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The Stories Behind The Songs on This Single
Sat., Jul. 1. 2023 4:23pm EDT
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
Here are the stories behind the songs on our 13th single of 2023:
YOU JUST MIGHT NEED KUNG FU
I got the idea, title, and first two verses for "You Just Might Need Kung Fu" while driving with the family to visit my in-laws in Mayfield KY on July 3, 2022. The words came quickly, although I left the rest of the lyrics for later. Of course, being a tinkerer, by the time I finished the parody and recorded my vocals on June 13, 2023, I'd made a number of modifications to what I'd written the year before.
I know of a few ApologetiX fans who are martial-arts instructors, and I hope they'll get a kick out of it (no pun intended, but now that I've noticed one, I'm delighted).
This spoof was written specifically to be a part of our Samson rock opera, which started simply as a suite of songs but eventually expanded to an entire album. It's the first ApX tune to specifically mention the last lady (and I use the term loosely) we know of that Samson was with (Judges 16:1-3) before dating the deadly, deceptive Delilah.
The song we spoofed here, "You Make My Dreams," was released as a single in early May 1981. I liked it so much I bought the album it came from, Voices, about a month later ... on the last day of my junior year in high school, I think.
Daryl Hall & John Oates released the follow-up LP, Private Eyes, in early September '81, just as I was entering my senior year, and I saw them in concert with ELO at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena on October 16, 1981. It was my first big-time rock concert. I'd attend a total of four that school year, and we've spoofed all six major artists I saw.
SEPTUAGINT
The lyric-writing scenario behind this parody reminds me of a phrase from Isaiah 28:10: "line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little." I got the idea for the title and theme on January 11, 2023, but coming up with the lyrics was an arduous process.
Jimmy had the drums done by the end of January, Rich had the keyboards completed by the middle of February, and Tom Milnes had the guitars and bass finished by the end of February. For four straight weeks, I made plans with Jimmy to sing "Septuagint" at my next scheduled studio session (May 30, June 6, June 13, and June 20), and the first three times I had to do another parody instead, because the lyrics for this one weren't ready.
It wasn't for lack of trying, believe me. My lofty goal was to tell the story behind the Septuagint and explain its historical importance ... while paralleling the rhythm and rhyme scheme of Steely Dan's "Do It Again." Easier said than done. I finally had the words where I wanted them by the middle of June.
The Septuagint was the first official translation of the Bible (which, at the time, consisted only of the Hebrew Old Testament) into another language (Greek). Traditionally, it is believed that 70 (or 72) Jewish scholars worked together to make that translation, which is why it is called the Septuagint (derived from the Latin word for 70).
There's much more to say, but check out the lyrics, and I'll save the rest for the liner notes of our 70th CD, also titled Septuagint (get it?).
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