Music Notes – Sunday, March 17th:
This week’s musician is UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley
Pre-Service Music: (10:10 a.m.) I Know the End – Bridgers
“I Know the End” is a 2020 song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers (b. 1994). The song was released as the fourth single from Bridgers’ second studio album, Punisher, and made its live debut with a virtual performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk in September of 2020. Uproxx.com described the song as a “three-part suite” that touches upon depression, euphoria, and the apocalypse, culminating in a cathartic scream. “I Know the End” received wide critical acclaim and was included on numerous “Best Songs of 2020” lists, including those compiled by Pitchfork, Spin, The Ringer, NPR, and Vulture, which named it their favorite song of the year.
Opening Hymn: Meditation on Breathing – Jones
#1009 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook, “Meditation on Breathing” is more of an interactive mantra and centering than it is a hymn in the traditional sense. There are three written parts in the score, but participants are also encouraged to improvise and branch off to find their own way within the group meditation. UU musician and songwriter Sarah Dan Jones (b. 1962) composed “Meditation on Breathing” in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Centering Music: Total Eclipse of the Heart – Steinman
“Total Eclipse of the Heart” was written by American songwriter/lyricist and record producer Jim Steinman (1947-2021), who was most famously known for writing the entire Bat Out of Hell album and numerous other projects for the recording artist Meat Loaf. The song was recorded in 1982 by Welsh singer-songwriter Bonnie Tyler (b. 1951), and became Tyler’s biggest hit single, reaching #1 in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and several other countries. Although the lyrics of the song use the word eclipse in a metaphorical sense, various audio streaming services have reported significant increases in streaming and sales of the song during recent eclipses, and the song briefly rose to the #1 spot on iTunes shortly after the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017.
Offertory Music: When You Say Nothing at All – Overstreet & Schlitz
“When You Say Nothing at All” is one of the best-loved ballads ever written, and has the unusual distinction of becoming a hit single for four different artists within the span of less than 10 years: Keith Whitley’s version of the song hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart in 1988, Alison Kraus & Union Station made it to the top 10 with their 1995 recording, Irish singer Frances Black reached the top 10 in her home country with the song in 1996, and her fellow countryman Ronan Keating topped the charts in both Ireland and the U.K. with his recording of “When You Say Nothing at All” in 1996. The song was co-written by singer-songwriter Paul Overstreet (b. 1955 and celebrating his 69th birthday this Sunday) and songwriter Don Schlitz (b. 1952). Overstreet is probably best-known for his work with the trio S-K-O, and aside from this song, Schlitz’s biggest claim to fame is writing “Forever and Ever, Amen” for Randy Travis and Kenny Rogers’s iconic hit “The Gambler”. Overstreet and Schlitz are both two-time Grammy Award winners.
Closing Hymn: Blue Boat Home – Mayer/Prichard
A native of Minnesota, folk musician Peter Mayer (b. 1963) is a guitarist and songwriter who specializes in earth-centered music. UU congregations know and love Peter as the lyricist behind “Blue Boat Home”, which first appeared on Mayer’s album The Great Story and is #1064 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook. The melody Mayer set his inspiring words to is called “Hyfrodol”, a popular Welsh hymn tune credited to Rowland Prichard (1811-1887).
Postlude: Welcome to the Black Parade – My Chemical Romance
“Welcome to the Black Parade” is a 2006 song co-composed by the five members of My Chemical Romance, a group whose musical style has been described as rock, pop punk, emo, and alternative, to name a few. The song was released as the lead single from My Chemical Romance’s third studio album The Black Parade (2006) and thanks in part to its iconic music video, became a critical and commercial success, rising to the top 10 in the U.S. and to #1 in the U.K. In 2016, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named “Welcome to the Black Parade” as one of the Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director