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How Great Thou Art
How Great Thou Art is not part of the usual genre of music for my articles. I chose this hymn as my last submission as I prepare to leave...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
Just A Foster Parent
The phrases "Just A Foster Parent” and “Just A Foster Child” always annoy me. Using “just" in that way minimizes the role we play, and...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
Everybody Loves The Sunshine!
This song was released in 1976 by Roy Ayers and his band Roy Ayers Ubiquity. It makes me smile when I sing it. People who are into lyrics...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
A Change is Gonna Come
A Change is Gonna Come was written in 1964 by Sam Cooke. He was known for his love songs, but he wanted to do more to unite people. This...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
This Land Is Your Land
This Land is Your Land was written by Woody Guthrie, in 1940, while traveling from California to New York. Like last months’ offering,...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
God Bless America!
In 1918, Irwin Berlin, born Israel Baline, arrived in the US from Russia at the age of five. I know the time frame is outside of my usual...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
Dancing in the Streets
Dancing in the Street reached number 2 on the Billboard Charts in 1964. Released on July 31st, the song was sung my Martha and the...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
Wake Up Everybody
To end this eventful year, I chose Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes’ “Wake up Everybody,” released in November 1975. This song, on the...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
Love’s in Need of Love Today
This is the opening song on my favorite album, (yes, I said album), “Songs in the Key of Life”. Stevie Wonder released this album in...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
Hey Jude
“Hey Jude,” released in 1968, is a song of encouragement. It was written by Paul McCartney to cheer up John Lennon’s young son Julian...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
Dock of the Bay
“The Dock of the Bay,” by Otis Redding, was released on January 8, 1968. It was recorded twice in 1967, the second time on December 7,...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
Your Song
This is one of my favorite songs by Elton John. It was recorded in January 1970 but not released until October 26 that same year. When I...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
What's Going On
I remember hearing “What’s Going On” almost everywhere I went in my community. It was a popular greeting, which made it a catchy song...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
Over The Rainbow
I first heard “Over the Rainbow,” more commonly known as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” sung by Judy Garland in the 1939 classic movie The...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
Lean on Me
This legendry song by Bill Withers was released in April 1972. It has been recorded by several artist, but his rendering is still my...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog
The song by Three Dog Night called “Joy to the World” was released in 1971. Most people know it by its first line, “Jeremiah was a...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
It's A Man's World
No, I haven’t lost my mind. I realize March is recognized as Women’s Month. I was tickled to hear James Brown’s 1964 song “It’s A Man’s...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
Black Man
The song “Black Man" is from the 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder. This is one of my favorite albums. Wikipedia (yes,...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
I Can See Clearly Now
The version of “I Can See Clearly Now” that I am most familiar with was released in 1972 by Johnny Nash. It was released again in 1993 by...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
Ooh Child!
The song, “Ooh Child”, by the Five Stairsteps, was released in 1970. The lyrics are simple and a message of hope. The verses repeat...
Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase
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