Michael Card has always been somewhat of a curious anomaly to me. One of his early Christian radio singles, "Love Crucified Arose," threw me for a loop at first because I thought it was a woman singing. And it didn't make me like him any, frankly.
As the years went on, though, Card's catalog of singles began to make me take notice. "Scandalon," "Come to the Table," "Celebrate the Child," and "The Final Word" all resonated with me because of the intelligence and obvious Biblical study found in the lyrics. Card's music reminded me of what I had learned in church, and in Bible classes in grade school, and they did a great deal to bolster my faith.
"God's Own Fool," in my opinion, is probably one of his greatest early works.
Again, the central point of the lyrics here are taken directly from Scripture, and I think that gives this song a power that can't be overlooked. The thrust of I Corinthians 1, where Paul pontificates about the foolishness of believing in God, is dissected and laid bare in Card's lyrics. By the time you've finished the song, you've sat through a musical TED talk in theology.
But the lyrics are only one part of this listening experience. Card's choice of musical arrangement really brings this song sliding into home plate. The melodic verses warmly invite you in and set up the premise before rising into a chorus that encapsulates the point of the scripture. The point is driven home even further by the musical arrangement, bringing in the rhythm section, and layering harmonies to support the lyrics. And then there comes what sounds like a SECOND chorus, accompanied by rhythmic orchestral parts (including the majestic timpani), that brings in the title lyric in grand fashion:
So we follow God's own fool
For only the foolish can tell
Believe the unbelievable
Come be a fool as well
Having taken trumpet lessons about the time this song came out, I felt I could relate musically to this tune because of the orchestration. Normally, I found a lot of CCM songs used orchestral arrangements way too much, making Christian music sound like the broadway version of music, something that was definitely not cool in the 1980s (unless your idea of cool was the soundtrack from A Chorus Line or Fame marathons on syndicated television). But with this song, it worked, and it just felt right. I even forgave Card's "is that a woman?" vocal range on this one. It may not be my favorite song of his, but it was definitely one of the more important songs in all of 1980s CCM.
See previous entries on this list:
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #21
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #20
There Is No Box.
Zach
As the years went on, though, Card's catalog of singles began to make me take notice. "Scandalon," "Come to the Table," "Celebrate the Child," and "The Final Word" all resonated with me because of the intelligence and obvious Biblical study found in the lyrics. Card's music reminded me of what I had learned in church, and in Bible classes in grade school, and they did a great deal to bolster my faith.
"God's Own Fool," in my opinion, is probably one of his greatest early works.
Again, the central point of the lyrics here are taken directly from Scripture, and I think that gives this song a power that can't be overlooked. The thrust of I Corinthians 1, where Paul pontificates about the foolishness of believing in God, is dissected and laid bare in Card's lyrics. By the time you've finished the song, you've sat through a musical TED talk in theology.
But the lyrics are only one part of this listening experience. Card's choice of musical arrangement really brings this song sliding into home plate. The melodic verses warmly invite you in and set up the premise before rising into a chorus that encapsulates the point of the scripture. The point is driven home even further by the musical arrangement, bringing in the rhythm section, and layering harmonies to support the lyrics. And then there comes what sounds like a SECOND chorus, accompanied by rhythmic orchestral parts (including the majestic timpani), that brings in the title lyric in grand fashion:
So we follow God's own fool
For only the foolish can tell
Believe the unbelievable
Come be a fool as well
Having taken trumpet lessons about the time this song came out, I felt I could relate musically to this tune because of the orchestration. Normally, I found a lot of CCM songs used orchestral arrangements way too much, making Christian music sound like the broadway version of music, something that was definitely not cool in the 1980s (unless your idea of cool was the soundtrack from A Chorus Line or Fame marathons on syndicated television). But with this song, it worked, and it just felt right. I even forgave Card's "is that a woman?" vocal range on this one. It may not be my favorite song of his, but it was definitely one of the more important songs in all of 1980s CCM.
See previous entries on this list:
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #21
Top CCM Songs of the 1980s - #20
There Is No Box.
Zach
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