Weird songs at Mass

  • Thread starter Thread starter smessner
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
The weirdest song I’ve ever hear at Mass was at a former parish. I was in the choir, but thankfully, we didn’t have to sing this one – it was done as an instrumental: House of the Rising Sun.
Oh dear, that is truly awful. :eek: That reminds me of an episode of “The Simpsons” years ago when Bart put the music to Iron Butterfly’s “In A Gadda Da Vida” on the music rack of the organ and changed the words to “In the Garden of Eden.” Anybody remember that episode? But at least that was fictional!!!
 
:bigyikes: Don’t you imagine that some of the folks knew the words and were thinking them while the song was playing? Yowser! :eek: Seriously, what could possibly lead someone to think that that song, in any form, is remotely appropriate for Holy Mass? Maybe because of the line “oh God, I know I’m one”??!
Have mercy!
I’ll bet plenty of people were silently “singing along”. :eek: That song was included in a book of organ pieces – music only, no words – I imagine the organist wasn’t familiar with the song. I guess there’s a lesson to be learned – check the background of any instrumental piece you’re going to use in Mass, if you’re not familiar with it (I don’t remember if the music book was supposed to actually be church music, or just miscellaneous organ pieces). Had we (in the choir) known ahead of time that the organist was going to play that, we could have steered her away from it.
 
Oh dear, that is truly awful. :eek: That reminds me of an episode of “The Simpsons” years ago when Bart put the music to Iron Butterfly’s “In A Gadda Da Vida” on the music rack of the organ and changed the words to “In the Garden of Eden.” Anybody remember that episode? But at least that was fictional!!!
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
 
“Austria” by Haydn suffers the same fate. Worse, however, is that “Austria” is the tune for the Nazi anthem “Deutschland uber alles” Germany over all. (Whether those were the original words or not, I have not investigated - however, it was certainly adopted by the Nazis.) It would be akin to a Black Baptist Church changing the words to “Dixie” - it’s a great tune, but too identified with the Confederacy and the resistance to the Civil Rights movement to escape its profane antecedents by the simple change of lyrics.
Actually, “Deutschland Uber Alles” was not and is not a Nazi anthem…it was the national anthem of Germany before the Nazi’s seized power and it remains Germany’s anthem today. That first line implores German citizens to identify themselves with Germany above all other German states (regions, etc.) The intent was to create a sense of unity among the German-speaking people who were previously provincial in their thinking and outlook, thinking of themselves only as “Bavarians”, “Rhinelanders”, etc. Note however that only the third verse of the original is sung as result of the misunderstanding of the first line as noted above.

Apologies for “hijacking” the thread but just wanted to set the record straight on this.
 
Just a few come to mind

My Sweet Lord teen mass circa 1972
Jesus loves the little children
Ode to Joy
Day by Day
The Wedding Song by Paul (of Peter, Paul and Mary)

As far as WWJDrive? A VW bus of course!
 
I’M BACK!!

Glad to see this thread is still here. Pray for me on Sunday, I am cantoring, and “Gather Us In” is the Processional “hymn.” :ouch: for 7:30 AM Mass :sleep: . Yes, please pray for me!:gopray:
 
“Lean On Me” with the youth group choir wearing choir robes and clapping their hands while bebopping ahead of the priest during the procession.

Now, I have to confess at that same parish, I was a ‘liturgical dancer’. :eek: Looking back I’m horrified at what I wore and how I behaved! On Ash Wednesday I wore a black leotard and carrying a bowl full of ashes I did this step, step, twirl thing. Step, step, twirl, step, step twirl…oh my heavens I was step, step, twirling my way to blasphemy! What’s bad is that I brought it up to the altar then went back to the sacristy and chatted with some girls while Mass went on. The parish even paid for me to go to a retreat where liturgical dance was taught.

Thankfully I had no talent and my liturgical dance career came to an end rather quickly. It would be another 13 years before I experienced a profound reversion to the Faith and realized the error of my ways. :gopray2: God is merciful!
 
Actually, “Deutschland Uber Alles” was not and is not a Nazi anthem…it was the national anthem of Germany before the Nazi’s seized power and it remains Germany’s anthem today. That first line implores German citizens to identify themselves with Germany above all other German states (regions, etc.) The intent was to create a sense of unity among the German-speaking people who were previously provincial in their thinking and outlook, thinking of themselves only as “Bavarians”, “Rhinelanders”, etc. Note however that only the third verse of the original is sung as result of the misunderstanding of the first line as noted above.

Apologies for “hijacking” the thread but just wanted to set the record straight on this.
Yes, to add further on this, Haydn did not compose this piece to be a “national” anthem. It is actually the second movement to his “Emperor” String Quartet. The Poco adagio: Cantabile. It’s a beautiful piece. There were orignally no words whatsoever set to it. But it’s one of my favorite themes for national anthems.

Ok… I also won’t talk more on this. 🙂
 
Now, I have to confess at that same parish, I was a ‘liturgical dancer’. :eek:
:signofcross:Misereátur tui omnípotens Deus, et dimíssis peccátis tuis, perdúcat te as vitam aetérnam. Amen.

(I think you may need sacramental confession for that, though)
 
Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever had any real bad experiences with weird music.

The only thing that comes to mind at all is when I was a little kid at Catholic school, and there was some song we sung at mass…kinda silly…I don’t remember the name or most of the lyrics…just some part about the devil sitting on a thumbtack…😛
 
Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever had any real bad experiences with weird music.

The only thing that comes to mind at all is when I was a little kid at Catholic school, and there was some song we sung at mass…kinda silly…I don’t remember the name or most of the lyrics…just some part about the devil sitting on a thumbtack…😛
That song was on one of the Carey Landry “Hi God” albums back in the 70’s.

Ive got the joy, joy, joy, down in my heart,Where? down in my heart, Where? down in my heart. Where?
Down in my heart down in my heart today. And if the devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tack
Ouch!
Sit on a tack
Ouch!
Sit on a tack
And if the devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tack
Sit on a tack today!

Loved those “hi God” albums. They are still available (CD’s of course)
 
That song was on one of the Carey Landry “Hi God” albums back in the 70’s.

Ive got the joy, joy, joy, down in my heart,Where? down in my heart, Where? down in my heart. Where?
Down in my heart down in my heart today. And if the devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tack
Ouch!
Sit on a tack
Ouch!
Sit on a tack
And if the devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tack
Sit on a tack today!

Loved those “hi God” albums. They are still available (CD’s of course)
:eek: I never heard that song, but I have been frequently subjected to Carey Landry songs at Mass. 😦
 
:eek: I never heard that song, but I have been frequently subjected to Carey Landry songs at Mass. 😦
You NEVER heard that song? I feel sorry for you. It was so much fun. (I think it had hand gestures, also. EVERYTHING seemed to have hand gestures back then.) “Hi, God!” That brings back memories!
 
You NEVER heard that song? I feel sorry for you. It was so much fun. (I think it had hand gestures, also. EVERYTHING seemed to have hand gestures back then.) “Hi, God!” That brings back memories!
I would actually prefer never hearing anything by Carey Landry at Mass.
 
That song was on one of the Carey Landry “Hi God” albums back in the 70’s.

Ive got the joy, joy, joy, down in my heart,Where? down in my heart, Where? down in my heart. Where?
Down in my heart down in my heart today. And if the devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tack
Ouch!
Sit on a tack
Ouch!
Sit on a tack
And if the devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tack
Sit on a tack today!

Loved those “hi God” albums. They are still available (CD’s of course)
Yup, that’s the one. (And they were teaching this to us in the very late 80’s/early 90’s). I remember the gestures too; everyone would jump up as if they were sitting on a tack…:rolleyes:
 
That song was on one of the Carey Landry “Hi God” albums back in the 70’s.

Ive got the joy, joy, joy, down in my heart,Where? down in my heart, Where? down in my heart. Where?
Down in my heart down in my heart today. And if the devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tack
Ouch!
Sit on a tack
Ouch!
Sit on a tack
And if the devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tack
Sit on a tack today!

Loved those “hi God” albums. They are still available (CD’s of course)
My kids did this is BIBLE SCHOOL:eek: .

Does anyone remember the words to one called;
Germs?
It wenst something like this
Germs, Germs, My Invisable Dog
 
This song was never sung at mass, but we had our young 20-something music director tell someone that they could in no way shape or form use John Lennon’s “Imagine” for a peace prayer service.

Something tells me that “Imagine no religion…I wonder if you can.” or “No hell below us, above us only sky.” would be a *tad *inappropriate.
 
The Masses today have responsorial chants that are so awkward it almost seems deliberate to make the Mass meaningless and without harmony.

Let us hope and pray that finally we will have a discilpine in the Church as directed by Pope benedict.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top