You've found Father McKenzie. But are you really looking for Eleanor Rigby?

Wednesday, December 03, 2003

SINGING FROM THE SAME HYMN SHEET Over at the ever-entertaining Boar's Head Tavern, Amanda Nordstrom notes that “Amazing Grace” can also be sung to the tune of “House of the Rising Sun”.

I've been to a few services where someone does this and yes, it sounds awesoooome. You can also sing "Amazing Grace" to the tune of the "Gilligan's Island" theme. Expanding on this theme (which has a long and venerable history: "The Star-Spangled Banner", like a lot of Charles Wesley's hymns, is set to the tune of what was originally a raucous tavern drinking song), Cliff Richard’s "Millen[n]ium Prayer" last century set the words of the "Our Father" (the Protestant version) to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne".

However, I was seriously disturbed when it occurred to me that you can sing the lyrics of "Stairway to Heaven" to the tune of "The Old Rugged Cross".

One of my ambitions -- one day -- is to do a cover of MeatLoaf's "Bat Out Of Hell" to the tune of Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road". Try it yourself...

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