Crowd shot masthead ApologetiX Logo Keith Haynie plays bassBill Hubauer plays lead guitarJ. Jackson sings leadJimmy Vegas Tanner plays drums
59,803
as of September 27, 2023

<< Back to the fan club


Search Past News:

Sort by Relevance Date

Yesterday's News:

09.26.23New USB Thumb Drives in Stock
09.26.23Get Multiple Downloads for One Donation
09.26.23Get Over 1600 Tracks for $100
09.26.23This Week's News Bulletin
09.23.23Influential Albums: 1227-1233
09.23.23How to Get the ApX Library, USBs, Multiple Downloads
09.23.23Prayers for Jeff Jennings
09.22.23How to Donate Online or by Mail
09.22.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Wk
09.22.23This Week's Bible Reading
09.22.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
09.19.23This Week's News Bulletin
09.19.23New Single: '64 & '91
09.14.23Influential Albums: 1220-1226
09.14.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Wk
09.14.23Happy Birthday to ApX Guitarist Tom Tincha
09.14.23Clues for 2023 Single #19
09.10.23This Week's News Bulletin
09.08.23Happy Birthday to ApX Guitarist Wayne Bartley
09.07.23Influential Albums: 1213-1219
09.07.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
09.07.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Wk
09.05.23New Single: '65 & '85
09.04.23This Week's News Bulletin
08.31.23Influential Albums: 1206-1212
08.31.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Wk
08.31.23Prayers for ApX Fan's Son
08.31.23Clues for 2023 Single #18
08.30.23Septuagint CD Added to iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Etc.
08.28.23ApologetiX Needs Help & Prayers
08.24.23Encouragement from 14 States + Canada & Hungary
08.24.23Influential Albums: 1192-1198
08.24.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
08.23.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
08.20.23This Week's News Bulletin
08.20.23New Single: '77 & '84
08.20.23New CD BOGO Ends Wednesday
08.18.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
08.18.23Influential Albums: 1192-1198
08.17.23Clues for 2023 Single #17
08.14.23This Week's News Bulletin
08.10.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
08.10.23Influential Albums: 1185-1191
08.09.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
08.07.23This Week's News Bulletin
08.06.23New Single: '72 & '90
08.03.23A Second Powerful Testimony from Tennessee
08.03.23Influential Albums: 1178-1184
08.03.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
08.03.23Clues for 2023 Single #16
07.30.23This Week's News Bulletin
07.28.23All About Our Upcoming CD, Septuagint
07.28.23Influential Albums 1171-1177
07.28.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
07.28.23Powerful Testimony from a Fan in Tennessee
07.27.23The Stories Behind The Songs on This Single
07.27.23ApX at Big Midwest Christian Rock Festival (Sort Of)
07.24.23This Week's News Bulletin
07.23.23New Single: '81 & '95
07.20.23Oklahoma Fan Loves New ApX CDs on iTunes
07.20.23Influential Albums 1164-1170
07.20.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
07.19.23Tom M. is a Grandpa Again
07.14.23Influential Albums 1157-1163
07.14.23Kinda Stuffy CD Added to iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Etc.
07.14.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
07.13.23The Stories Behind The Songs on This Single
07.10.23This Week's News Bulletin
07.10.23New Single: '73 & '85
07.08.23Clues for 2023 Single #14
07.08.23Fan in Kenya Loves Latest Singles
07.08.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
07.08.23Influential Albums 1150-1156
07.08.232 More ApX CDs Added to iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Etc.
07.08.23This Week's Bible-Reading
07.01.23Fan Reacts to New ApX CDs on Amazon Music, Etc.
07.01.23Influential Albums 1143-1149
07.01.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
07.01.23The Stories Behind The Songs on This Single
06.27.23This Week's News Bulletin
06.27.23New Single: Hall of Fame Hits
06.24.23New ApX Albums Now on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Etc.
06.24.23New Rich Mannion Original Music Video
06.23.23Influential Albums 1136-1142
06.23.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
06.15.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
06.15.23Influential Albums 1129-1135
06.15.23The Stories Behind The Songs on This Single
06.15.23Bittersweet Note from an ApologetiX Fan in Las Vegas
06.15.23ApX Fan Has Stage 3 Cancer But Encourages Us
06.12.23This Week's News Bulletin
06.11.23New Single: Two of a Kind from 1980
06.09.23Mannionversary: Five Years of Rich Blessings
06.08.23Influential Albums 1122-1128
06.07.23New CD BOGO Ends Sunday Night
06.07.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
06.05.23This Week's News Bulletin
06.03.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
06.03.23Influential Albums 1115-1121
06.03.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single

The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
Tue., Jan. 24. 2023 12:59pm EST

J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.

Here are the stories behind the songs on our second single of 2023:

A WIDER SHAPE OF WHALE

I'd never considered spoofing Procol Harum until January 3, 2023. Rich Mannion had been asking me what I wanted him to work on next. I have a huge playlist of potential songs but decided to look for a few fresh ideas, so I pulled out a playlist of #5 hits (I have lists of songs that went to #1, #2, #3, and #4, too).

As soon as I heard "A Whiter Shade of Pale," I thought, "I bet Rich would like this," since it was inspired by a couple classical Bach pieces and has a prog-rock feel. I sent it to him with some other possibilities and wasn't surprised when he replied, "Pretty sure I could do everything on this amazing song."

I got the parody title two days later. I liked it but was a little hesitant, since we'd already done four songs about Jonah. Then I realized we could write this one from the perspective of a crew member on the ship Jonah took to Tarshish (although he never made it).

Interestingly, Procol Harum had songs called "Whaling Stories" and "Wreck of the Hesperus" ... and an album called A Salty Dog. Moreover, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" even mentions "feeling kinda seasick." So they seemed suitable for a nautical novelty song. If we had done this about Moby Dick, it could have been "A Whiter Shade of Whale."

Yes, I know Jonah was thrown into the Mediterranean Sea, not the ocean, but it's a big body of water (970,000 square miles with an average depth of 4,900 feet) and is connected to the Atlantic Ocean in Spain, where many believe Tarshish was located.

SAD TODAY IN THE DARK

I sang a live version of this parody with my old church's worship team in 2013, but we didn't get to practice beforehand as much as I would have liked nor were we set up to record it through the mixing board. Ten years later, ApX finally was able to produce a nice studio version. Rich Mannion did all the instrumentation, aside from Tom Tincha on guitars.

Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it" (Luke 18:17). As a father of five, I can confirm that little children don't like the dark. It makes them sad. Consequently, they love it when you turn a light on for them.

Speaking of children and light, the Apostle Paul tells the Church, "You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness" (1 Thessalonians 5:5).

Jesus also said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). He was fulfilling Old Testament prophecy: "I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 49:6b). But, surprise, Jesus says this to us, too:

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16).