This is the forty-fifth installment in The Sounds of Fundamentalism series. This is a series that I would like readers to help me with. If you know of a video clip that shows the crazy, cantankerous, or contradictory side of Evangelical Christianity, please send me an email with the name or link to the video. Please do not leave suggestions in the comment section. Let’s have some fun!
Today’s Sound of Fundamentalism is a clip of Looking for a City by Unknown Church Soloist. Evidently, no one had the balls to stop the song and tell the man that he was off-key…I mean REALLY off key. What’s worse is that the crowd actually clapped and said amen. Perhaps their response was to the song finally being over. It is likely that the man could actually sing the song, but the pianist started in the wrong key. I always told our musicians: it is okay to stop and start over. Even professional singers have to do this from time to time.
Holy crap that’s bad. But I do like the song. Never knew it back in my church days, but now I know it from this video, which is played FREQUENTLY at the Bourbon Pub in New Orleans. The gays love to sing along with an obvious “family” member! Skip the first 30 seconds.
https://youtu.be/I0SXTYj_v_8
I love the song. A great song for high tenors–aka Baptist eunuchs. ?
Bruce, you know, as well as I, that people making a joyful noise should be tolerated and encouraged.
I don’t know how many bad singers, pianists and assorted musicians I endured over the years. It seemed that mediocre singers got mediocre applause. Superb singers were given loud long applause. People who did poorly were also given loud applause and more “Amens” than you could count. Unfortunately, it just gave people who wanted to do something for the church false praise and made them think highly of themselves. I’m not sure how to do it, but there needs to be a way to help people who try, but aren’t very good. Maybe they just need some instruction and they will sound like a combination of Fergie and Jesus. Like I said, I’m not sure how to do this without totally crushing someone, but they need the truth.
All I know is that lying doesn’t help them. Look at American Idol. How many people bombed out and couldn’t believe it. They would tell the judges that they sang at church and everybody loved them. So sad.
I totally agree, Ian. I have heard more horrible, off-key specials than I care to remember. One woman sounded like hogs being slaughtered. Awful, but she had been “blessing” the church for 20 years. That said, I have heard numerous members who had wonderful voices, every bit as good as secular singers or professional Christian singing groups.
What he lacked in vocal skills he certainly made up for with his stage presence!
LMFAO!!
I love how the pianist is obviously fucking with him by continually introducing a higher key change.
Is there evidence that this is real? It is too funny. Perhaps it is a parody? As JD Matthews says – it just keeps getting higher.
He must realise it is awful and is playing a joke?
Uuuuggghh! I only made it to 2:09. Vestal Goodman he aint.