大象传媒

From Canon Ann Easter, Chief Executive of a Charity and Chaplain to the Queen:

听

If ever there were an anthem of an age, it鈥檚 got to be 鈥楻ock Around the Clock鈥� which, together with 鈥楽hake, Rattle and Roll鈥�, was recorded by Bill Haley 60 years ago tomorrow! After all those crooners and ballads, and maybe some jazz for the beatniks, the new records must have come as a bit of a shock 鈥榗os they were loud, beaty and talked about staying out all night dancing 鈥� and they weren鈥檛 referring to the waltz!.

听

It seems as if 鈥楻ock around the Clock鈥� changed the musical landscape for ever - with Elvis gyrating hot on its heels to ensure things were never the same again. Suddenly we could be energetically and blatantly explicit about feelings in songs and there was a new group of people called 鈥楾eenagers鈥� who quickly made them their own. But听 I can't count the times I've been at a family wedding or party where there鈥檚 a desultory bit of Dad-dancing going on and someone鈥檚 put on '1,2,3 o'clock, 4o'clock Rock' 鈥� and suddenly we're all up on the floor, jiving with the best of 'em.

听

Of course, not willing to miss an opportunity to disapprove, I鈥檓 sad to say some the churches of those days branded the new music immoral and they were quite sure that it was a direct message from the devil; Christians, especially British ones even these days can be a bit anxious about feelings which might overwhelm 鈥� I remember talking to a Mother鈥檚 Union group who had changed the words of a hymn so that instead of 鈥榩assion鈥� it said 鈥榳armth鈥�.

But I reckon that passion and excitement are every bit as much a gift from God as all those rather more ladylike feelings and they鈥檙e given to us to enjoy and at times to employ as we spread the news of God鈥檚 love.