Music Notes – Sunday, July 24th :
This week’s musicians are Lucy Carney and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney
Opening Hymn: How Could Anyone – Roderick
Libby Roderick (b. 1958) is a singer-songwriter and activist from Alaska. Her song “How Could Anyone” (#1053 in Singing the Journey) was written in response to a friend in pain. It has been heard around the world, translated into many languages, and is reprinted in many books. The simple folk tune and words have been embraced by people with many types of pain, from AIDS orphans to cancer survivors and prisoners. The lyrics have been used for healing in many different settings, including churches, hospitals, shelters, rallies, weddings, and funerals. (from uua.org)
Centering Music: True Colors – Lauper, Kelly, and Steinberg
“True Colors” is a song primarily written by American songwriters Billy Steinberg (b. 1950) and Tom Kelly (b. 1952), which was made famous by American singer/songwriter, actress, and activist Cyndi Lauper (b. 1953). The song was the first single released from Lauper’s second album, also titled True Colors, and became a major hit, spending two weeks at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and earning Lauper a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. “True Colors” has been covered by numerous other artists, including Phil Collins, Jenna Ushkowitz (for the television show Glee) and Kasey Chambers.
Sung Meditation: Heart Opening Song – Partain
“Heart Opening Song” is an original composition by UUCC Minister Rev. Randy Partain. In Randy’s own words: “In May of 2022, I attended the Spiritual Directors International conference in Santa Fe. Pat McCabe led a morning ceremony each day. One morning, she introduced a “heart-opening song” drawn from her Diné (Navajo) tradition. Participating in this beautiful communal song, the thought occurred to me that it would be wonderful to bring this song back to the congregation I serve. This thought was immediately followed by an awareness of how inappropriate this appropriation would be. So, in the open-hearted space of that morning’s plenary session, I conceived a more appropriate heart opening song in preparation for our summer series on Connection.”
Offertory Music: Brick – Folds and Jessee
Ben Folds (b. 1966) is a pianist, singer-songwriter, author, and music producer originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He first rose to prominence in the 1990s as the frontman of Ben Folds Five and has enjoyed a successful solo career following the breakup of that group. For the last five years, Folds has been serving as artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. “Brick” is a song from the 1997 Ben Folds Five album Whatever and Ever Amen. The song was co-written by Ben Folds along with the group’s drummer Darren Jessee, and explores a topic very rarely found in popular music. In the liner notes for the 2002 album Ben Folds Live, Folds wrote: “People ask me what this song’s about… I was asked about it a lot, and I didn’t really wanna make a big hairy deal out of it, because I just wanted the song to speak for itself. But the song is about when I was in high school, me and my girlfriend had to get an abortion, and it was a very sad thing. And, I didn’t really want to write this song from any kind of political standpoint, or make a statement. I just wanted to reflect what it feels like. So, anyone who’s gone through that before, then you’ll know what the song’s about.” Here is a link to a video of “Brick” which includes the lyrics of the song on-screen.
Closing Hymn: #168 One More Step – Poley
Canadian UU Composer Joyce Poley (b. 1941) wrote “One More Step” in 1986 and its message of commitment and perseverance still rings true today. “One More Step” is #168 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnal and is a favorite of many UUs.
Postlude: One Mindful Breath – Pierson
Heather Pierson is a pianist, multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, songleader, and performer whose inspiring live performances and growing catalog of releases delve into Americana, blues, New Orleans jazz, vocal chants, instrumental piano, and folk. In over twenty years on her own record label, Vessel Recordings, Heather has released fourteen albums and several singles of original music. In 2018, Heather and singer/songwriter Bernice Martin launched their community singing project, Heart Songs & Circle Songs, whose songbooks and companion recordings have found their way into the repertoire of church and hospice choirs all over the world. (from heatherpierson.com) “One Mindful Breath” is from volume 2 of Heart Songs & Circle Songs and its gentle but insistent call to action is a fitting way to close this week’s service on reproductive justice.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director
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