Love
“ never fails …” ( NKJV ). I John 3:16 gives us the ultimate definition of agape love . “ By this we know love ; that he laid down his life for us , and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers .” ( ESV ) And yet , we still struggle with its meaning and execution – sometimes on an even hourly basis . ( On a personal note , why has it taken me until right now to see the obvious-to-everyone-but-me connection between I John 3:16 and John 3:16 ? Evidently the blinders remain in place , as usual .)
A quick glance at each of the varying lyrics from “ Let there be Love ” versions will likely muddy the waters of love even further :
OASIS ( written by Noel Gallagher ) “ Who kicked a hole in the sky so the heavens would cry over me ? Who stole the soul from the sun in a world come undone at the seams ? Let there be love - Let there be love ”
CHRISTINA AGUILERA ( by multiple writers ) “ I wanna tell you my secret With just the sound of my breathing I wanna know your hearts beating I wanna tell ya , I wanna tell ya ” ( And those are just the lyrics suitable for printing here .)
NAT KING COLE ( covering the 1940 version by composer Lionel Rand and lyricist Ian Grant ) “ Let there be you , let there be me , Let there be oysters under the sea , Let there be wind and occasional rain , Chili Con Carne and sparkling champagne ” The 1940 version was covered by many other artists – from Englebert Humperdinck to the Andrews Sisters , from Peggy Lee to Tony Bennett . Evidently it was and may remain a very popular tune .
SIMPLE MINDS ( written by James Kerr , Charles Burchill ) “ Secrets of lovers Whisper tonight Broken down angel Got lost in the cold daylight The city is screaming And I look for your eyes Someone to lean on through the night Your music talks to me and hits me tonight One candle burning , I hear your voice say So let there be love Let there be love Love Let there be love ”
While digging around for lyrics , I found yet a fifth version – though its title is a bit different . It was written by Dave Bilbrough in 1979 , and is a worship hymn , titled “ Let there be love shared among us ”:
Oh yes , please , let there be love . Always . Now we ’ re getting somewhere ! Even in the most difficult times . Even when it hurts beyond comprehension . Even when it makes us angry . Even when we feel we don ’ t receive it or can ’ t give it . Let there be love . Marriage vows get bruised and tattered every day . We can do and say horrible , insensitive things to each other . The same goes for families and neighbors , coworkers and friends . We betray and are betrayed . Feelings are hurt . Grief overtakes us .
And yet we must continue to sing , let there be love . It is an action required of us all . Without it , we are nothing but crashing cymbals and banging gongs . The music of love must play on … different lyrics , different designs , different rhythms and rhymes . May we just keep singing , “ Let there be love !”
SHEMAGAZINE . COM FEBRUARY 2017 29