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Saturday, February 04, 2012

The Soundtrack of My Life

I have been working on a project I call "The Soundtrack of My Life". It is comprised of music that I listened to in my youth and that has resonated with me throughout my life.I included songs that had either a spiritual message, or made some type of social comment, or were anti-war.I made a deliberate choice to find songs that were not preformed by "christian" bands, but rather "popular" songs that were played on the radio. In a way, it could be called "The Gospel According To Billboard's Top 10".Part of my inspiration for creating this Soundtrack came from my attending the "Rock Mass" at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena California back in the early '70s. The Rock Mass was the mixture of a traditional Episcopalian Mass and a live rock concert. Although the music was not necessarily "christian", the band would play popular rock songs that contained references to God and Jesus. During the late '60s and early '70s there was an explosion of these songs coming out of the "secular" music industry.By creating The Hippie Christian Playlist over on YouTube I can enjoy these songs anytime and share them with others too. I can't take credit for creating (or uploading) any of these music videos, but I hope you enjoy my selections just the same.The Hippie Christian Playlist

19 comments:

I do enjoy your selections. Thank you for creating the playlist on YouTube so I can listen while I work. Years ago I created something similar: a cd of music that I felt spoke to my spiritual side. I called it "Keep The Faith." Only I didn't think to make it public, I didn't even realize I could do that! There are songs from Van Morrison, George Harrison (of course!) Sweet Honey in the Rock, Eva Cassidy, The Byrds..to name a few. There is only one song from a contemporary Christian Band called "Flood" by Jars of Clay, but other than spirituals the songs are from supposedly "secular" artists. Frankly (and I hope no one wants to hit me for this) I find a lot of "Christian Music" reaallly boring and/or cookie-cutter.

Thanks Laura,I am glad you like it. I agree with you that a lot of "Christian Music" can lack originality, but then again so can the "secular" music industry.

Back in the day a lot of the early Christian bands sounded just like what was on the radio. As the Christian music industry grew the music took on a slightly different and unique sound that set it apart from popular secular music.

It didn't completely become its own style nor was it setting any trends. In my opinion it was an attempt to christianize popular top 20 radio (yuck!), but a year or two behind the times.

The thing about the early christian bands in the '60s & '70's was that you couldn't hear them on FM rock radio and the christian radio stations wouldn't play any of that devil inspired Rock & Roll syncopated rhythm. Any good christian would tell you that a Hammond B3 organ with Leslie speakers only belonged in church, not at Woodstock!

In a way we were forced to listen to secular music and pick out songs inspired by the current spiritual quest that was popular during that time.

Funny, when I was growing up some secular tunes were used by God to touch me...such as "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison (my innocent 2year-old mind had not idea he was really worshipping another god-but somehow the true God manifested His Presence to me in that song anyway)along with "Give me love(Give me peace on earth)". There was "Love Is The Answer" by England Dan & John Ford Coley. And there were simply positive songs, such as "Shower the People" by James Taylor, a song about remembering to love your family and friends. And I have had a habit for a long time of taking secular songs and "rewriting them" just a tad to make them Christianized...you should see how I "redeemed" John Lennon's "Imagine"....hee, hee!

There was a mention in a comment of John Lennon. Larry Norman said that John had accepted Jesus before he died. Wouldn't that be super to see John there? I recently had the chance to hear/see/meet Randy Stonehill. He's been writing, singing, recording and working on projects all of these years and is always fresh and new. He was also funny, real and humble and his voice in great shape. I was overwhelmed with the presence of God when I closed my eyes as he sang to just take it in. He's touring...I highly recommend checking out his schedule on his website.

I love this blog and I love this specific blog post about the music! I also really love your description of yourself, and how you cannot choose being a Christian or a hippie over the other, because for you both are possible. For me too!!!

I am so glad to find another colourful child of God! I am different too in so many ways, and I know God made me this way because it is who I am, and how he wants me to be :)

Thanks, I needed to read this blog today, and God brought me to you again, to see your blog posts and stuff :)

I will have to listen thru your songs and try to put together a list of my own songs!!

The Hippie Christian Manifesto

Being A Hippie Christian

Being a Hippie Christian isn't how you dress or what you say as much as it is a total life style. To be a Hippie Christian requires an attitude of the heart that grows out of a personal encounter with the living Christ and overflows into your whole life. Jesus taught about peace and love. Jesus chose the outcasts, He loved the unlovely, He reached out to the rejects. Jesus taught about getting back to the Garden, about having a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe.

For some ancient wisdom on how to live the Hippie Christian life please read Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

About Me

Just an old Long Hair Hippie Jesus Freak from the 60's!
My Hippie name "Cloud" was given to me back in the early 1970's by a Brother in the Lord who called me Cloud because every where he went he would run into me, at the store, the bank, on the street. I seemed to be always following him about like a little black rain cloud, so that became my name - Cloud.
During the Jesus People Movement it was quite normal to be a Hippie and a Christian. I never thought that I had to choose one over the other, for me being a Hippie and a Christian were not mutually exclusive experiences.
Most of us don't like labels, but I have always considered my self to be both, never one or the other. I am a Hippie Christian, a Christian Hippie, a Long Hair Hippie Jesus Freak, whatever - I am just one of God's colorful kids!

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Peace, Love and Light!

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world gives it. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." ~Jesus (John 14:27)

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1John 3:1)

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (John 1:9)