Crowd shot masthead ApologetiX Logo Keith Haynie plays bassBill Hubauer plays lead guitarJ. Jackson sings leadJimmy Vegas Tanner plays drums
59,803
as of June 1, 2023

<< Back to the fan club


Search Past News:

Sort by Relevance Date

Yesterday's News:

05.29.23This Week's News Bulletin
05.29.23New Single: '77 x 2
05.29.23Get Multiple Downloads for One Donation
05.29.23USB Thumb Drives Include Latest CD and Singles
05.29.23How to Get the ApX Library, USBs, Multiple Downloads
05.29.23Get Over 1570 Tracks for $100
05.26.2370-Year-Old ApX Fan Shares Supernatural Testimony
05.26.23New CD BOGO Ends Soon: Buy 1, Get 1 of 37 Free
05.26.23Next Article
05.26.23Influential Albums 1108-1114
05.26.23This Week's Bible-Reading
05.25.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
05.22.23This Week's News Bulletin
05.19.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
05.19.23Influential Albums 1101-1107
05.19.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
05.15.23This Week's News Bulletin
05.15.23New Single: '70 & '74
05.12.23Kudos from Canada for New CD
05.11.23How to Donate Online or by Mail
05.11.23Clues for 2023 Single #10
05.11.23What's On Our New CD, Eclectic?
05.11.23Influential Albums 1094-1100
05.11.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
05.07.23This Week's News Bulletin
05.04.23The Story Behind Our Upcoming CD
05.04.23Next CD Available for Order This Sunday Night
05.04.23Influential Albums 1087-93
05.04.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
05.03.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
05.01.23This Week's News Bulletin
05.01.23New Single: '72 & '75
04.28.23Influential Albums 1080-86
04.28.23Clues for 2023 Single #9
04.28.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
04.24.23Fan Will Match All Donations Up to $7700
04.23.23New CD Coming Soon
04.23.2330th Anniversary Challenge Coins Back in Stock
04.21.23ApX Fan Overcoming Alcoholism Through Christ
04.21.23Influential Albums 1073-79
04.21.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
04.20.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
04.16.23New Single: 2 Top 10s from '78
04.15.23Fan Will Match $40 Donations from Fans
04.14.23Clues for 2023 Single #8
04.14.23Influential Albums 1066-72
04.14.23YouTuber Allocates All of April to ApX Albums
04.11.23Meet Two ApologetiX Fans Who Are Authors
04.08.23New Video Playlist for You: ApologetiX Interviews
04.08.23Influential Albums 1059-65
04.08.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
04.07.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
04.05.23ApX Easter Week Playlist
04.04.23This Week's News Bulletin
04.04.23New Single: '86 & '92
03.31.23Clues for 2023 Single #7
03.31.23New Full-Length Concert Video: ApX Live in NY 2005
03.31.23Influential Albums 1052-58
03.31.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
03.24.23New Video Playlist for You: ApologetiX Covers by Fans
03.24.23Influential Albums 1045-1051
03.24.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
03.24.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
03.20.23New Single: '76 & '85
03.20.23This Week's News Bulletin
03.18.23ApX on Hour-Long Live Webcast Next Tuesday
03.18.23ApologetiX Radio Show Celebrates Five Years
03.17.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
03.17.23New ApX Apparel Designs + Mugs, Stickers & More
03.17.23Influential Albums: 1038-1044
03.15.23Clues for 2023 Single #6
03.11.23ApX Alum Drummer Becomes a First-Time Grandpa
03.10.23A Letter from J. About the Letter J
03.10.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
03.10.23Influential Albums: 1031-1037
03.09.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
03.06.23This Week's News Bulletin
03.06.23New Single: '68 & '70
03.04.23New ApX Songbook (1992-2022) is Here
03.04.23Influential Albums: 1024-1030
03.03.23Fan Follows Up on Last Week's Big Music Article
03.03.23Nice Notes from Bible-Readers
03.03.23Over 400 ApX Live Videos Together in One Place
03.03.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
02.25.23Music: The Sacred, the Secular, and the Subjective
02.24.23ApologetiX in Places You Wouldn't Expect
02.23.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
02.23.23Influential Albums: 1017-1023
02.21.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
02.20.23This Week's News Bulletin
02.20.23New Single:'65 & '88
02.17.23Serious Prayer Request from Wichita KS
02.17.23Influential Albums: 1010-1016
02.16.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
02.11.23How Did J. Meet His Wife?
02.11.23Fan Follows Up on "Ask God" With His Own Story
02.11.23The Numbers Behind the Songs on This Single
02.11.23Influential Albums: 1003-1009
02.10.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
02.10.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week

The Numbers Behind the Songs on This Single
Sat., Feb. 11. 2023 12:55pm EST

J. Jackson, lead singer for ApologetiX here again:

Our new single spoofs a pair of Top 20 hits by well-known American rock bands from opposite ends of the country and opposite ends of the '70s: "Riders on the Storm" by The Doors from Los Angeles in 1971 and "Let's Go" by The Cars from Boston in 1979.

Just an aside: The "A" Side of this single, "Ask God," is NOT just an "A" side. It's the story of how my lovely wife, Lisa, and I met. That's why we're both on the cover this time around.

When we're getting ready to put out a single, I'm always looking for something the two songs have in common. Sometimes I have things mapped out in advance, but often I don't give it much thought until a few days before the release date. That's what happened with "Ask God" and "Riders From the Lord."

I have a pretty good idea of chart positions of songs from the 1950's-2000's, and I can always double-check them in my reference manuals and online. I knew "Let's Go" by The Cars went to #14, and I had been thinking I should double-check where "Riders on the Storm" went.

I knew it peaked higher than Top 20 but lower than Top 10 and probably Top 15. I figured it was #12 or #14, and I thought, "How cool would it be if it also went to #14?" I checked and, sure enough, it went to #14.

That's not a common chart position. Many songs that reach #14 wind up going higher. To put things in perspective, only 52 songs peaked at #14 in the entire decade of the 70's. ApologetiX had already done four of them:

"Heard It in a Love Song" by The Marshall Tucker Band
"Ebony Eyes" by Bob Welch
"Soul Man" by The Blues Brothers
"Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" by Robert Palmer

The last two were both from 1979, same as "Let's Go," There were eight #14 songs that year, which was tied for the most #14 songs in any year in the 70's, along with 1970 and 1973.

Ironically, the most-recent parody we did before "Ask God" that alluded to Lisa (in the last verse) was "Sermon in a Love Song," which spoofed one of those #14 songs.

Furthermore, Valentine's Day is coming up in a few days on February 14 (2/14).

All of that helped me feel better about putting a song about my wife on the same single with a song about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.