|
The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
Thu., Nov. 2. 2023 3:29pm EDT
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
Here are the stories behind the songs on our 22nd single of 2023:
SAMSON & DELILAH
"Afternoon Delight" was my favorite tune when it was topping the Hot 100 in July of 1976. I had just turned 12 and was blissfully unaware of any suggestive lyrical undertones. A year or two later, I bought it on 45, but I didn't get the idea for this parody until July of 2022 ... July 18, which makes it the last song selected for our Samsonian rock opera, although it wasn't the last one recorded.
I loved the idea of Samson and Delilah singing a starry-eyed, sickeningly sweet duet together. I dreaded recording it, however, because of the complicated harmonies, so I talked to Rich Mannion early on and secured his services to map out the four parts. Even with his expert help, it was no picnic.
I had extra time at the end of my session for "One Thing Leads to the Father" on October 17, 2023, and spent two hours laying down some vocals with just Jimmy present. Then, on October 24, I returned to the studio with Jimmy, Rich, and Keith Haynie's daughter Abby for the main event. We were there for 11 hours that day. I think that's the longest we've ever labored on one song in a single singing session.
Abby sang for half the time, and I sang for the other half. Originally, her older sister, Sarah, was supposed to do one of the parts, but she woke up with a sore throat that morning. Thankfully, Abby was able to come in earlier than planned and sang both parts. Sarah told me later that she loved the line "I think we go together like a fork and knife." As I told her, I think Delilah was the knife.
ONE THING LEADS TO THE FATHER (2023)
There's a very old saying: "All roads lead to Rome." That idiomatic statement has its basis in ancient fact. According to Wikipedia, "At the peak of Rome's development, no fewer than 29 great military highways radiated from the capital, and the late Empire's 113 provinces were interconnected by 372 great roads."
In modern times, some folks think all paths lead to God, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The Bible says one thing (and only one thing) leads to the Father. Actually it's a Person, Jesus Christ (John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5). In the months leading up to us recording this tune, I often heard a radio ad urging listeners to pick one thing they could do to help the environment. At the conclusion, it asked, "What's your one thing?" So my theological question to our listeners is "Who's your one thing?"
The song we're spoofing here was originally done by The Fixx. Hebrews 12:2 says we should be "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith," because He's the only one who can fix our problems.
ApX keyboardist Rich Mannion didn't just do one thing on this recording; Wayne Bartley played guitar, and I sang, but everything else you hear is Rich, including the vast majority of the backing vocals. He's also in a band called Yachtness Monster that played a popular local venue in the fall of 2023 just a month before The Fixx did. In the time between those two shows, we released this parody, although the one thing did not lead to the other.
|
