Crowd shot masthead ApologetiX Logo Keith Haynie plays bassBill Hubauer plays lead guitarJ. Jackson sings leadJimmy Vegas Tanner plays drums
59,801
as of June 5, 2023

<< Back to the fan club


Search Past News:

Sort by Relevance Date

Yesterday's News:

06.03.23How to Donate Online or by Mail
06.03.23How to Get the ApX Library, USBs, Multiple Downloads
06.03.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
06.03.23Influential Albums 1115-1121
06.03.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
06.03.23This Week's Bible-Reading
05.29.23This Week's News Bulletin
05.29.23New Single: '77 x 2
05.29.23Get Multiple Downloads for One Donation
05.29.23USB Thumb Drives Include Latest CD and Singles
05.29.23Get Over 1570 Tracks for $100
05.26.2370-Year-Old ApX Fan Shares Supernatural Testimony
05.26.23New CD BOGO Ends Soon: Buy 1, Get 1 of 37 Free
05.26.23Next Article
05.26.23Influential Albums 1108-1114
05.25.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
05.22.23This Week's News Bulletin
05.19.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
05.19.23Influential Albums 1101-1107
05.19.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
05.15.23This Week's News Bulletin
05.15.23New Single: '70 & '74
05.12.23Kudos from Canada for New CD
05.11.23Clues for 2023 Single #10
05.11.23What's On Our New CD, Eclectic?
05.11.23Influential Albums 1094-1100
05.11.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
05.07.23This Week's News Bulletin
05.04.23The Story Behind Our Upcoming CD
05.04.23Next CD Available for Order This Sunday Night
05.04.23Influential Albums 1087-93
05.04.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
05.03.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
05.01.23This Week's News Bulletin
05.01.23New Single: '72 & '75
04.28.23Influential Albums 1080-86
04.28.23Clues for 2023 Single #9
04.28.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
04.24.23Fan Will Match All Donations Up to $7700
04.23.23New CD Coming Soon
04.23.2330th Anniversary Challenge Coins Back in Stock
04.21.23ApX Fan Overcoming Alcoholism Through Christ
04.21.23Influential Albums 1073-79
04.21.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
04.20.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
04.16.23New Single: 2 Top 10s from '78
04.15.23Fan Will Match $40 Donations from Fans
04.14.23Clues for 2023 Single #8
04.14.23Influential Albums 1066-72
04.14.23YouTuber Allocates All of April to ApX Albums
04.11.23Meet Two ApologetiX Fans Who Are Authors
04.08.23New Video Playlist for You: ApologetiX Interviews
04.08.23Influential Albums 1059-65
04.08.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
04.07.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
04.05.23ApX Easter Week Playlist
04.04.23This Week's News Bulletin
04.04.23New Single: '86 & '92
03.31.23Clues for 2023 Single #7
03.31.23New Full-Length Concert Video: ApX Live in NY 2005
03.31.23Influential Albums 1052-58
03.31.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
03.24.23New Video Playlist for You: ApologetiX Covers by Fans
03.24.23Influential Albums 1045-1051
03.24.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
03.24.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
03.20.23New Single: '76 & '85
03.20.23This Week's News Bulletin
03.18.23ApX on Hour-Long Live Webcast Next Tuesday
03.18.23ApologetiX Radio Show Celebrates Five Years
03.17.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
03.17.23New ApX Apparel Designs + Mugs, Stickers & More
03.17.23Influential Albums: 1038-1044
03.15.23Clues for 2023 Single #6
03.11.23ApX Alum Drummer Becomes a First-Time Grandpa
03.10.23A Letter from J. About the Letter J
03.10.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
03.10.23Influential Albums: 1031-1037
03.09.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
03.06.23This Week's News Bulletin
03.06.23New Single: '68 & '70
03.04.23New ApX Songbook (1992-2022) is Here
03.04.23Influential Albums: 1024-1030
03.03.23Fan Follows Up on Last Week's Big Music Article
03.03.23Nice Notes from Bible-Readers
03.03.23Over 400 ApX Live Videos Together in One Place
03.03.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
02.25.23Music: The Sacred, the Secular, and the Subjective
02.24.23ApologetiX in Places You Wouldn't Expect
02.23.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
02.23.23Influential Albums: 1017-1023
02.21.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
02.20.23This Week's News Bulletin
02.20.23New Single:'65 & '88
02.17.23Serious Prayer Request from Wichita KS
02.17.23Influential Albums: 1010-1016
02.16.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
02.11.23How Did J. Meet His Wife?
02.11.23Fan Follows Up on "Ask God" With His Own Story
02.11.23The Numbers Behind the Songs on This Single

The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
Fri., May. 19. 2023 3:34pm EDT

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

Here are the stories behind the songs on our 10th single of 2023:

HUMBLE OR YOU'LL STUMBLE

I remember hearing about the Jethro Tull song "Bungle in the Jungle" from a kid on my school bus when it was a hit in late 1974 and early '75. My brother-in-law Bob had Tull's War Child album, and I taped "Bungle" off of his copy in the early '80s.

Sometime in the first half of the '90s, I got the first two lines for the chorus of "Humble or You'll Stumble," and I've been wanting to record it ever since. Finally, in 2023, we got 'er done. Now I can stop living in the past.

This parody refers specifically to three Bible verses — two from Solomon and one from Jesus: "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18); "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." (Proverbs 11:2); and "For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" (Matthew 23:12).

In the first few years of my Christian walk, I listened to a lot of sermons on cassette by a notable Presbyterian preacher named Steve Brown. One was titled "Humble and Proud of It." I've always liked that, so if somebody commends me for my humility, I tell them it's one of the things I'm most proud of. Then I say it came from years of being humiliated.

Personal pride aside, however, I'm proud of the job our musicians did on this recording. That would be Tom Tincha on guitars, Rich Mannion on keyboards, Keith Haynie on bass, Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums, and my nephew Nick King on flute.

ITCHIN' TO HIDE

I've always liked the song "Hitchin' a Ride" by Vanity Fare; I turned six years old during one of the two weeks it peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. But I'd never thought of that tune in regard to its parody potential until January 3, 2023.

I was looking for fresh ideas that day, so I put on my playlist of #5 songs (I have lists of #1, #2, #3, and #4 songs, too ... yeah, I'm a geek), and "Hitchin' a Ride" just stood out for some reason. That same thing had occurred with that playlist of #5 songs in May 2021, when I got the idea for "Fold Your Tent Up," which we eventually released in July 2022.

When Rich suggested we ask Tom Milnes about possibly doing guitars for this tune, I feared Tom might scoff at the notion of playing "bubble-gum rock." Nevertheless, I dutifully texted him about it, and he replied, "Yeah, I can do that. I used to love this song. I always had to hitchhike to school."

That was confirmation enough for me. I thought he'd balk, but I'd held out hope that God might surprise me and have him actually like it. I finally got the title and idea for "Itchin' to Hide" on March 14, 2023.

We'd touched upon this topic before in our 2018 parody "That's Saul," but the time David spent on the run from King Saul takes up over 40 percent of the Book of First Samuel (chapters 19-31). "Itchin' to Hide" specifically deals with the events of chapter 20, although the last verse and chorus also allude to David's ill-fated trip to the town of Nob to visit Ahimelek the High Priest in chapter 21.