Worst Catholic hymn? My vote goes to:
Let us know your choice in the comboxes.
Thought For The Day
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
“God Beyond All Names”- neo-Gnostic nuttiness.
I don’t know if it’s Lord of the Dance, but I also don’t not know if it’s Lord of the Dance.
Mass of the Ages had a fund-raising live-stream a year or so ago where they kept ironically playing Lord of the Dance until people stopped donating. It was both brilliant and horrifying. Peak millenial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlFDrFJ1Xs0
Not so much a hymn….but the “alle alle alle luia” before the gospel.
For example:
https://youtu.be/YK4GWY6sA3A?si=5BALKrbailSQbSdE
Right up my alley. I grew up in a parish that was rah rah about all the modern nonsense. Whenever I hear any of them I feel like I’m in a time warp back to 1988-96. It also doesn’t help that I was in the, ahem, “music ministry”. Yes, our liturgist was an older ex-nun who was a breathing example of the joke about how you could at least negotiate with a terrorist. But I digress…
Worst “hymn”…. Toughie. City of God, We Are Called, or Song of the Body of Christ.
We have plainchant and polyphony. We can get along without hymns. We can also get along without congregational singing. Antiphons between a choir and scola or a responsorial between a choir and celebrant should do. No need for instruments.
but I also don’t not know if it’s Lord of the Dance
==
It was a Shaker tune. With the original lyrics, its a satisfactory fit for an anabaptist congregation.
A snare drum and a guitar…they just don’t belong on the side altar playing some worn out 70’s “Kumbya” during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. At least, not for me.
No particular one, but what drives me crazy is the soloist who dominates all prayer as she reaches for the stars with her operatic voice. The very concept of a sacred hymn is corrupted beyond repair.
The irrepressible Eccles (@BruvverEccles) ran an elimination poll a couple of years ago on Twitter for the Worst Catholic Hymn of All Time. I think Lord of the Dance was the “winner”. He probably has the results on his website, ecclesandbosco.blogspot.com.
In any event, my nomination goes without hesitation to the execrable “On Eagles’ Wings.” Gag me.
Pretty much anything coming from the poison pens of either Marty Haugen or the so-called St. Louis Jesuits also qualifies. Nice songs for youth retreats, but no good for anything else, most especially liturgical use.
An interesting/disturbing opinion about modern church music is presented here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y1cABhLc2o
Start at 4:52
The irrepressible Eccles (@BruvverEccles on Twitter) ran an elimination poll a couple of years back for the “Worst Catholic Hymn of All Time.” If I recall correctly, the “winner’ was “Lord of the Dance.” My own nomination, however, is “On Eagles’ Wings.” Gag me.
That said, just about anything from the so-called St. Louis Jesuits or Marty Haugen also qualifies. Nice campfire songs for a youth retreat, but completely unsuited for the sacred liturgy. Art D is spot on, in that we have the beautiful legacy of chant and polyphony handed down to us over millennia, which eliminates any need for congregational singing when presented properly, by a trained schola. To the surprise of many modern “liturgy directors”, even Vatican II said this should be the norm, (see Sacrosanctum Concilium, for example), and the G.I.R.M. specifies that chanted antiphons OR sung hymns may be used in the Mass.
Congregational singing during the liturgy is not, as far as I know, an historically Catholic thing. I don’t know about the Eastern Catholic rites. But I wish it would go away.
I was going to say something to sundown Lord Of The Dance, but I see several other commentators have beat me to it. However, I do have one big gripe about music in the Church. Why do we even have Protestant hymns and songs in our songbook? Nearly every piece of music I hear at mass is either that horrible 70’s stuff or Protestant hymns. Why the Protestant stuff? Don’t we have centuries of Catholic music to draw a upon? Does Martin Luther’s Mighty Fortress belong in the songbooks of the Church he called the whore of Babylon? About the only time I ever hear any real Catholic songs and hymns is around Easter or Christmas!
For those of a younger age I would note that in the “old days” we had dedicated choirs with full on Catholic choir books in many medium to large parishes. Today, there is little choice but singing by people in the pews. Goes without saying that the ability to sing traditionally Catholic hymns is also fading.
No mention of “We rise again from ashes” which is not only musically flat but Pelagian in theology?
Tangential, but related, can we PLEASE dispense with Communion hymns? It would be wonderful to be allowed to meditate in silence on what I have just received, rather than being assaulted by “Table of Plenty”, etc. (BTW, I’m in the choir.)
Elaine Krewer, Yes! A thousand times yes. We’ve only done “Ashes” once, during, of course. Easter. As soon as I realized what was going on, I stopped singing and sat it out. I hope that Father heard it, too, and had a quiet word with our music director, so that it may never return.
“Here I Am Lord”. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard “Lord of the Dance”, and you guys are not convincing me to YouTube it.
Truth be told, I kinda like some of these songs you all think are so terrible. I honestly don’t see what’s so awful about “Hear I Am Lord” or “On Eagle’s Wings”, and if you’re going to ban all Protestant-composed hymns, there goes just about every Christmas carol ever written. That said, I do despise “Ashes”, “City of God”, and “We Are Called”.
A brief history of Daniel Schutte’s Heritage Missal:
A Publication of Desolation
“Here I Am, Lord” has the congregation sing in the role of God. I really don’t like that.
As far as “Here I Am, Lord,” I’m not a fan of the first person voice for God used for the verses. I don’t see anything particularly “wrong” about what is being said; it just rubs me the wrong way in the same way that a lot of protestant “praise and worship” songs do which utilize the same technique. And to me the melody is overly saccharine and the wording follows suit in being far too sentimental. It’s also one of those songs that, unless performed by professionals, invariably plods along and becomes dirge-like.
For Eagle’s Wings I don’t dislike (most of) the lyrics, as most of it is drawn from Psalm 90, which is probably the greatest of the Psalms. However, the refrain mixes metaphors (as a lot of these types of songs do) and it’s hard for me to get past that, as well as veering too much into sentimentalism. I also despise the tune which sounds to me like a cheap Broadway knock-off.
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PLEASE dispense with Communion hymns? It would be wonderful to be allowed to meditate in silence on what I have just received, rather than being assaulted by “Table of Plenty”,
I agree, South Coast. People have just received the Eucharist and they are singing as they walk back to the pews..We have a parishioner who sits next to the priest after Communion and sings Salve Regina. A few people have joined in. it is very distracting trying to pray.
Taste and see, table of plenty. Sing a new song.
Generally I don’t like songs that are hymns to the ccongregation “we🎶 are a holy people .. . !
Best songs are sung to God or Mary. “Holy God we praise Your Name” oh Sacrsment most Holy” etc
Omnia opera of Schutte and Haugen—They should be on a reinstated “Index cantorium censorum.” But my MOST HATED is “Will you let me be your servant?” So supine and saccharine! I agree with everyone else’s expression of disgust for the vapid-ness of American Catlik hymnody of the last 50 years. It will NEVER replace Palestrina, Vitoria, Byrd, Talles, Mozart, Arcadelt, Hayden, or Gregorian chant!
For those who like traditional hymns and the organ, go to Youtube and search “mcveigh” hymns. He plays traditional (Anglican) hymns on wonderful cathedral organs.
“For the Healing of the Nations.” Not only a terrible melody, but outright blasphemy in the lyrics.
In general, when it comes to hymns, I always think about the people who wander from the Faith. There are plenty of people who only have a few childhood memories of Mass attendance and don’t think about it much. They may have a snippet of a song they remember. Is it going to be “Thou on earth both Priest and Victim in the Eucharistic feast” or “and He will raise you up on eagles’ wings”?
On a far less serious note, I’ve seen some hymns attributed to a composer named Leo Nestor, and I always thought he should perform with a band as Leo Nestor and the Nestorians.
Here I am, Lord. Actually, anything fromnthe Gather hymnal.
Here I am, Lord, comes to mind. Actually, anything from the Gather hymnal.
Okay. Now you’ve got me started.
“Sing a New Church” (what exactly does that mean?!) “Gather Us In” (sounds like a sea shanty). “All Are Welcome” (sounds like a kindergarten marching song – picture it). “Amazing Grace” (I overdosed on it after 9/11 – it is a dirge and depresses me). “Song of the Body of Christ” (bleh – not inspiring, insipid). “A Mighty Fortress” (not Catholic – why are we singing Lutheran hymns?!) “Ashes” (stupid).
There are more, but I am sure my fellow minions will fill in the blanks.
“We are Called” is very, very irritating. Like many other songs, it takes the emphasis from God to “we”. And I really, really, really dislike songs during Communion. I want quiet, to focus of Jesus, not sing – or hear others sing – after receiving the Eucharistic Lord. God bless all of you.