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
03.18.24How to Donate Online or by Mail
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

The Stories Behind the Songs on the New Single
Fri., Sep. 4. 2020 7:37pm EDT

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

The songs we spoofed on our new single originally hit the charts within six months of each other in 1993-94. But, as far as the parodies go, they were written 25 years apart! Here's the story behind each one:

Mr. Don't

All roads may lead to Rome, but even before I came to Christ, I had a hard time believing all paths led to God. I remember thinking about that when we studied the major religions in world cultures class in high school and when I took a world religions class in college: "Maybe one of these is true, maybe none of these are true, but there's no way they all be true — they're too different."

I started writing this parody in early 1995. I still have the notes in an old journal. There's no date listed, but based on the entries around it that do have dates, it looks like I started writing it in January or February and got a good portion of the lyrics done then. I'm not positive when I finished it, but there's a complete set of lyrics in a bound book of lyrics I published in December '97.

But that's only half of the story, because I rewrote about half of the lyrics in August 2020 in the weeks leading up to recording my vocals on August 23, 2020. That's ironic, since the song we're spoofing, "Mr. Jones," came from an album called August and Everything After.

Hey Philistines

Unlike most of our 90's parodies, I didn't start working on this song or even consider spoofing it (or The Gin Blossoms) back when it was a hit. I got the parody title on August 3, 2019 and recorded my vocals on August 12, 2020 — just over a year later. But I wrote the majority of the lyrics in the two weeks leading up to that vocal session.

Until then, I didn't know exactly what the subject matter would be. It could have been about the obvious choices — Samson, Saul, or David — or even such other Old Testament notables as Abraham (Genesis 21), Isaac (Genesis 26), Shamgar (Judges 3), or Hezekiah (2 Kings 18), all of whom had significant encounters with the Philistines. But in the end, I wound up writing about a story that didn't have a specific human hero. No, in this one, God took care of business Himself after the Israelites totally blew it.

I've wanted to write a parody 1 Samuel 4-6 for a very long time. Back in the mid-90's, my original idea for our parody of "Break On Through" by The Doors was not "Straight On Through" — I was going to do a song about 1 Samuel 5:1-7, where the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant from the Israelites and put it in the temple of their god, Dagon. The next morning, the idol of Dagon was found on its face before the Ark. The Philistines put the idol back in its place, and the morning after that, the idol was on its face again, but its head and hands had been broken off.

Anyway, the chorus would have been "Dagon moved to the other side," but Dagon didn't exactly move to the other side, so I changed the title and topic to "Straight On Through" about John 5:24. It was the right thing to do, but I've been bummed for the past 25 years that I had to pass up a chance to tell that story. Consequently, it was a marvelous surprise when I realized God was giving me lyrics for it in "Hey Philistines" — lyrics that fit the story even better. And ironically, I got those lyrics just two months after we finally released "Straight On Through." God is so good!