Moments of Permanence -

From: scouseboy.livejournal.com Date: January 20th, 2009 05:04 pm (UTC) (Link)

Some woman...? What, you mean Aretha "Queen of Soul, Rolling Stone's pick for best singer of all time" Franklyn?

I mean, it wasn't a great rendition, but have a little R.E.S.P.E.C.T. :)

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From: tevriel.livejournal.com Date: January 20th, 2009 05:41 pm (UTC) (Link)

I knew Aretha was performing, but I was hoping she was later and that was someone else.

a) she got OOOLD

b) I really didn't like that particular performance.

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From: shiningmoon.livejournal.com Date: January 20th, 2009 06:10 pm (UTC) (Link)

It was really f'ing cold... I didn't think it all that bad.

But OH, the John Williams composition, with Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma... *shivers*

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From: pooxs.livejournal.com Date: January 21st, 2009 05:05 am (UTC) (Link)

did the Williams composition had a bit of lord of the dance hymn in it, or was that just me?

(dance then where ever you may be, I am the lord of the dance said he...)

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From: tevriel.livejournal.com Date: January 21st, 2009 05:47 am (UTC) (Link)

Actually, that was the ancient Quaker song Tis A Gift To Be Simple, which was used for Lord of the Dance.

Tis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free
Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be
And when we find ourselves in a place just right
It will be in the valley of love and delight
When true simplicity is gained
To bow and to bend we shall not be ashamed
To turn and to turn it will be our delight
Till by turning and turning we come round right

Rather a better lyric for a presidential inauguration I think. ;)

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From: pooxs.livejournal.com Date: January 21st, 2009 07:44 am (UTC) (Link)

I agree :)

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From: v01d3d.livejournal.com Date: January 22nd, 2009 01:05 pm (UTC) (Link)

+1

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From: trexphile.livejournal.com Date: January 20th, 2009 05:21 pm (UTC) (Link)

I'm confused -- how did Warren screw up the Lord's Prayer? I was watching and didn't notice anything amiss...

The lyrics to "My Country 'Tis of Thee" were written in 1831, set to the tune of "God Save the King," and it's one of the most popular American patriotic songs.

And I thought Aretha's rendition was great. And very fitting for the occasion.

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From: tevriel.livejournal.com Date: January 20th, 2009 05:43 pm (UTC) (Link)

His delivery was terrible, and he put the emphasis in all the wrong places. Chas pointed out he was trying to make it sound spontaneous, which, hi, it's possibly the oldest prayer in Christianity. (Also Warren's whole spiel was so televangelisty I hated it. I kept feeling like he was going to ask me to get my credit card out.)

The second preacher guy was much better, because instead of trying to be remarkable for his presentation of his message, he offered it with clear sincerity.

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From: trexphile.livejournal.com Date: January 20th, 2009 05:46 pm (UTC) (Link)

Yeah, I'm definitely NOT a fan of Warren. I wasn't paying too much attention to how he said the Lord's Prayer, though, 'cause I was praying along with him and didn't notice his inflection.

I thought Gene Robinson was supposed to be involved in the inauguration!! I wonder what happened there, argh!

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From: tevriel.livejournal.com Date: January 20th, 2009 05:52 pm (UTC) (Link)

Yeah, that might have been preferable. Chas and I weren't praying along, though - not least because a prayer couched in "we Americans" terms would feel a bit disingenuous, but also because that guy is just not someone I'd be comfortable joining in prayer, really. I did pray for Obama tonight, but on my own.

It's this thing I've discovered I have - if the person leading the prayer is someone who's expression of faith is of a faith I can't honestly share, I can't in good conscience join my will to theirs in prayer.

I'm probably expressing this badly, I'm up waaaay too late, but I wanted to watch the Obama inauguration.

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From: shiningmoon.livejournal.com Date: January 20th, 2009 06:03 pm (UTC) (Link)

Gene Robinson opened the inaugural rock concert "We Are One" on Sunday.

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From: trexphile.livejournal.com Date: January 20th, 2009 07:04 pm (UTC) (Link)

Ah, okay. Thanks! I'll go find it on YouTube, since I'm sure it's there somewhere...

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From: firefly21.livejournal.com Date: January 21st, 2009 12:41 am (UTC) (Link)

Mahah is this the Rick Warren who wrote the 40 Days of Purpose bestseller? Because we did that in a bible study once, and while I think the book itself is amazing and everyone should read it, each week when we had to watch the accompanying video session we spent the time mocking Rick. I shouldn't laugh, but he really was the most terrible speaker and he used to do these horrible cut-aways where he would change to looking into a different camera, and it was so ludicrously bad. And he had a fake laugh. Poor man - he sure can write a good book, but I think he should stick to a less public ministry :P

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From: aegeus.livejournal.com Date: January 20th, 2009 05:24 pm (UTC) (Link)

That was a (frankly reeeeeeeally odd rendition of) My Country 'tis Of Thee, which does use the same tune as God Save the Queen. The origins of the tune itself are obscure, Brits claim it's theirs and only theirs, Germany claims it's an old plainsong of theirs, the French have some claim on it, etc. etc. The tune is also used as the Royal Anthem of Norway, the National Anthem of Lichtenstein, various Christian hymns, and was at one point also the Royal Anthem of Sweden. It likely was just created by monks or nuns somewhere a long time ago to sing hymns to and spread.

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From: tevriel.livejournal.com Date: January 20th, 2009 05:44 pm (UTC) (Link)

Ahhhh.

Still an interesting choice, at least for those of us in the wider world who totally hear that as God Save the Queen.

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From: aegeus.livejournal.com Date: January 20th, 2009 06:32 pm (UTC) (Link)

Yeah, I think there was actually a ton of confusion at a Euro 2004 qualifier where England played Liechtenstein and the song was played twice in a row at the beginning, being both's national anthem. >_>

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