Crowd shot masthead ApologetiX Logo Keith Haynie plays bassBill Hubauer plays lead guitarJ. Jackson sings leadJimmy Vegas Tanner plays drums
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03.28.24Bible-Reading Ends Tuesday, Starts Again Wednesday
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03.09.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
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02.29.24Clues for 2024 Single #5
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02.22.24Wayne Is Retiring, What's Next for Him and Us?
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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
02.10.24This 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
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01.26.24Flashback: J.'s Vision for ApologetiX in 2014
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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
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01.19.24Influential Albums: 1346-1352
01.19.24Encouraging Message from Longtime Fan in Oklahoma
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01.12.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
01.12.24Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
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12.29.23Influential Albums: 1325-1331
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12.26.23This Week's News Bulletin
12.26.23New Single: 1974 & 2008
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12.23.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
12.23.23ApologetiX Updated Christmas Playlist
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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
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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

The Stories Behind the Songs on Single #14
Sat., Aug. 6. 2022 6:32pm EDT

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

Here are the stories behind the songs on our 14th single of 2022:

I THINK WE'RE IN ROME NOW

I wrote much of the first verse and chorus for this parody in 2011, but I may have had the title and theme as early as 1999 or 2000. I wrote the second verse and added a new line to the chorus on July 3, 2022, while driving with my family to visit my in-laws in Kentucky. Ironically, there is a Rome KY, but we did not pass through it, even though we drove the length of the state.

Rome is in the northwest portion (near Owensboro KY and Evansville IN), and we were traveling to the southwest corner, not far from the borders of Illinois, Tennessee, and Missouri. Wow, I just checked, and there's also a Rome in all three of those states, too ... and a Rome in Pennsylvania, where we started, and a Rome in West Virginia and Ohio, the two other states we traveled through. No wonder they say all roads lead to Rome. I guess that's appropriate, since the title of the parody is "I Think We're in Rome Now."

My had a Caesar salad when we went out to eat while we were there, too. If I had my choice between an endless Caesar-salad bar or a huge stack of pepperoni pies, I'd be strongly leaning toward the tower of pizza. Seriously, though, I was excited to finally have a song about the last two chapters of the Acts of the Apostles.

I'd been telling my oldest daughter, Janna, for years that I thought she'd do a great job singing it. Turns out I was right. Meanwhile, she told me her sister Heather would sound great on the backing vocals, and she was right about that.

JESUS (SERMON ON THE MOUNT) (2022)

July 13, 2022, was the second time we've had three ApX daughters in the studio to sing together. The first was for "Bought By the Egyptians," in December 2015, with my oldest daughter, Janna, and Keith Haynie's two daughters, Sarah and Abby. For "Jesus (Sermon on the Mount)," Sarah couldn't make it, but Janna and Abby returned, along with my second-oldest daughter, Heather, who is about the same age as (slightly older, in fact) Janna and Abby were then.

Come to think of it, the first time ApX recorded this parody, back in December 1992, I was 28, just a couple years older than Janna and Abby are now! In '92, we were spoofing The Shocking Blue's original version of "Venus." It was sung by a woman, too, — a Dutch vocalist named Mariska Veres — but she had a huskier voice, so I could get away with doing the vocals. Besides, none of our daughters existed yet!

We redid it in December '98, too, but Janna and Abby were toddlers, and Heather was several years away from entering this world. I changed some of the lyrics in 2022 to make them rhyme better with the way the British ladies of Bananarama (Sara Dallin, Keren Woodward, and Siobhan Fahey) sang.

The voices of Janna, Heather, and Abby blended so well; I'd expect that from Janna and Heather, since they're sisters, but Abby's voice sounds very natural with theirs. Then again, they've known each other all their lives, and we Jacksons have always considered the Haynies to be family.