I don’t mind being asked about anything 😀. The only thing that pops to mind are questions that might require a lot of thought and research, such as what’s my favourite song. This has varied so much over the years. Maybe the most stable ones were Strawberry Fields Forever by the Beatles and Pressing On by Bob Dylan.
In recent times, a rare song by Prefab Sprout has become my favourite. I just find that it grows on me. Each time that I watch the video, I like it more.
I remember first hearing Prefab Sprout back in 1985, and I got to like them in 1988. They played on The Late Late Show, which was the most popular show on Irish TV back then.
I bought a few of their albums, but I wasn’t hugely into them until my daughter discovered them in 2021. For whatever reason, all their songs started to become utterly magical to me. Funnily enough, I didn’t initially classify “Don’t Sing” as among my favourites, but it is now.
What about hymns or spiritual songs? Again, that’s a tough one. One that does stand out for me is “How Shall I Sing That Majesty”. I never remember singing it in church, but somehow or other, I discovered it about 10 years ago. And I discovered Libera’s version while searching for it on YouTube. I can’t make up my mind on which version I like best, but I love the hymn, both lyrically and musically.
And what about modern and ultra-modern worship songs? If I had a gun to my head and needed to make a quick decision, I’d choose At Your Feet We Fall (1982) and Holy Forever (2022).
But, I love 1,000s of songs, both Christian and secular. They’re the soundtrack to my life.
Getting back to Prefab Sprout, they released an old delayed album in 2009, which I didn’t discover until 2021, though I do remember hearing an interview about it back in 2009. It isn’t a Christian album, but it’s full of references to God as the creator of music. And it touches me deeply. What would life be like without music?
Hibernia Gospel 