Hi All

Welcome to Songs of Influence!

I really just started this category so that I would have a collection of some of my favourite music.

There are moments in your life where you hear a song, and it strikes a chord (pun intended!) in your soul.
This can be anything from a Nursery Rhyme to an Anthem, Beethoven to The Beatles, Opera to Organic Punk (no, I didn’t make that up, google it for yourself).

Everyone has their tastes, and no two people have the same. So what influences mine?
Well firstly and foremost, being a born-again Christian has an enormous sway. This immediately discounts songs that have blasphemous lyrics and themes against my Creator. I subscribe to the old adage of garbage in, garbage out. If my mind is being stuffed with impure information, then my mouth, hands, and feet will surely follow.
Having said that, I can’t just label all non-Christian music as worthless. Some have themes we can all identify with and relate to, while still having a clear conscience from our beliefs. While singing ‘3 Blind Mice’ doesn’t glorify God as such, it only offends Him if it becomes a replacement of my worship of Him. That’s how I see it, anyway.

I grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand, in the early 60’s. Being the youngest of 6 kids, I lived quite a sheltered life – I was protected from a lot of all the goings on in the world. This included a lot of the music I was subjected to in my early years as well.
I can remember my parents singing to Ray Charles’ ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You’ on the radio in the kitchen.
I can remember my mum humming hymns while doing the housework, and everyone tells me she used to sing ‘Sleepy Joe’ to me, to wake me in the morning.
I can remember my sister dancing to all the protest folk songs in her paisley dress and a flower in her hair.
I remember my other sister crooning to The Bay City Rollers ‘Saturday Night’, dancing to Abba’s ‘Waterloo’, as well as doing the Brooklyn Shuffle to the Bee Gees ‘More than a Woman’ (she’ll probably slap me for saying that…).
I remember my brother’s obsession to Boney M’s ‘Night Flight To Venus’ album, as well as Meatloaf’s ‘Bat Out Of Hell’. Hmmm, not very honouring there, are we? (I’ll definitely get a slap for saying that…)

As for my own taste, well it was probably more middle-of-the-road easy listening. I could handle a bit of rock, but none of the head-banger stuff. I enjoyed singing along to songs whose lyrics had some sort of meaning for me. I couldn’t be bothered with songs about sexual escapades . Meatloaf’s “Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad’ seemed pointless to me – ‘I want you, I need you, but there ain’t no way I’m ever gonna love you’ – how stupid is that?

Anyway, I don’t want to give away too much – you’ll work it out as you go along!

I will be tweaking things here and there as I go, so don’t be surprised if the next time you visit things have changed.

First music post coming soon…

Enjoy!