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Thursday, March 05, 2009

watching Letterman getting convicted...again

I have been baffled by how many secular reviewers of the new U2 song, "Magnificent,"
just don't get what Bono means/who he is speaking to,in a lyric that could just as easily be Michael W. Smith's (a friend of Bono's,of course):


I was born to sing for You 

I didn’t have a choice
But to lift You up
And sing whatever song You wanted me to
I give You back my voice
From the womb my first cry
It was a joyful noise



I mean, they may not be familiar with the "dead giveaway" (to us inhousers) church language of "lift you up," but the biblical reference "make a joyful noise" is still built into our cultural vocabulary (or is it?). And don't they know that most U2 songs are ultimately about/to God?

Would it even have helped to do the New American Standard thing and capitalize the "Y" in the "You"s?





Beth has noticed this too (her post title nails it),
and we both also noticed how explicit Bono made it with his body language the other night on Letterman:

"Be ever hearing and never understanding"
I expect this video may be gone quickly, but I wanted to make a stagecraft comment on U2's "Magnificent" from Letterman last night. Those who have been following reviews and discussion will have noted that a lot of hearers seem to be taking "I was born to sing for you...to lift you up" as an insufferably arrogant phrase directed at U2's audience; it has come in for a lot of criticism. In light of that, it is almost funny to see, as this moment arrives in the song, the visual Bono chooses (starting at about 2:45). He begins with a standard wide-armed orans position, but immediately shifts that into an awkward-looking, aggressively vertical orans with both arms parallel all the way over his head, and just holds it. (The text is directed up, folks. Not horizontally. Up. Is this clear enough for you?)
-U2Sermons, link
As Beth guessed, the YouTube she linked to the performance is offline,
but I have found another that is up (for now) here:


(If gone, just search U2 magnificent letterman on Youtube)

The other thing I noticed about the performance is Letterman's response at the end: ">
Did Letterman have a John Wesley moment, with his heart being strangely moved, as he listened to U2's great performance of their new song Magnificient last night on the show?
link


I am not sure I have seen Letterman this convicted since that famous/infamous 1999 interview with Leigh Nash of Sixpence when he turned red after being convicted of flirting with her, which then gave Nash permission to share a grace story.
You really should read all about that at this this link ("Letterman Lusts; Thinks Gospel is Beautiful) to get the context.
And here is the video, what a holy moment:
>
I assume the Holy Spirit sets up these encounters with Dave more than once every ten years.
God loves the guy, he even watches the show once in awhile
(Here's an ancient classic)
I hear Sandi Patti convicted him once, too.
Maybe The Whigs got to him,too.
Even the crazy recent interview with Joaquin Phoenix got him thinking.

It did me.

Can't wait to see the show tonight!(;
(If you didn't know, U2 is on all week)

Can't wait till he books St. Alice Cooper..

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