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The Stories Behind the Songs on Our Fifth Single
Fri., Apr. 23. 2021 4:21pm EDT
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
Here are the stories behind the songs on our fifth single:
AMAZING ACTS
I'm delighted to finally have a song about the events of Acts chapter 4, including one of the New Testament's great overlooked verses: "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly" (Acts 4:31). That happened only two chapters after the events of Pentecost, yet the Holy Spirit made His presence known in a powerful way once again!
I was also geeked when I got this parody's title, because there are famous hymns called "Amazing Grace" and "Amazing Love," and now we have "Amazing Acts." I didn't plan that; it was just a cool thing God did.
Rich Mannion played the keyboards, programmed the electronic drums, sang backing vocals, and even played the guitar solo on this recording, speaking of amazing acts! I started writing this parody on March 12, 2021, and sang my vocals on April 1. Rich did all his parts in between that, so aside from the mixing, this song took 20 days from start to finish.
The last line of the lyrics refers to the first song in the 80's medley on Wise Up and Rock, "Read Acts."
TRAIN THEM UP BEFORE THEY GROW-GROW
As you probably guessed, this parody is based on Proverbs 22:6, which says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." I wrote the chorus in 2011, potentially for the medley on Wise Up and Rock. I added the line about "dodos" in 2021, though. Rich took care of the keys, electronic drums, and backing vocals. George Elliott played the funky bass and guitars.
While writing this journal entry, I checked the creation date of the lyrics document for "Train Them Up," and it was April 15, 2011. We finished recording the final part (the guitars) on April 15, 2021, exactly 10 years to the day later! The verses were written in late March and early April 2021.
I first spoofed "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" in 1987 as a returning alumnus at the annual journalism department banquet at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), to perform at the annual journalism department banquet. That parody, "Wake Me Up Before He Gets Me," was about Randy Jesick, a teacher with an incredible knack for calling on people who weren't paying attention in class. And he was still teaching there in 2021!
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