Music Notes

Day 7, Simply Three and OneRepublic (bonus)

My seventh choice was a tossup between Simply Three's Silent Night and their First Noel. Both are equally good, and both are included on their Lux album without an alarming amount of bass edginess.

Their Silent Night sweeps us up in a slow, soothing build, with a certain amount of noise in the background that I only realized was there after I “freshened my ears” with a quick, lightly produced OneRepublic song…

Well, one 1R song turned into two, which slipped along into three, until as I lay half dozing with AZ Music running downloaded tracks offline, telling myself I needed to finish trying to describe the way S3’s Silent Night sounds and realizing how boring that was, another song came up that touched my heart in a whole new way: Take It Out on Me.

A deep cut from 1R’s 2021 album Human, it focuses on Ryan Tedder's crystal clear voice over a slow, solemn piano line and echoing reverb. He pleads with his partner to pour their heart out to him, promising to “shut up and listen” to everything, knowing they would do the same for him when he's had a bad day.

It's been a good two or three years since I last listened to this song. I've learned so much since then, and I've been unpacking so much emotional baggage lately, that Ryan's heartfelt words drew tears to my eyes. These days, I'm studying chaplaincy, pastoral care and counseling, and this is exactly what we're taught to do: don't put in our two cents, but provide a strong shoulder to cry on, quiet grace of presence and awareness, acceptance and commitment. We don't have to fix the mess, just love them through it.

Take It Out on Me meshes perfectly with the themes of the season, both personally and as it relates to the holidays. Christ knows how it feels to be ignored, judged, and devalued. He is the ultimate Chaplain… Indeed, one of his titles from Isaiah is Mighty Counselor. OneRepublic's words are a reminder to look upwards and confide in the One Who never leaves us.

Words: 352.