I realized this evening that I love ballads.  Songs like The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald, and Bristlecone Pine.  I realized this when I heard the song, Bristlecone Pine, on an interview with Bryan Bowers and found myself obsessed.  I had to know what CD had the song, and it turns out the CD is named for that ballad.  Then I purchased that CD just for that one song!

This caused me to wonder, am I ever so obsessed with a song that is not a ballad?  Truth is, generally NO.  I do love Church music of all kinds, especially the ones with deep theology reflected in the words.  But have I ever gone to search and find a song, even a hymn, that was not also a ballad?

As a youngster, I was totally obsessed with the ballad, Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald, and even learned about the history behind the story because it was such an incredible story-song. I could never hear it often enough!

Ghost Riders in the Sky gets my attention every time. Love it so much that I go to Youtube sometimes just to listen to it played by different musicians because it is a ballad and ballads are meant to be sung by people, lots of different people.

I think about these examples, a drop in the bucket of ballads I have loved, and yeah, I am really awed by ballads.  I want to listen to them, over and over and over.  I want to memorize the words and the melody, no matter how many times I must repeat the music to get them all correct.  I want to be able to sing the song, over and over and over.

My older kids occasionally asked me to change songs.

During Lent, I was singing my favorite Lenten hymn. Yes, it is similar to chant.  It is ALSO a ballad.  Ditto for my favorite Marian hymn.

I guess at my age I should have realized how much I can be touched by ballads but I guess I didn’t or it would not have been such a surprise.  Soon I will be playing Bristlecone Pine over and over and over and over so I can figure out how to sing it for myself.