When I was a youth pastor, I once had to bail one of my high schoolers out of jail for stealing a $70 pair of shoes he never would have worn. He said he was listening to a song in the car that made him want to do something rebellious. He pulled into the next store he passed, and lifted the first item he saw.
I was reminded of that experience when I read this story about a recent rash of murders in karaoke bars in the Philippines. They seem to occur mostly when Sinatra’s classic song “My Way” is sung:
Most of the “My Way” killings have reportedly occurred after the singer sang out of tune, causing other patrons to laugh or jeer.
“The trouble with ‘My Way,’ ” said Mr. Gregorio, “is that everyone knows it and everyone has an opinion.”
Others, noting that other equally popular tunes have not provoked killings, point to the song itself. The lyrics, written by Paul Anka for Mr. Sinatra as an unapologetic summing up of his career, are about a tough guy who “when there was doubt,” simply “ate it up and spit it out.” Butch Albarracin, the owner of Center for Pop, a Manila-based singing school that has propelled the careers of many famous singers, was partial to what he called the “existential explanation.”
“ ‘I did it my way’ — it’s so arrogant,” Mr. Albarracin said. “The lyrics evoke feelings of pride and arrogance in the singer, as if you’re somebody when you’re really nobody. It covers up your failures. That’s why it leads to fights.”
Music can be incredibly powerful, but not only to arouse evil in our hearts. It can also awaken our hearts to God’s glory and grace. I can still remember being swept up into the greatest awareness of God’s glory I’ve ever experienced, and it was in the middle of a pipe-organ postlude I heard after a church service in college. As a guy who had previously believed that nobody really knew how to worship until they brought guitars and drums into church, it was a humbling experience.
Throughout Scripture, God recognizes the unique power of music to influence us in a way nothing else could. Here’s just one example:
God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! (Psalm 47:5-7)
Music can make an impact for good or bad. What kind of music is influencing you?