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The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
Thu., Apr. 20. 2023 12:20pm EDT
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
Here are the stories behind the songs on our eighth single of 2023:
EASE YOUR BURDEN
Tom M. and Jimmy had been wanting to try "Beast of Burden" for years, but it had never been one of my favorite Stones songs, even though we spoofed a snippet of it in "Donkey Talked with Him" back in 1999. In January 2023, I finally felt like the time was right.
The title of this parody resembles one we released 10 years earlier, "Guard Your Candle," which was based on Jesus' words in Matthew 5:14-16. However, "Ease Your Burden" is based on what He said in Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
I originally planned to call this "East of Jordan" and have it be about the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, who came to Moses in Numbers 32 and asked to settle on the eastern side of the Jordan River, in the land the Israelites had taken from Og, king of Bashan, and Sihon, king of the Amorites. I started working on it on January 17, 2023, but couldn't get the lyrics to flow, although I liked the title and topic.
Finally, on April 2, the inspiration hit me for "Ease Your Burden." That same day I got enough lines to let me know I had something substantial ... and that definitely eased my burden, because all of the instrumental tracks had already been recorded, and this was the last song needed for our next CD.
EVERYONE'S A SINNER
I never expected that we'd do one Hot Chocolate parody, let alone two, but life is full of surprises. I got the idea for this one in February 2020 while writing the clues to our upcoming single at the time, which included "You Fleshly Thing," a spoof of their biggest hit, "You Sexy Thing," a #3 gold single in 1976.
I liked the title but didn't know how many fans would know "Every 1's a Winner." It was actually a huge hit in '78, going to #6 and also selling a million copies. I mentioned it to Jimmy, and not only did he remember the original, he loved it (as did I). Tom Milnes and Rich Mannion, both a few years older than Jimmy, did not remember it, but they still did a great job on guitar and keyboards, respectively, as did George Elliott on bass. Rich also added all the backing vocals.
I wrote just about all of the lyrics on February 5, while driving to my brother-in-law Bob's funeral visitation in Arlington VA — the same trip where I got most of the lyrics to "Evidence." Bob was only 70 years old but had been suffering with leukemia for a couple of years, and bone-marrow transplants hadn't worked.
He was a big music fan, and I used to spend a good amount of time looking through his record collection as a teenager, especially albums by ELO, The Beatles, The Kinks, Slade, and his favorite group, The Moody Blues. Considering the fact that we've covered songs by every one of those groups, I think God giving me two parodies on that trip was a fitting tribute to Bob.
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