I have a book, DON’T SING SONGS TO A HEAVY HEART, by Kenneth Haugk PhD. Our church used the book in training Stephen Ministers to care for people who are hurting. In a nutshell, the book says lay off platitudes (Paige hated platitudes) and listen to the person who is hurting. Haugk is not opposed to songs. It is a metaphor he uses for the gleeful attempt often used to cheer up a person so we ourselves won’t feel gloomy. King David had a raft of troubles in his lifetime (Yes, I know, he brought on some by his own doing.) But he loved music and songs .He wrote 73 of the Psalms and in the Bible, and a few more are attributed to him.
We Methodists have a reputation as “Singing Methodists.” Charles Wesley wrote a boatload of hymns. The Hymnal has only a few dozen of his, and some of those are even shortened so they could be put into the Hymnal. Oh, and brother, John Wesley, wrote some fine hymns as well. And. As you know, secular songs flood the airwaves ; in 1976 B. J. Thomas made this song famous; “Hey Won’t You Play Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song.”
“A real hurtn’ song About a Love, that’s gone wrong’Cause I don’t want to cry all alone… Hey, won’t -cha’ play, anotherSomebody done somebody wrong songAnd make me feel at home…”
The song is so melancholy you wouldn’t think of it as a go-to entertaining song; Yet, in 1976 it was the longest titled No. 1 hit ever on the Hot 100.Songs can create moods all across the spectrum; happy, sad, cheerful, macabre—even satiristic, like, “Lets Go to Georgia and Bowl.” YouTube is awash with them. People love songs—of all types
Paige, my wife, couldn’t carry a tune in a ZipLoc bag, yet she loved what she called “making a joyful noise” in church; a thrill of her life was hearing Victoria’s voice, especially in the Hallelujah Chorus. I recently heard a recording of “The Singing Blind Boys of Alabama”–some of their songs hark back to the Gospel songs from Black culture; Songs that helped lift the spirits of tired, weary, working folk. Songs are the “leaven in the loaf” of life. Maybe that is why Haugk used songs as a contrast metaphor for platitudes. Kinda like “Whistling in the dark?” John Wesley, took a different approach to songs: in his “Rules for Singing; (there were seven) one of the rules is:
“Sing lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep.”
Now, there’s a man who appreciates a good song, sung well.