1976

I review a different year of my life each day. Rather than going through chronologically, I started half-way through my life. So, I alternate between going backwards and forwards. Today, I’m in 1976. I observe and edit an online diary that I created on Google Sites, which features songs, films, pictures, both public and family, and news events. I didn’t make it public, but it would make tedious reading in any case 😀.

Here are some of the songs that I remember from 1976. By then, I was big into albums – mainly the Beatles and Pink Floyd. My pop era was back in 1973-1975, but I took some interest in chart music, and I still try to. It’s much harder these days 😀.

• Evil Woman​ – ELO
• I Wanna Stay With You​ – Gallagher and Lyle
• Mama Mia – Abba
• Pinball Wizard​ – Elton John
• Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)​ – Diana Ross
• Fool To Cry​ – The Rolling Stones
• Arms Of Mary​ – Sutherland Brothers and Quiver
• Silly Love Songs​ – Wings
• The Boys Are Back In Town​ – Thin Lizzy
• Don’t Go Breaking My Heart​ – Elton John and Kiki Dee
• You’re My Best Friend​ – Queen
• Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel​ – Tavarus
• You Should Be Dancing​ – Bee Gees
• Let ‘Em In​ – Wings
• Dancing Queen​ – Abba
• Blinded By The Light​ – Manfred Man’s Earth band
• Breakaway​ – Gallagher and Lyle
• If You Leave Me Now​ – Chicago
• Lowdown – Boz Scaggs
• Daybreak – Horslips

We hardly ever saw videos back then, though I do remember the video for Bohemian Rhapsody. I assumed that Chicago were Afro American at the time, until someone lent me one of their albums. 1976 was also the year that Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life was released and the single I Wish. I bought that double album the following year – when I had more money.

My favourite Irish song was Daybreak by Horslips. They were the first group that I saw in concert in Cork City Hall in the closing days of 1975. I didn’t include Dana’s Fairytale in the above list, but when BBC replayed a series of Top of the Pops from 1976, I remembered the song fondly. Back then, I’d have been a bit embarrassed about liking the sort of song that my parents might like, but I like it now 😀. Here are both songs:

Punk rock began in 1976. I didn’t really get into it until autumn 1977, when I went to a Stranglers concert, again in Cork’s City Hall. I also saw the Tommy film back in 1976. It made little sense to me apart from Pinball Wizard. I watched it again a few years ago and listened to the actual Who album. It’s marvelous rediscovering old music. My daughters often get me into all the old stuff because they love it.

So what else do I remember about 1976? If you regularly read my posts, you’ll know that I often speak of music and Christianity. I didn’t commit my life to Christ until 1980, but I was brought up Roman Catholic, and I spent much of my teens investigating religion and philosophy. In 1976, I had two New Testaments. One was a school book – or recommended by by religion teacher – “Good News of Modern Man”. And the other was a little Gideons New Testament. We got them in school, but before that, I got one from an evangelical guy who we met one night in late 1975. I don’t remember much about the first New Testament. Perhaps I saw it as a school book. But I started to love my little Gideon New Testament, which included the Psalms and a reference on verses to handle life’s challenges. You get all that online nowadays.

In 1976, I was big into Radio Luxembourg 208. Just a couple of days ago, I noticed that someone put an old show from April 1976 online. Back then, Ireland had just one radio station, and they only played a couple of hours of pop music each week. We could just about get BBC radio but it wasn’t easy, and 208 was harder again, but they played pop all night. Sometimes, while tuning in, I’d mistakenly find Trans World Radio (TWR) Monte Carlo, which was an evangelical preaching station. Unlike my Catholic Mass, I found this quite compelling. It struck a deep chord within me. People would often invite you to commit your life to Christ. I wanted to do that, but I was confused. Was I already a Christian? Would I become truly saintly or would it make any difference at all?

When I finally did it in August 1980, it did make a difference. I didn’t become perfect, but forming habits such as fellowship, prayer, Bible Study and evangelism does change you. And it’s God who does that work. But the key thing is Christ’s promise that if we hear His word and believe Him who sent Him, we cross over from death to life.

To be honest, I sometimes wonder if I might have genuinely committed my life to Christ earlier in life without realizing it. Was my conversion just my decision to commit myself to evangelicalism? But even if the latter is true, it has made a huge difference in my life. I remember a well-known evangelical being interviewed on a podcast some years ago. He was asked when he became a Christian. He said that he can never remember not being a Christian. I appreciated his honesty. In the evangelical world, we’re very keen on putting a date on our conversion, because we stress the importance of the need for personal conversions and personal faith rather than being a cultural Christian.

The important thing is where you are now. If I get dementia in a few years, I might forget my wedding date, but it won’t mean that I’m not married. I still think of August 17th 1980 as the date of my conversion, but I don’t care when the all heaven rejoiced at my conversion.

Luke 15:7
 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Roman Catholics might say that the seed was planted when I was baptized as a baby, and my “conversion” was that coming to fruition. But what about all those who get baptized and never bother with Christianity at all? But though I believe that you should only be baptized after conversion (as happens in the New Testament), I do think that an infant baptism or dedication represents a commitment by family and community to teach you about and encourage you in the Christian faith. So, in that sense, it is like the planting of a seed.

Here are some other memories of 1976:

I was way too cool to be into Christian music back in 1976, but here’s a couple of songs that saw the light of day that year:

I have another 1976 post from last year that includes some more details – Music Memories: 1976