Since someone brought up the question of why Amazing Grace has become linked with bagpipes, I'd like to address the question of how/why this beautiful song is beginning to be overused as a funeral song.

In actuality, the song is sung at weddings, church services, campfires, and in a lot of contexts. But the radio and TV medica -- in their usual monkey-see, monkey-do manner -- have begun to play a short clip of bagpipes playing the first few measures of "Amazing Grace" every time they cover a funeral (especially a military one or one for public servants like police or firefighters).

My guess is that at every one of those media-covered funerals there were other songs played or sung -- "Abide With Me," "Rock Of Ages," "In The Garden," "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," "In The Sweet By and By," or other hymns, or maybe some secular songs.

As I said, though, the current mass media are terribly uninventive -- total copycats. (If one newscaster misuses a word or comes up with an idiotic phrase, you can bet there will be dozens of them copying it the next day.) So the use of that "first line of Amazing Grace" (on bagpipes, of course) has almost become de rigeur, it seems when the news media cover memorial services.

I must admit that I'm even a bit perturbed at Tom Paxton for his allusion to "Amazing Grace" as a funeral song in his wonderful tribute to the NYC firefighters ("The Bravest), because it contributes to the ruination of one of my favorite hymns.

I actually do not think it's entirely too late to salvage the song yet. As I said, folks still do sing it in other contexts.

But it will not take too many more repetitions of that funeral-cum-Amazing Grace-on-bagpipes type of news clip to pound the last nail into the coffin (so to speak) of this song.

Mainly, I'm just venting. But I'd be interested in you folks' thoughts on the subject.

Genie

Bobert

What bothers me is the news media's insistence on playing, not just "Amazing Grace," but exactly the same 3 or 4 measures of the song, everytime they portray a funeral. That is what is likely to get the song relegated to the status of "funeral song."

Genie

I'll wager that when they cover a funeral where "Amazing Grace" and 5 other songs were played, they choose to play a clip of "Amazing Grace," even if the other songs are pretty well known.

Actually, folks, yes, I am venting. But I'm on the verge of organizing a letter-writing campaign to encourage the radio and TV stations to cut it out, for the sake of sparing that song from an undeserved fate.

I'm reminded of "Brpwn boots - I arsk you. Fancy going to a funeral in brown boots." As if that kind of thimng is what matters.

If you had asked me in 1980 to name the 5 most common funeral hymns, "Amazing Grace" would not have come to my mind.

And for military funerals, whatever happened to "Eternal Father, Strong To Save?" It used to be pretty standard fare for those.

Right on, Sorcha! LOL!

guest, there IS a song about the gal, "Amazin' Grace (How Sweet She Was!"). Who sang that -- Arlo Guthrie?

Genie