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The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
Thu., Apr. 18. 2024 4:33pm EDT
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
Here are the stories behind the songs on our eighth single of 2024:
CHRIST IS THE ROCK (BUT I PRAY THEY DON'T STONE ME)
I adored "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" when it was a hit on the radio back in 1974, and I was elated to find that tune on a K-Tel album while in college a decade later. Fast forward another 22 years, and I got excited all over again when I was able to purchase a digital copy on iTunes.
I always thought spoofing those lyrics — and singing them afterward — would be the ultimate undertaking. However, I didn't seriously entertain the idea until Jimmy texted me on June 20, 2021, saying he'd just heard "Life Is a Rock" playing as house music before an outdoor event he was attending. "I used to have this on 45," he said. "That would be a cool parody but a serious challenge." I agreed wholeheartedly with both his assessments.
Anyway, on October 11, 2023, I got the idea for the ApologetiX '74 project, and not too long after that, it dawned on me that "Life Is a Rock" was from '74. Since Jimmy had previously suggested we spoof that song and "Bennie and the Jets," also from '74, I figured I'd try to sell him on the idea of that CD by including them.
I still was intimidated by the wordy and witty "Life Is a Rock," but then I got the title "Christ Is the Rock (But I Pray They Don't Stone Me)," on October 23, and I couldn't just leave a line like that without writing the rest. A while after that, I got the idea for "Preach, Baby," our song about the Stephen's stoning, although it wasn't until later that I realized those two songs would work well together thematically on ApologetiX '74.
LIFE
This parody's premise calls to mind a quote I've read, attributed to the famous theologian Martin Luther: "I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer." Point taken.
We read in the Gospels how everyone wanted a piece of Jesus' time. For example, Mark 6:31 says "so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat." Still, although He was God in the flesh, Jesus made private prayer time a priority even in the midst of his "busy season," as evidenced by this earlier passage:
"That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (Mark 1:32-35)."
I wrote the first draft of this parody on January 4, 2019 at the instigation of California ApX fan Paul "Doc" Nigh. He'd played bass for us on "Show Us the Way" in 2017 and dreamed of someday returning to Pennsylvania and doing the same on a parody of "Lights." Sadly, he died on February 4, 2024, so we decided to record it in memory of him. It's ironic that the title is "Life."
Adding further irony, it ended up on the same single as a spoof of another "life" song: "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)."
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