Last Sunday evening I attended an international church here in Milan. After a few worship songs as a congregation, 3 men in sweaters approached the stage. None of them were pastors or part of the worship band so I wondered what was coming next. They proceeded to nervously arrange themselves in a line and take mikes from the stands, and I knew it could only be one thing.
Special Music.
Oh, evangelical churchgoers can remember special music. It was a phenomenon of the 80’s & 90’s where well-meaning church members would sing or play a song in addition to the normal music offering on Sunday. In most cases, the performance was accompanied by a background tape and done in a very amateur fashion.
When Mo, Tana, and I were young (between junior high and high school) our church would ask us to sing special music a few times every year. Each time they asked we would say yes and spend the next few weeks regretting it. Then after the service we would walk directly out of church after the service. (This was to avoid the “thank you for singing” comments that came instead of the “Wonderful job” like phrases.
We never understood why thy kept asking us, nor why we continued to say yes. Monae, Tana, and I each had our own talents, but singing as a trio was not one of them. Tana could play guitar and piano, I could sing, and Mo could…play basketball really well. This combination never made for a bearable 3-part harmony. In fact, we didn't even try to harmonize. What's a harmony?
So when those men gathered on stage and a background tape started up, I just couldn’t believe it. I felt like I’d been transported in time back to the early 90’s, back to Fellowship Bible Church.
In true special music form, the singing was horrible. The worship pastor, who had chosen to stay sitting on stage, was having trouble not distorting his face during painful notes. I had to resort to staring at my shoes to keep from laughing. It really brought back memories.
Mo and Tana, I wish you could have been there.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Oh yes. You girls were brave. I had too keen a sense of teenage angst to make it a foursome.
Graeme gives you a nose press, "beep".
i still get asked to do special music. they're desperate for it.
I am still laughing and can hardly type this---------we were proud of you girls! Love---Mom!
oh no....special music is the regulatory bane of any pre-adolescent evangelical girl's existence.
one christmas, i sang a solo verse of "O Little Town of Bethleham" in my church, and no one said a word about it afterwards - almost as if the entire congregation silently agreed it was best if they all forgot it even happened.
At least it got Dad to church--and he was always button busting proud. I wonder why they never asked me to sing. papapino
Post a Comment