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Are there any praise and worship songs you consider to be fluff?

Precious Memories is fluff of the highest order--pure drivel.  Although, it cannot rightly be called "praise and worship" since God has nary a mention in the entire song.

I've seen this song in some books:

QuoteI Keep Falling In Love With Him

I keep falling in love with Him
Over and over and over and over again
I keep falling in love with Him
Over and over and over and over again
He gets sweeter and sweeter as the days go by.
Oh, what a love between my Lord and I.
I keep falling in love with Him
Over and over and over and over again.

Fortunately, I haven't heard it much.  But, some of the touchy-feely borderline-romantic songs make me more than a little uncomfortable.  As someone once said about other songs like this... "It takes a rather familiar tone with the Godhead."

I agree with jmg about Precious Memories.  Another older one that sometimes causes me to raise my eyebrows is My God and I... especially the part about "our voices ring with laughter" as I hang out with my good ole buddy, God.

"Church in the Wildwood" comes to mind.

I agree with the others mentioned as well.

Precious Memories
Church in the Wildwood
My God and I

much less fluffy than is protrayed here.

dj

Maybe we should define what we mean by "fluff"?

When thinking about fluff, I was talking about some of the "contemporary" worship songs that my congregation is singing.  A lot of them are very theologically shallow. 

Some of the songs remind me of when Cartman became a Christian music artist and took regular love songs and inserted the name Jesus into them instead of baby.

For example:

"I love you baby" in a pop song becomes "I love you Jesus."

*snerk*

The "Jesus is my boyfriend" type songs have their uses... He is the lover of my soul, and my God is a husband to me, after all.

When I think of the "gospel lite" songs, the fluffy songs, I call them "7-11 songs".

That is, they're maybe words repeated eleven times.

If someone didn't explain what "7-11 songs" were, I would just assume that was the music they play on the speakers at the 7-11.

I heard Eddie Rabbit's old song "I Love a Rainy Night" on the radio yesterday for the first time in a while.  Did you know that he repeats the title 29 times?  We haven't approached that, yet.

I guess some of these songs mentioned proves it isn't just the "contemporary" songs who some believe don't have a good meaning for them.

Also, that some peoples "fluff" are another's "good stuff."

Blessings, Memmy

Quote from: memmy on Fri Nov 03, 2006 - 07:05:46
I guess some of these songs mentioned proves it isn't just the "contemporary" songs who some believe don't have a good meaning for them.

Also, that some peoples "fluff" are another's "good stuff."

Blessings, Memmy

Fluff is fluff.  Some of these contemporary songs are fluff.  They repeat a bunch of stuff and have little substance.

It's the lack of substance that bothers me.  Repetition is not inherently bad...like some of David's Psalms, for example.

His love endureth forever.

"Breathe" is a song I consider to have little substance.

Here are some of the lyrics:

Quote
his is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I I'm desperate for you
And I I'm I'm lost without you

This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

Quote from: marc on Thu Nov 02, 2006 - 17:48:07
I heard Eddie Rabbit's old song "I Love a Rainy Night" on the radio yesterday for the first time in a while.  Did you know that he repeats the title 29 times?  We haven't approached that, yet.

I'm not sure repetition is a bad thing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe in ancient Hebrew repeition was used to signify the great importance of what the speaker was saying. Look at the Psalms and how repetitive they sometimes are.

We have quite a few Billy Graham followers down here in the South that are big fans of these songs...

We call them "Graham-Cracker-Fluffer-Nutters..."

[Whew...I'm glad that is over! ]

But, to be serious for a moment...

I am disappointed at times with the selection of songs available to "prepare us" for the Lord's Supper. 

One comes to mind, "Oft we come together," but there are others, which not only lumps communion and the offering together, but trivializes, IMO, both, by emphasizing "what" we do, and perhaps "why" we do, but not what He did!

I am not against simplicity...I think "Jesus Loves Me" is appropriate in an adult setting in some circumstances, but I think some of these time-honored songs are not really useful for the purposes they were written.

Quote from: mandalee65 on Fri Nov 03, 2006 - 07:53:57

Quote from: marc on Thu Nov 02, 2006 - 17:48:07
I heard Eddie Rabbit's old song "I Love a Rainy Night" on the radio yesterday for the first time in a while.  Did you know that he repeats the title 29 times?  We haven't approached that, yet.

I'm not sure repetition is a bad thing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe in ancient Hebrew repetition was used to signify the great importance of what the speaker was saying. Look at the Psalms and how repetitive they sometimes are.

They sort of remind me when George Harrison came out with repetitive pop song in the mid-80's called "I got my mind set on you". 

The next year, Weird Al came out with an appropriate parody called "(This Song's Just) Six Words Long."

I wonder if some of those  "love songs" to Jesus, being male, sounds.... gay to some.   Would we sing those around a poker table or at a football game?

Quote from: zoonance on Fri Nov 03, 2006 - 17:43:12
I wonder if some of those  "love songs" to Jesus, being male, sounds.... gay to some.   Would we sing those around a poker table or at a football game?

I wouldn't say gay.  But definitely some I find to be way too feminine.

I think the song you mentioned Gary, "This is the air I breathe" is a good meditative song.

Not a bouncey knee slapping, hand clapping type, but a good ol' meditation, "thinking of speaking that to God" type of song, to me anyways.

Blessings, Memmy

This all reminds me of an essay I read years ago by Annie Dillard called "Singing With The Fundamentalists".  I've looked for a copy online, and can't find it; I likely have it in a book somewhere, but I'm not sure which one.

She talks about singing "Bind us together" in a group and thinking that it was naive to assume that love is a chain that will not be broken, when most people realize that it is broken more often than not.  When I first read it, I thought it was unduly cynical and showed a lack of understanding of God's love.  Now, as I get older, I realize that, as far as our bonds to each other, they rarely last.  I think she had a point.

btw, she was at the time, I think, a Presbyterian-turned-irreligious-turned-multi-religious.  Since, she has converted to Catholicism.

Quote from: Gary on Wed Nov 01, 2006 - 06:30:33
Are there any praise and worship songs you consider to be fluff?

Yes.

for an anti-fluff moment, read lyrics from the new edition of the 'missouri harmony'.  that hymnal was the most prevalent one west of the mississippi for many years. 

dj

Fluff isn't all bad.  We have cushions stuffed with it.  And I, too, have found that one person's hated fluff song is another's beloved memory.

not to mention brains stuffed with it....

While we're talking about lyrics, how about this...

Worthy is the Lamb
Seated on the throne
Crown You now with many crowns
You reign victorious
High and lifted up, Jesus Son of God
The Darling of heaven crucified
Worthy is the Lamb


I really like this song.  But, there's just one line that bugs me...  "darling"?  That's an odd choice for a word to refer to Jesus, IMO.

Well, isn't that just sweet and preshus!  Talk about an old country song.  When I think of "darling"... I think of how ladies refer to cute little children... or, "oh, that's just a darling little dress!"... or how a couple who are romantically involved might affectionately refer to each other.

Think of it by its dictionary definition.  Or in "English" English.  It makes more sense that way.

'The Darling of heaven'

black churches in the south are no stranger to this phrasing.  see janine's comment.

dj

I would like to know what songs are considered 7-11 songs.  I have heard this said many times before, but can't think of any.  I think its a ruse.

Quote from: Big Mike Lewis on Sat Nov 25, 2006 - 11:44:58
I would like to know what songs are considered 7-11 songs.  I have heard this said many times before, but can't think of any.  I think its a ruse.

I will write down some of the songs that are sung this Sunday, and get back to you.

"Seven words repeated 11 times", per Chuck Swindoll's definition.

Gotta be careful which ones we criticize for too much repetition.  If you sing two verses and two choruses of "Power in the Blood", and two verses and two choruses of "Open The Eyes of my Heart", guess which one is more repetitive?



You would sing TWO MORE "power in the blood"s than you would "Open the eyes of my heart"s.