To the Divine!

You know how in the Song of Solomon, where the poet writes intense, erotic love poetry, but is really talking about God...? That’s how I tend to hear most songs. No matter what style of music or how secular the song, I inevitably find my mind bringing it back around to the Divine. In the Golden Age, Spaniards called this way of looking at art “a lo divino.” (Here’s the definition Wikkipedia gives: A lo divino is a Spanish phrase meaning “to the divine” or “in a sacred manner.” The phrase is frequently used to describe a secular work, rewritten with a religious overtone, or a secular topic recast in religious terms using metaphors and symbolism.)

Golden Age Spanish
poet St. John of the
Cross – I think this is
a painting of him
listening to The Who.

It’s just a slightly mad way of looking at things that, I think, makes my life just a bit richer. So, here's a playlist of some of my favorite praise and worship songs. You might notice some repetition of artists...like Soul Asylum and Pete Townshend/the Who. I guess some secular artists just have a knack for bringing in something that touches on the Divine for me. You may also notice that I have included secular songs by artists who have written Christian songs (Bob Dylan, Van Morrison)... so maybe they had the right idea all along? Lastly, I have left out songs by U2 because, while I find them to be excellent for worship, they are, I think, intended to be heard that way. 

Born to Run/Bruce Springsteen

Wonderful Tonight/Eric Clapton 

Something/The Beatles

Let My Love Open the Door/Pete Townshend

Bargain/The Who

Silver and Gold/Neil Young

Runaway Train/Soul Asylum

My Love Explodes/Dukes of Stratosphere (aka XTC)

I Feel Beautiful/Robyn Hitchcock

Divine Intervention/Matthew Sweet

Swimming in Your Ocean/The Crash Test Dummies

Sweet Release/New Grass Revival

Crazy Love/Van Morrison (or nearly anything off the Moondance album)

Love Rain O’er Me/The Who

Close/Soul Asylum

This Side/Nickel Creek

What Is Life/George Harrison

Not Fade Away/Buddy Holly

Great Balls of Fire/Jerry Lee Lewis

You Wreck Me/Tom Petty

Cradle Chain/Soul Asylum

Maggie’s Farm/Bob Dylan

Somebody Saved Me/Pete Townshend

The Ugly Truth/Matthew Sweet

Message of Love/The Pretenders

Wildflowers/Tom Petty

I could really go on forever, but I won’t  – I’m guessing you get my point! So next time you hear one of these songs – heck, almost ANY song – expand your mind... take it to the next level and see what happens!

(Pictured above: some of my favorite "praise and worship" song songwriters/singers... top to bottom: Bruce Springsteen, Soul Asylum, Tom Petty, Pete Townshend, Matthew Sweet, The Pretenders, Jerry Lee Lewis.)