Admit it. You've done it before. The newest release from the hottest Bible college group hits PPH and you've scooped it up. There's one particular song, though, that spreads like wildfire, and before you know it, your home church choir is learning it and it's basically on eternal replay at every rally and convention known to Apostolic mankind until the song has long since worn out its welcome. All of this is fantastic, but there's just one teeny problem. Everybody thinks the song is original to the Bible college of the version they heard. Little do they know that the Bible college group nabbed it from someone else (legally, of course), Pentecostalized the style, and then released it before it went PPH Platinum.
There have been many past examples of this curious phenomenon, but none so egregious as with the song known as "Shackles." Don't act like you ain't heard it. Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance / I just wanna praise Him / I just wanna praise Him/ He broke my chains now I can lift my hands/ and I'm gonna praise Him/ I'm gonna praise Him.
I used to be a part of a praise singing group (more or less) and I cannot tell you how many times we were asked to sing "that song by IBC. You know, 'Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance'?" The times I've heard, "I love that IBC song, 'Shackles!'" are innumerable.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not downing Bible colleges doing versions of other people's songs. At all. I'm not downing their talent, and I'm not hating on Pentecostalizing songs to make them more palatable to Apostolic tastes. All I'm saying is let's get it right. Thinking "Shackles" is original to IBC is akin to thinking "Smooth Criminal" is original to Alien Ant Farm. Okay, maybe not that bad, but you get the idea. The origin of "Shackles" is not IBC Praise as ye suppose. It is the gospel duo Mary Mary.
That's common outside Pentecost. Whenever country fans hear a hot new song written and performed by an R&B artist (and vice versa), the same thing happens. You identify it how you were exposed to it.
ReplyDeleteThese days it's hard to make that mistake because of YouTube, iTunes, Gospel Music sites, etc. A simple Google search for lyrics will tell you who does the song, and looking one step further will tell you who did it originally.
Not a big deal. I appreciate that Bible Schools are writing more these days.
What! Alien Ant Farm is not the originator of Smooth Criminal!? Next thing you'll be telling me that In The Air Tonight was not from Nonpoint but from someone like Phil collins or something!
ReplyDeleteI like it when Bible Colleges rip of other artists because I can buy most of the new popular songs on one cd. Sadly, it usually sounds worse than the original group doing it even with all that annointing :/ Oh well, at least I can download whatever I want for $.99 w/o having to invest in the whole cd.
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