OK, kiddies, time to sing out on “Joy to the World!”
Will you burst into (a) “Joy to the world! The Lord is come” or (b) “Jeremiah was a bullfrog”?
You may think it’s generational and you’ll be so cool if you choose the second one. So fresh! So new!
Well, newer than Handel’s “Joy to the World,” first published in 1719.
But you’re not exactly young and cool if you first heard Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the World” on the radio. It’s always been a jaunty story about a bullfrog who’s a generous friend and bon vivant (“He always had some mighty fine wine”).
But it first debuted 50 (yes, 50) years ago. If you were 30 when it first came out in 1971 – and you may remember the slogan “Don’t trust anyone over 30”? – you’re now 80. At least you won’t be drafted.
Musical tastes, like the morning sun, can show your age. But it’s always good to sing and to have joy. Let heaven and nature sing, including all the fishes in the deep blue sea.
