth?" I'd do that for comedic effect, and it usually got good laughs.

Then, one day, I realized that a song about Mephibosheth would work really well with a certain #4 hit Elton John released in 1974. I got the chorus first, but I also focused on Elton's opening line, "I was justified when I was five." I thought to myself, "Hey, didn't Mephibosheth get dropped when he was five?" Sure enough, he did. And off we went.

I'd always loved the sound of Elton's original song, but never felt too comfortable singing it, even before I was a born-again Christian. In fact, in Christmas 1977, my neighbors gave me a gift certificate for a free album at a local record store -- it would be the first album I ever purchased for myself -- and I almost bought Elton John's Greatest Hits Volume 2.

The aforementioned album had just been released a few months earlier. But I didn't buy it, because that was the opening track and it had a swear word in it. I know there are worse words in this world, and I don't think British people even treat it as a swear word, but that's why I hesitated.

That may sound kind of lame to some of you, but we wound up writing our parody of said song about a Bible character who was lame instead. And now, to paraphrase Sir Elton himself, said song says so much. :)

BTW, I used that gift certificate to buy Endless Summer by The Beach Boys, but I eventually did buy that Elton album, and we've now done the first two tracks on it. The second song was "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," which we spoofed as "L.S.F." in July 2018.

Nevertheless, I guess it was providential that I bought Endless Summer first, because we got five spoofs out of that album, including "Help Me Rhoda," "John 1:1," "Crowd of Foreign Girls," "Search and You'll Get Saved," and "Servin' the Father."