I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy 😀. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the in-between hymns.
Today’s song is There’s a Place Where the Streets Shine from 1995.
When I discovered this one in 2017 (22 years following its release 😀), it seemed strangely rockish for a Christian song. But I’ve discovered many more since then. I always liked rock music, but back in the 1980s, Christian rock always sounded silly to me. But now I’m almost at the point where I prefer the Christian rock music to the 21st century secular rock music. Yet, most of my favourite music is from the 20th century and before. But if I find myself living in the current century and millenium, maybe I should just get used to it 😀.
Whatever the musical styles, I love the lyrics of all the modern worship songs. I classify this as an “in-between” song. It’s 31 years old, so to some, it would be truly old.
I was in Belfast earlier this week. Back in the 1990s, I’d see some very old fashioned Ulster street preachers. I didn’t see any this time. But when I was walking near the city hall, where Ian Paisley used to preach, I heard one of the very modern worship songs and a few African guys engaged in evangelism. So much has changed. Thankfully, things aren’t as scary in Belfast as they were during the troubles. Strangely, I feel nostaligic about all the old checkpoints and army vehicles patrolling the streets. It feels as if the Belfast that I knew is gone. And it’s the same with everywhere else. I find myself resenting new buses and fondly remembering the old ones 😀. But I’m working hard to adjust to modern life. That brings to mind a 1993 Blur album title – Modern Life Is Rubbish 😀. Life is even more modern now. 😀
So anyway, the only other “There’s a Place” song that I know is the Beatles song from Please Please me. This hymn is about a much better place – heaven itself! And it’s available to us because of Jesus. Here are some other versions, including an old church organ version – funny how the radical songs eventually creep in to old churches 😀:
