"Brightly Beams the Father's Mercy" Hall of Infamy

by sarahmfry, September 07, 2010
(Note from Sarah:  This is a post David created a long time ago that never got posted.  We absolutely laughed our heads off at these.)


This is a rare post by the "David" of davidandsarahfry.blogspot.com.

In preparation for a special song for Sunday AM worship, I found the following renditions of Philip Bliss's 1871 hymn, "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning," otherwise called "Brightly Beams the Father's Mercy." I began in the hymnal but felt the song was rather static. The following renditions are...entertaining? I'm not sure. Which one would you prefer for Sunday AM worship?

We begin with one of the more tasteful versions sung by J. Ashley Milne. I'm not sure who he is, but you can listen to him below.

 (NOTE: You do NOT have to listen to ALL each selection to get the full effect.....unless noted otherwise).




 
I then came across the song sung by Tim Riley of Gold City fame, singing along with The Southmen (never heard of them). I was especially impressed by the feedback; Sarah was impressed by the inverted-boom-chick-playing pianist. We report, you decide.



 
It was the following clip that made me realize the song can be sung in many different styles. How about some black...gospel, ragtime???



 
Perhaps a little too hip-hop for AM worship; so how about something a bit more choral?



 
The choir piece was a bit too starchy for me. So how about a guitar version (NOTE: Listen to most of it, if you can).


 
Speaking of starchy, did she move at all during the song--besides the odd-sounding suspensions? Just for fun, tomorrow is Missions Sunday, how about a foreign language version? (NOTE: Evidently, the phrasing is a bit shorter in Chinese, hence the gap in the middle...listen on).


 


 
I hadn't anticipated acapella, so I did some more research. Back to a quartet number, but acapella. (NOTE: Listen to the entirety of the song. Thankfully it's only one verse)



Just for laughs, my 10-month old was giving his facial approval or disapproval. It changed drastically after the third video. He was dancing with the ragtime, emotionless with the choir, gave me a seriously-mean scowl during the guitar piece, and began crying sometime into the Chinese version and climaxed into a full-fledge wail (with tears) during the final 0:49 sound bite. This is no joke! I wish I had captured his face on camera.

David
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