Part 1
            Hello Central Kansas and around the world!  Thank you for joining us this second Sunday of April of 2019.  I hope your April has begun in a beautiful way and that the Spring weather is good to you.  Thank you for joining us and welcome to MATT on today’s best music, Mix 103, the number 1 rock station in central Kansas.  It’s great to have you with us this Sunday morning as we study the top 10 of today and yesterday, not only listening to the songs, but studying their meanings as well.  I am Fr. Mike Scully, your host for MATT and it’s my pleasure to give you some great songs and some great messages.  Get ready to listen to some songs from The Weeknd, Bebe Rehxa, Coldplay and many others.  Today we will think about “love” and in particular the power of love
            Which of course is the name of one of my favorite 80’s songs.  It comes from Huey Lewis and the News.  In preparation for the show, I went to the book “The Book of American Values and Virtues” and found a speech given by Governor James Folsum of Alabama, given before all of the horrible racial disputes and Rosa Parks and her famous stand.  The governor was before his time, and although a governor for two terms, he could never really make any headway in what he wanted to do / because the people of his State did not understand brotherhood, and the fact that all were created equal.  At one time in the early 50’s, he gave a speech at Christmas time reminding the people of Alabama about some things.  To my mind, it showed what the power of love could do.
            “In the past few years,” he wrote, “there has been too much negative living, too much stirring up of old hatreds, and prejudices, and false alarms.  And the best way in the world to break this down is to lend our ears to the teachings of Christianity and the ways of democracy.
            “And certainly that is in keeping with the spirit of Christ, who said, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’
            “I believe that such a goal is within our grasp—that it can become a force real and wonderful for all people, if we will set our hearts and our minds to that end.”
            The goal is indeed in our grasp because of people like Governor Folsum who himself had a very difficult life because of his beliefs.  Here, Huey Lewis and the News sings: “Don’t need money, don’t take fame, don’t need no credit card to ride this train, stronger than steel but it can be cruel sometimes, that’s the power of love.”  They sing of power, the power of a virtue which every one of us ought to possess in one form or another, because every one of us must know about love, and it supplies a great theme for us today as we go through our show, namely “The Power of Love.” 
            Before the song, permit me to become a little personal.  I live in a Capuchin fraternity in Lawrence, KS, and there is only one brother who agrees with the type of music that I like, namely the music we play here on Mix 103, but as we were talking the other day, most of the brothers could agree with this song as pretty good.  And so, I dedicate the song and the show to my Capuchin brothers who usually do not agree with me on my type of music.  Here is the one most of us would almost like: from the really good movie “Back to the Future,” Huey Lewis and the News, 1985, “The Power of Love” on MATT.
(double)     THE POWER OF LOVE / Huey Lewis and the News
                                    CARRY ON / Fun.
 
Part 2
            From their album “Some Nights,” and their song “Carry On” the group Fun. on MATT.  It is a great song of meaning in that it begins with despair, and ends with happiness.  “Well, I woke up to the sound of silence and cries were cutting like knives in a fist fight,” they sing, “and I found you with a bottle of wine.  You swore and said, ‘We are not, we are not shining stars.’  This I know, I never said we are.  Though I’ve never been through hell like that, I’ve closed enough windows to know you can never look back. / If you’re lost and alone or you’re sinking like a stone, carry on.  May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground.  Carry on.”  And they go on to sing just the opposite of the way they began: “We are shining stars, we are invincible, we are who we are on our darkest day when we’re miles away.  Sun will come.  We will find our way home.”  As we think of the theme of the power of love, one of them is that love can help look at the past as the sound of feet upon the ground—that is, forget that past that has hurt us, and carry on to find a better way in our different relationships.  Good song.
            Let’s begin our countdown right now, and go to number 10 from Lauren Daigle who remains in the top 10 with this excellent song.  As I have said before, it is a beautiful sound and a beautiful song, I believe.  I have called it an incredible song for the pop music charts.  She begins her song: “I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough. Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up. Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low? Remind me once again just who I am, because I need to know. You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing. You say I am strong when I think I am weak. You say I am held when I am falling short. When I don’t belong, You (capital Y in the lyrics) say that I am Yours. And I believe You say of me, I believe the only thing that matters now is everything You think of me. In You I find my worth, in You I find my identity.”  Marvelous lyrics for a believer.  It is a prayer to God full of hope in what God can do.  To me the person that has this type of feeling toward their Higher Being will automatically possess the power of love, our theme today.  This is Lauren Daigle from her album “Look Up Child”, number 10 this week, “You Say” on MATT. 
(triple)        10 YOU SAY / Lauren Daigle
                                    EARNED IT / The Weeknd
                                    9 DANCING WITH A STRANGER / Sam Smith & Normani
 
Part 3     
            A story about loneliness and what it causes for two people who are both lonely in a relationship, number 9 on our countdown from Sam Smith and Normani Kordei Hamilton better known as Normani from the group Fifth Harmony and their song, “Dancing with a Stranger” on MATT.  The man in the relationship sings that he doesn’t like to be alone, and therefore goes to someone else; the lady in the relationship says the same thing—she doesn’t like to be alone and therefore goes to someone else.  It seems that both are unhappy and really want to be back together, but you don’t know whether they will or not.  Loneliness is one very big problem in our world, especially among young people who have suffered some type of break-up.  One of the ways to solve break-ups is to allow some time to elapse before the next relationship.  When one possesses the power of love, our theme today, we will be well aware of how to handle breakups well.
            Before them, we heard from Grammy award winning Canadian singer Abel Makkonen Tesfaye better known as The Weeknd from the soundtrack of the movie “Fifty Shades of Grey,” his song “Earned It”.  The song is a song of a deep love commitment to another.  “You make it look like it’s magic”, he sings, “'cause I see nobody but you.  I'm never confused.  I'm so used to being used.  So I love when you call unexpected; 'cause I hate when the moment's expected.  So I'ma care for you, 'cause, girl, you're perfect, you're always worth it, and you deserve it.  The way you work it 'cause, girl, you earned it.”  The girl in the relationship has earned the commitment that he is giving her, and he is saying it to her, something that we should turn to often in our lives.  When we do, we will see the power of love, our theme today, at work in our lives.
            Our theme today is that idea of the power of love and what love does.  We took it from Huey Lewis & the News’ 80’s song “The Power of Love”.  We will continue with that thought in just a few minutes as we listen to and study the music of in order of appearance—Pink, Justin Bieber, Marshmello, Bebe Rexha and Maroon 5.  Before those songs, here’s a thought about living from my quote manual and United States writer Ashley Brilliant: “Before I knew the best part of my life had come, it had gone.”  Think about that!  I’m Fr. Mike for “Message at the Top” on Mix 103.  Why not stay right where you are as you enjoy your second Sunday of April morning with us.  We’ll be right back.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
 
Part 4
            We are back for “Message at the Top” which gives you the top 10 rock songs of our area that have been most popular during the week.  Today, we are playing the songs and studying them in the light of our theme which is “The Power of Love” a theme taken from Huey Lewis and the News and their song of the same title.  I’m your host, Fr. Mike.  Thank you for joining us again this morning.  It is great to have you with us!
            As promised, we go to the number 8 song on our countdown from Alecia Beth Moore Hart better known simply as Pink.  It is an interesting song with a double meaning as I see it.  She is talking of a love relationship that the lady in the song sees as the “only thing that’s good” as she sings.  But she’s also talking about the problems of the world as well.  Her refrain is: “Walk me home in the dead of night.  I can’t be alone with all that’s on my mind.  So say you’ll stay with me tonight ‘cause there is so much wrong going on outside.”  So, the solution for her mind to her situation is him; and she needs him to overcome her loneliness and her despair about what’s happening in the world.  My way of looking at it.  Interesting video by the way.  In terms of our theme, if she works with the power of love, whether about individual relationships or world relationships, she will be able to overcome her despair.  From her album yet to be released, “Hurts 2B Human,” this is Pink at number 8 and “Walk Me Home” on MATT.
(double)     8 WALK ME HOME / Pink
                      LOVE YOURSELF / Justin Bieber
 
Part 5
       MATT presenting Justin Bieber and his song “Love Yourself”, from his album “Purpose”, the number 3 song of meaning of 2016.  It is a song whose title suggests a good personality trait, namely loving ourselves in order to really understand love, but the song is not that at all.  It is a statement to a girlfriend that all she does is love herself, and therefore it is the end of any love relationship.  “For all the times that you rain on my parade,” he sings, “And all the clubs you get in using my name, you think you broke my heart, you think I'm crying on my own.  Well, I ain't, and I didn't wanna write a song 'cause I didn't want anyone thinking I still care.  I don't.  But now I know. You should go and love yourself.”  That last phrase says it all—she really should love herself, the proper way, that is, with no selfishness at all since true love of self is part of love of God and love of others—she should spend time thinking about that, and find that the power of love, our theme today, will be to make her love the proper way.
            Another triple now is coming at us from whatever listening device we have, and it begins with the number 7 song on our countdown right now, a song about what makes a person happy.  The video is an inspiring story, but the song uses the thought of a way to make a person happier, the name of the song.  And it’s really a very sad song because the way he is going to make his girlfriend happier is to leave the relationship.  “Lately, I’ve been thinking,” he begins the song, “I want you to be happier.  With all that has happened, I think that we both know the way that the story ends.  Know that means I’ll have to leave.  So, I’ll go.”  I look at it as the ultimate decision in romantic love—to let someone go since that is what the other in the relationship wants.  It is truly a decision that a person who has the power of love can make, our theme today.  MATT presenting Marshmello, that is Christopher Comstock and his song “Happier”, at number 7 this week on MATT. 
(triple)     7 HAPPIER / Marshmello
                      MEANT TO BE / Bebe Rexha f/ Florida Georgia Line
                                    ONE MORE NIGHT / Maroon 5
 
Part 6
            MATT presenting the very popular group Maroon 5 from their album “Overexposed,” and their song “One More Night”.  "You and I go hard at each other,” they sing, “like we’re going to war.  You and I go rough, we keep throwing things and slamming the door.  You and I get so dysfunctional; I know that we can’t do this no more.  But there you go again, making me love you.  I stopped using my head, let it all go.  And now I’m feeling stupid, crawling back to you.  So I cross my heart and I hope to die that I’ll only stay with you one more night.  And I know I said it a million times, but I’ll only stay with you one more night.”  They are singing about a dysfunctional relationship and if we know that some relationship is dysfunctional, we must do something about it.  And if we truly love, that its power, our theme today, will lead is to help the other person rather than use her.
            Before them, we heard from Bebe Rexha, 29 year old singer/ songwriter/ record producer from Brooklyn, New York and country duo Florida Georgia Line and their song “Meant To Be”.  It is song with a pretty good message as far as I am concerned.  The message: let’s take our time to work things out, and if it’s meant to be, then it’s right.  Of course, I would add that God will work with us as we work things out, but I am a clergyperson, remember.  “Lay on back and relax,” the man in the relationship says, “No need to go nowhere fast, let’s enjoy right here where we at.  Who knows where this road is supposed to lead?  We got nothing but time.  If it’s meant to be, it’ll be.”  The important thing is that they give it time because when you don’t as the lady in the song sings, you get your heart hurt with fake love.  True love possesses a power, our theme this week, and it will lead both in the party to conquer the fake love.  Good song.
            Convinced as I am that most music is basically good, ours is the learning theme today of “The Power of Love,” from Huey Lewis and the News’ song “The Power of Love.”  Our second hour’s beginning next will explore that theme with Ellie Goulding among others.  First this thought about real living.  It comes from Joe E. Lewis: “You only live once -- but if you work it right, once is enough.”  Not bad.  Happy second Sunday of April, everyone, one week before Easter.  I’m Fr. Mike, listen to these words of wisdom, and then I hope you come back here for more wisdom.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
 
Part 7
            Every song has a message and most of the time, that message can actually help our lives in some way.  Such is our belief on this show.  Good morning, everyone, and happy month of April to all of you.  This is “Message at the Top”, on Mix 103.  We have songs of meaning along with their music with the top 10 as it comes to us this 14^th day of April, 2019.  I am Fr. Mike, and our motto is to enjoy the music, and to listen to the message.
            We are up to number 6 in our countdown and a song about the importance of remaining close to the one you love.  It is a song of really wanting someone special to be close to someone, and not accepting anyone else.  “We know that we’ll be alright,” they sing, “So don’t let me down, keep me in trouble, born to be wild out in the jungle, And I don’t want to be somebody without your body close to me, and if it wasn’t you, I wouldn’t want anybody close to me.  ‘Cause I’m an animal, an animal like you.”  It sounds as though they need a little maturity—MHO, of course, and if they really want to be alright, which they say they are, they are going to have to work on maturity.  And if the maturity comes about, they will grow into understanding the power of love.          This is the number 6 song in our countdown from Ellie Goulding, Diplo and Swae Lee, “Close to Me” on MATT. 
(triple)        6 CLOSE TO ME / Ellie Goulding f/ Diplo & Swae Lee
                      PARADISE / Coldplay
                      HEY SOUL SISTER / Train
 
Part 8
            The number 1 song of popularity for the year of 2010 from the group Train from their album “Save Me San Francisco”, and “Hey, Soul Sister” on MATT.  The song speaks of the direction that the fiancée in the song gives to the man in the relationship.  “Your lipstick stains the front lobe of my left side brain," they sing, "I know I wouldn’t forget you, and so I want to let you blow my mind.  I know when we collided that you’re the one I have decided who’s one of my kind.  Hey soul sister, ain’t that 'Mister Mister' on the radio.  I don’t wanna miss a single thing you do tonight.  You give my life direction, watching you is the only drug I need; I want the world to see you'll be with me.”  It is a clever love song about being soulmates to one another, using the name of the rock group “Mister, Mister”—same name, said twice—to illustrate it.  Tying the song into our theme today, the power of love will compel people who have made commitments to keep them.
            Before them, we heard a 10+ category of meaning song, the highest I get because of its statement about the possibility that paradise begins right here—this group really have some great songs of meaning: Coldplay, from their album “Mylo Xyloto”, and their song “Paradise” from the year 2011, and an interesting video by the way.  The song tells the story of a girl who seems to be lost, and then she finds herself.  “When she was just a girl,” they begin the song, “she expected the world, but it flew away from her reach, so she ran away in her sleep, dreamed of paradise every time she closed her eyes.”  And, as I mentioned, she seems to find that this world really is paradise.  They sing, “So, lying underneath those stormy skies, she said ‘I know the sun must set to rise.  This could be paradise.’”  It is a great message, I believe, which says not to run away from the problems and say that life is better someplace else when it really is better right here.  Such an attitude can be generated by the power of love, our theme today, a love that includes the whole world.
            Let’s begin this next triple play with our number 5 song on our countdown, a song of love commitment.  It is a song that was awarded a Grammy for best pop duo performance, and also nominated for Record of the Year, and  Song of the Year from the movie “A Star is Born.”  “Tell me somethin’ girl,” the man sings, “are you happy in this modern world or do you need more?  I’m falling.”  And then the lady sings, “Tell me somethin’, boy, aren’t you tired tryin to fill that void?  I’m falling.”  So both are falling and both are searching.  Of course, then, they find each other and apparently their searching brought about happiness and commitment.  As we study our songs with the thought of the power of love, that which brought about their union together was the power of love.  MATT presenting Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper at number 5 and their song “Shallow” on MATT. 
(triple)        5 SHALLOW / Lady Gaga & Bradley Coopr
                                    HEY THERE DELILAH / Plain White T’s
                                    HOLIDAY / Green Day
 
Part 9
            MATT presenting the group Green Day, and their song “Holiday” from their multi-million selling album “American Idiot”.  The song is a statement about the way we celebrate our holidays in America—usually celebrating some type of war that involved killing and hurting people.  The group sings, “I beg to dream / and differ from the hollow lives.  This is the dawning of the rest of our lives on holiday.”  Their lyrics are a commentary on what we have done as a nation, and now are acting like it’s just fine, when as a matter of fact, it is not just fine.  “Hear the sound of the falling rain,” they sing, “coming down like an Armageddon flame.  The shame—the ones who died without a name.  Hear the drum pounding out of time, another protestor has crossed the line to find the money’s on the other side.  This is our lives on holiday.”  I am quite struck by the first line of their refrain: “I beg to dream / and differ from the hollow lives.”  Too often our lives are hollow for whatever reason.  And when they are, it is the power of love, our theme today, that can bring back sincerity and understanding.
            Before them, we heard from the group Plain White T’s—a former number 1 song, Grammy award nominated song from their album “Every Second Counts,” and their song “Hey There Delilah”.  They were singing about a person who is quite confident.  According to their website, the song is based on a real person, and it is a long distance love song.  “Hey, there, Delilah, what’s it like in New York City?” they sing, “I’m a thousand miles away, but girl tonight you look so pretty.  Don’t you worry about the distance.  I’m right there if you get lonely.  Give this song another listen, I’m by your side.  It’s what you do to me.  Believe me, someday I’ll pay the bills with this guitar.  We’ll have it good.”  The person in the song is convinced that he will bring about their eventual time together by making money from singing songs.  And that which brings about the confidence is the power of his love for her, our theme today.
            Our topic this morning is that idea of the power of love, a theme that we took from Huey Lewis and the News’ 1985 song of the same name.  To take us to break, here’s arguably the most famous thought about life that has ever been written.  It comes from William Shakespeare and just about every high school or collegian in the world has studied it at one time or another.  Shakespeare knew how to say things, to be sure: “Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”  The play of course, “Macbeth.”  I don’t agree with the statement completely because I think life is much more than that, and if we are honest in that life, our life will indeed be great, because we have the power of love to guide us, but it’s a magnificent quote to study.  Hey, don’t even think of touching that dial—it is set for today’s best music, Mix 103 and MATT, and we’ll be right back.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
 
Part 10
            Welcome back to the show that gives you the top 10 of today and yesterday along with their messages.  We call it MATT.  As we like to say, if a song is in the top 10, you will hear it here!  I’m your host, Fr. Mike.  This morning we’re playing all our songs in the light of the thought of “the power of love” a thought that we took from Huey Lewis & the News. 
            The song in our countdown at number 4 is next, and a song about wondering what to do when your girlfriend has cheated.  “I spring up from the ground to see your sad eyes.  You spring away from me, and I see there’s something you’re trying to hide.  And then you say to me you made a dumb mistake. And I feel the color draining from my face.  And my friend said, ‘I know you love her, but it’s over.  It doesn’t matter, put the phone away.  It’s never easy to walk away.  Let her go, it’ll be alright.”  Smart friend and a little later he sings: “Nothing heals the past like time.  They can’t steal the love you’re born to find.”  Great advice, and I would say, time plays an important part in developing the power of love, our theme today. At number 4, a former number 1 song is Dean Lewis, a 31 year old singer / songwriter from Sydney, Australia and his song “Be Alright” on MATT. 
(triple)        4 BE ALRIGHT / Dean Lewis
                      HOME / Daughtry
                      HOW FAR WE’VE COME / Matchbox Twenty
 
Part 11 
            MATT presenting Matchbox Twenty, from their album “Exile on Mainstream,” and their song “How Far We’ve Come”.  It is a song about the idea of studying ourselves: “Waking up at the start of the end of the world,” they sing, “but it’s feeling just like every morning before; now, I wonder what my life is going to mean if it’s gone.  The cars are moving like a half a mile an hour if that, I started staring at the passengers waving goodbye.  Can you tell me what was ever really special about me all this time?  But I believe the world is burning to the ground, oh well, I guess we’re gonna find out.  Let’s see how far we’ve come.  I sat down on the street and took a look at myself.  Let’s see how far we’ve come.”  The song is saying that we have to study what we’re doing because the world could be ending at any moment, with the implicit thought that maybe we should do something about our lives.  If we work with the power of love, our theme today, we will see exactly what we should do and how we should be when our end comes.
            Before them, we heard from Chris Daughtry and band from the songs of meaning of 2007 from the album “Daughtry”, their song “Home”.  It is a song extolling the whole idea of going home, and is a love song with the person in the song going back to his love after he has lived for a while in another situation.  “I’m staring out into the night,” the man in the relationship sings, “trying to hide the pain.  I’m going to the place where love and feeling don’t ever cost a thing.  Well, I’m going home, back to the place where I belong, and where your love has always been enough for me.”  He evidently wished for the life he had, but as he sings, you always get some things in life that you don’t want, and so he’s coming back to her.  One of the parts of the power of love, our theme today, is / if we are truly showing love in our world, we will be ready for the things that we didn’t expect to happen.
            From that year of 2007, we advance to this year and in particular to the top 3 songs of our land as we speak.  At number 3 is a great song about just what the title says, high hopes.  It is an excellent song of meaning and excellent advice—“Had to have high hopes for living,” they sing, “shooting for the stars when I couldn’t make a killing.  Didn’t have a dime but I always had a vision, always had high hopes.  Mama said, fulfill the prophecy, be something greater, go make a legacy, rewrite your history, light up your wildest dreams.”  Smart Mama, as I have been saying who knows some things about the power of love, our theme today, because hope please an important part in the person who develops the power of love.            This is the group Panic! At the Disco, their song at number 3 this week, former number 1 for a long time, “High Hopes” on MATT. 
(double)     3 HIGH HOPES / Panic! At The Disco
                                    2 WITHOUT ME / Halsey
 
Part 12
            At number 2, former number one is Halsey or Ashley Nicolette Frangipane and her song “Without Me” on MATT.  It is a story of someone that the lady in the song helped, but apparently he has forgotten her now that he feels bet ter.  “Found you when your heart was broke,” Halsey sings, “I filled your cup until it overflowed, took it so far to keep you close, I was afraid to leave you on your own.  I said I’d catch you if you fall, Put you right back on your feet just so you could take advantage of me.  Tell me, how’s it feel sittin’ up there?  Feeling so high, but too far away to hold me.  I’m the one who put you up there.  I don’t know why / thinking you could live without me.”  Her love was blind she sings, and now it has cost her the relationship because he has left.  She has to work on gaining the power of love because that is the only thing that will bring her back to good relationships. 
            And the number 1 song for two weeks in a row is from Benjamin Joseph Levin or better known as Benny Blanco as the producer of the song from his debut album with Ashley Nicolette Frangipane better known as Halsey and Khalid Donnel Robinson better known as Khalid and their song “Eastside”.  It is the story of a young couple who grew up liking each other, meeting each other on the Eastside of the town they are talking about.  “Seventeen, they sing, “and we got a dream to have a family, a house and everything in between. And then, suddenly we turned twenty-three. Now we got pressure for taking our life more seriously. We got our dead-end jobs and got bills to pay, have old friends and know our enemies. Now I'm thinking back to when I was young, back to the day when I was falling in love. Run away now.”  So, I look at it as a song of growing up in love, and then deciding to pursue that love, but there is question as to how well they are prepared, I think.  In terms of our theme if they have the power of love, they will spend time at preparing for every relationship, including romantic ones.
            We have heard some good thoughts about the power of love today.  My prayer for you and for me is that we will work at developing love for everyone and realize the power it has.  Thank you for joining us today.  My thanks also to the producers of “Message at the Top,” and to the staff here at Mix 103, and to our sponsors, my friends at TMP-Marian Junior and Senior High School in Hays, Holy Family Elementary School in Hays, and Hays Car and Truck Alignment.  If you have some song suggestions, or if you want to comment on anything I have said, feel free to write me here at KJLS-FM, Hays, KS 67601 or e-mail me at frmikescully@yahoo.com.  My website is www.frmikescully.com where you will find a transcript of the show along with some meditations on the songs and some pretty good movies.  You can also join us on the web every Sunday morning at 10 CDT by tuning in your listening device to www.hayspost.com and clicking on Mix 103.  My closing thought for you comes from a Filipino proverb as reported by my quote manual: “The hardest person to wake up is the person who is already awake.”  Now, think about that—it is another way of saying that the people who think that they have it altogether in life are probably the ones who need to wake up the most.  And if a person really possesses the power of love, he/she will know that.  As Benny Blanco and company leads us out with “Eastside”, may I remind you that you are listening to today’s best music Mix 103 and our advice to you among other things is to hold a good thought.  My name is Fr. Mike Scully.  Peace to you, and be good!
1 EASTSIDE / Benny Blanco f/ Halsey & Khalid

Part 1
            Hello Central Kansas and around the world!  Happy first Sunday of April.  I hope your weekend is a glorious one.  What a beautiful time of year, especially in West Virginia where I am and in Kansas.  Welcome to “Message at the Top”, a show that gives you songs from the top 10 as well as songs of past top 10’s, and a show that gives you the messages of the songs you listen to.  Our motto is to enjoy the music and listen to the message.  You spend time with us every Sunday morning, and you not only know what rock songs make up the top 10, but you also learn their messages, and many times those messages can actually give us some good thoughts to make our lives a little better.  I’m Fr. Mike Scully; it’s great to have you with us today.  Get ready not only for top 10 songs from people like Panic! At The Disco and Halsey but also we have music from former top 10’s that includes artists like the group 3 Doors Down and the group Green Day. 
            Wednesday was Leona Lewis’ birthday.  She was born in 1985 and is a British singer, songwriter, actress, model and activist. She was born and raised in the London Borough of Islington in London, where she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology.  In her honor, let’s devote the first two songs to her. 
            The song is about a lady who is in pain, but she is mature enough to know that she must work her way through it, or as she says, she's going to smile and live her life as it should be.  She knows that all she has to do is to allow time to do some healing, and then things will be better.  It is excellent advice, and exactly the way we should work with pain in our lives.  She sings: "It’s been the longest winter without you.  I didn’t know where to turn to.  Somehow I can’t forget you after all we’ve been through.  Thought I couldn’t live without you.  It’s gonna hurt when it heals too.  It’ll all get better in time, and even though I really love you, I’m gonna smile cause I deserve to.  It’ll all get better in time."  The pain is there, but she has given up the relationship, and has decided to move on.  "Since there’s no more you and me," she sings, "it’s time I let you go so I can be free, and live my life how it should be."  It was painful, but she knows that she can put up with the pain because it will all get better in time.
            The person in the song speaks one of the most important facts for young love and indeed for a mature life.  When there is pain--and there will be pain in this imperfect world that we live in--we can get through it because it will all get better in time.  Time heals.  It may not feel like it at the moment of hurt because it feels as though life will disintegrate and it would be better not even to be alive.  But, once we get through the first couple of days, or at most a week or two, life will begin to take on a different vision.  Things really do get better in time, and if we manage to endure the moment, our lives will be able to function again, and we will be able to live life, as Leona Lewis sings, the way "it should be."
            This is such an important idea.  Given our human natures, we will run into situations that are going to cause pain, and we’re talking mainly mental pain here, although physical pain may also be considered.  Time heals the pain.  We have to remember that, as we are suffering.  In fact, we can generalize a thought about time, and say “Time Can Help.”  Let’s use that as our theme today, play a number of “time” songs and begin our show with our lead song today from her album “Spirit,” Leona Lewis, “Better In Time” on MATT.
(double)     BETTER IN TIME / Leona Lewis
                                    BLEEDING LOVE / Leona Lewis
 
Part 2
            Leona Lewis again on MATT and one of the songs of meaning of 2008 also from her album “Spirit,” and her song “Bleeding Love”.  It is a song of loss of a lover.  She tells her story this way: "Closed off from love, I didn’t need the pain.  Once or twice was enough, and it was all in vain.  Time starts to pass; before you know it, you’re frozen."  She felt abandoned.  Then the love happened: "But something happened," she sings, "For the very first time with you, my heart melts into the ground, found something true."  Then the break up occurs, and she sings, "I don’t care what they say, I’m in love with you.  They try to pull me away, but they don’t know the truth.  My heart’s crippled by the vein that I keep on closing.  You cut me open and I keep bleeding love."  The pain of the break up is overwhelming.  "In this world of loneliness," she sings, "I see your face. I'll be wearing these scars for everyone to see.”  A lot of pain in the song, and tying it into our theme today, as we said before, about the only thing that will help will be time because if you take enough time, the pain will dissipate.
            Let’s play a couple more “time” songs right now, the first one from the group Semisonic.  Their most well-known song is that one, and it begins: “Open all the doors and let you out into the world; closing time: turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl.  Closing time: one last call for alcohol, so finish your whiskey or beer.  Closing time: you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.”  And their refrain is: “I know who I want to take me home.”  At first hearing, it sounds like the closing of a bar, and a pick up that the person wants at closing time.  But I believe it is a lot more.  I always listen to it as sort of a “graduation talk”, and a statement that we have to begin again.  And as we begin again, if we give it time, our theme today, we can begin well, even if it takes a couple weeks.  This is the group Semisonic a group who was formed in the home of the Final Four this year, Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1995, and they are still active on the music scene.  The song comes from their album “Feeling Strangely Fine,” from the summer of 1998, and their song “Closing Time” on MATT.
(triple)        CLOSING TIME / Semisonic
                                    IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME / Cher
                                    10 DANCING WITH A STRANGER / Sam Smith & Normani
 
Part 3
            A story about loneliness and what it causes for two people who are both lonely in a relationship, number 10 on our countdown from Sam Smith and Normani Kordei Hamilton better known as Normani from the group Fifth Harmony and their song, “Dancing with a Stranger” on MATT.  The man in the relationship sings that he doesn’t like to be alone, and therefore goes to someone else; the lady in the relationship says the same thing—she doesn’t like to be alone and therefore goes to someone else.  It seems that both are unhappy and really want to be back together, but you don’t know whether they will or not.  Loneliness is one very big problem in our world, especially among young people who have suffered some type of break-up.  One of the ways to solve break-ups is to allow some time to elapse before the next relationship.  We’ve said that a couple of times already.
            Before them, a lady that graced the airwaves of 1989 and a very popular song, and a super message, 72 year old Cherilyn Sarkisian, now known as Cher and “If I Could Turn Back Time” from her album “Heart of Stone.”  “If I could turn back time,” she sings, “if I could find a way, I’d take back those words that hurt you and you’d stay.  I don’t know why I did the things I did; I don’t know why I said the things I said.  Pride’s like a knife: it can cut deep inside.  Words are like weapons: they wound sometimes.  I didn’t really mean to hurt you; I didn’t wanna see you go.”  As we have said over and over on this show, one of the most important things in life, is to communicate with the people around us and the heart of communication is words, words that are said to another.  We have to be so careful of the things that we say.  Usually if we take the time, our theme today, we will realize that we have to think things through before we say them.
            That is how we are spending our time with these songs today—talking about how time can help.  Let me take you to break with this thought from humorist Josh Billings, the pen name of Henry Wheeler Shaw who died in 1885, “The trouble with people is not that they don't know / but that they know so much that ain't so.”  Yes, indeed.  We need to spend time on knowing the truth.  In our next segment, we’ve got in order of appearance: music from time music from 3 Doors Down and music from our countdown in the persons of Lauren Daigle, Pink, Marshmello and Ellie Goulding.  A pretty good group of songs coming at you.  So my plea to you: don’t even think of touching that dial.  This is MATT on Mix 103.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
 
Part 4
            You, my friends, are in tune with “Message at the Top,” your top 10 show on Mix 103.  Welcome back to the songs that have been the most popular in this area during this week that ends today, April 7, 2010.  We are giving you the top 10 of today and some of yesterday along with their meanings, and then we call our show MATT.  I’m your host, Fr. Mike.  It’s great to have you here.  We have taken our theme from a song from birthday person Leona Lewis and her top 10 song “Better in Time” and our theme is: “Time Can Help.”
            Let’s begin this double play with another “time” song from 3 Doors Down.  “Looking back at the beginning of this,” they begin the song, “and how life was, just you and me and love and all of our friends, living life like an ocean.  Now the current’s slowly pulling me down.  It’s getting harder to breathe; it won’t be too long and I’ll be going under.  Can you save me from this?  It’s not my time, I’m not going.  All this time I’ve just been too blind to understand what should matter to me.  My friend, this life we live is not what we have, it’s what we believe.”  Determination to stay alive, and in the video, to prevent a death, is the topic of the song, even though life is tough and things don’t seem to be going the way we want.  The song is a plea for help as the man in the song tries to stay alive, as he sings, and he sings a very important line for a believer—“This life we live is not what we have, it’s what we believe.”  That which will bring about help, I believe, pun intended, is finding a belief in a Higher Power.  This is the group 3 Doors Down and their album simply named “3 Doors Down”, a great song with a great video “It’s Not My Time” on MATT.
(double)     IT’S NOT MY TIME / 3 Doors Down
                      9 YOU SAY / Lauren Daigle
 
Part 5
            That was Lauren Daigle from her album “Spring Up Child”, number 9 this week, “You Say” on MATT.  As I have said before, it is a beautiful sound and a beautiful song, I believe.  I have called it an incredible song for the pop music charts.  She begins her song: “I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough. Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up. Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low? Remind me once again just who I am, because I need to know. You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing. You say I am strong when I think I am weak. You say I am held when I am falling short. When I don’t belong, You (capital Y in the lyrics) say that I am Yours. And I believe You say of me, I believe the only thing that matters now is everything You think of me. In You I find my worth, in You I find my identity.”  Marvelous lyrics for a believer.  It is a prayer to God full of hope in what God can do.  If we want to make that Higher Power close to us, we have to spend time at working with it.
            Continuing our countdown, let’s go to a triple of top 10 songs beginning with number 8 from from Alecia Beth Moore Hart better known simply as Pink.  It is an interesting song with a double meaning as I see it.  She is talking of a love relationship that the lady in the song sees as the “only thing that’s good” as she sings.  But she’s also talking about the problems of the world as well.  Her refrain is: “Walk me home in the dead of night.  I can’t be alone with all that’s on my mind.  So say you’ll stay with me tonight ‘cause there is so much wrong going on outside.”  So, the solution for her mind to her situation is him; and she needs him to overcome her loneliness and her despair about what’s happening in the world.  My way of looking at it.  Interesting video by the way.  In terms of our theme, taking some time will be very helpful as she thinks of her future.  From her album yet to be released, “Hurts 2B Human,” this is Pink at number 8 and “Walk Me Home” on MATT.
(triple)     8 WALK ME HOME / Pink
                      7 CLOSE TO ME / Ellie Goulding f/ Diplo & Swae Lee
                                    6 HAPPIER / Marshmello
 
Part 6
            MATT presenting Marshmello, that is Christopher Comstock and his song “Happier”, at number 6 this week on MATT.  The video is an inspiring story, but the song uses the thought of a way to make a person happier, the name of the song.  And it’s really a very sad song because the way he is going to make his girlfriend happier is to leave the relationship.  “Lately, I’ve been thinking,” he begins the song, “I want you to be happier.  With all that has happened, I think that we both know the way that the story ends.  Know that means I’ll have to leave.  So, I’ll go.”  I look at it as the ultimate decision in romantic love—to let someone go since that is what the other in the relationship wants.  And my guess would be that before one makes that decision, it may take some time, our theme today.
            Before him, we heard the number 7 song in our countdown from Ellie Goulding, Diplo and Swae Lee, “Close to Me” on MATT.  It is basically a song of really wanting someone special to be close to someone, and not accepting anyone else.  “We know that we’ll be alright,” they sing, “So don’t let me down, keep me in trouble, born to be wild out in the jungle, And I don’t want to be somebody without your body close to me, and if it wasn’t you, I wouldn’t want anybody close to me.  ‘Cause I’m an animal, an animal like you.”  It sounds as though they need a little maturity—MHO, of course, and if they really want to be alright, which they say they are, they are going to have to work on maturity.  And most probably it will take a lot of time, our theme today.
            Our theme this morning deals with just that—how time will help, that theme having come from a song by birthday person Leona Lewis and her song “Better in Time.”  We are exploring the idea of what each of the songs of our show today say about that idea.  Still to come on MATT is music from the rest of our countdown and later the music of some of our birthday people today.  Let me take you to break with this thought from Albert Einstein, no less.  “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.”  Amen.  Try to do something about the evil that you can prevent: that is something worthwhile to spend time on.  It is great to have you with us on 100,000 watts of power, today’s best music Mix 103, and MATT.  We’ll be right back.
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Part 7
            We are back for “Message at the Top” on Mix 103.  Thank you for giving a little of your Sunday to us this April Sunday morning.  I’m Fr. Mike, ready to lead you through the second hour of our show this first Sunday in April morning, and during this segment, music of the numbers 5 and 4 songs of our countdown, and past “time” music from Imagine Dragons, David Cook, Matchbox Twenty and Green Day.  We urge you to keep enjoying the music but to listen to the message because that message may even help you a little, I believe.
            Let’s begin our second hour with two “time” songs and number 5 in our countdown.  We begin with a “time” song from Imagine Dragons.  “So this is what you meant,” they sing, “when you said that you were spent.  And now it’s time to build from the bottom of the pit right to the top.  Don’t hold back.  Packing my bags and giving the academy a rain check.  It’s time to begin, isn’t it?  I got a little bit bigger, but then I’ll admit: I’m just the same as I was.  Now don’t you understand that I’m never changing who I am.”  It sounds like a love song on the part of the man telling the lady in the relationship that he is going to work at the love relationship, but it will take some time.  And if both in a relationship would do that—really work at the relationship, they will realize that it will always take time, our theme today.  This is the group Imagine Dragons, from their album “Night Visions” from 2011 and their song, “It’s Time” on MATT.
(triple)        IT’S TIME / Imagine Dragons
                      THE TIME OF MY LIFE / David Cook
                      5 SHALLOW / Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
 
Part 8
            MATT presenting Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper at number 5 and their song “Shallow” on MATT.  It is a song that was awarded a Grammy for best pop duo/group performance, and also nominated for Record of the Year, as well as Song of the Year from the movie “A Star is Born.”  “Tell me somethin’ girl,” the man sings, “are you happy in this modern world or do you need more?  I’m falling.”  And then the lady sings, “Tell me somethin’, boy, aren’t you tired tryin to fill that void?  I’m falling.”  So both are falling and both are searching.  Of course, then, they find each other and apparently their searching brought about happiness and commitment.  As we study our songs with the thought of some things that time can help, searching for things may take a little bit of time.
            Before them, we heard a great “time” song from David Roland Cook, old American Idol number 7, crowned as such in 2008, a singer/songwriter who was raised in Blue Springs, Kansas City, Missouri from his album named after him, and his song “The Time of My Life”.  He sings: "I've been waiting for my dreams to turn into something I could believe in and looking for that magic rainbow on the horizon.  Now, I’m coming alive, body and soul, and feeling my world start to turn.  And I’ll taste every moment and live it out loud.  I know this is the time, this is the time to be more than a name or a face in the crowd.  I know this is the time of my life."  And what has brought about this feeling?  As he expresses it, it is a conversion experience: "I couldn’t see until I let go, gave into love and watched all the bitterness burn."  For the person in the song, the idea of giving into love was the way he came alive, and felt his world start to turn.  “Giving into love” is such an important concept and if we learn to do it well, we will find that we must spend time, our theme today, doing it.
            Another triple is coming your way right now, again with two “time” songs to begin with.  The group sings "Morning falls like rain into the city life."  And it is not a happy time as they sing: "Everyone keeps talking, they promise you everything, but they don’t mean anything.  There’s just too many words, we’re never meant to learn, and we don’t feel so alive."  But, with determination, they sing: "Goodbye, these days are gone. And we can’t keep holding on when all we need is some relief through these hard times."  The song continues into a love situation in which the man in the relationship desires the company of a woman saying, "You should be here tonight, but you stay alone and cry."  Actually, the song is a song of hope because even though they sing, "There’s something missing," they also sing, "These days are gone" and you’re led to believe that the relief is coming.  Finding hope in any situation is one of the desires of human beings, and time will help that situation come true, “time can help” being our theme today.  This is the group Matchbox Twenty from their album “Exile on Mainstream,” and their song “These Hard Times” on MATT.
(triple)        THESE HARD TIMES / Matchbox Twenty
                                    TIME OF YOUR LIFE / Green Day
                                    4 HIGH HOPES / Panic! At The Disco
 
Part 9
            That was the group Panic! At the Disco, their song at number 4 this week “High Hopes” on MATT.  It is a great song about just what the title says, high hopes.  Their song is an excellent song of meaning and excellent advice—“Had to have high hopes for living,” they sing, “shooting for the stars when I couldn’t make a killing.  Didn’t have a dime but I always had a vision, always had high hopes.  Mama said, fulfill the prophecy, be something greater, go make a legacy, rewrite your history, light up your wildest dreams.”  Smart Mama, as I have been saying who knows some things about helping people.  But in the process, it may take some time, our theme today, to develop those high hopes a little more.
            Before them, we heard from the group Green Day, from their album “Nimrod”, and their song from 1997 “Time of Your Life”, another “time” song.  In the song, the group speaks of time helping to decide what direction a person is about to make.  He/she is at a turning point, and no one can predict what the correct way is, but in the end, they sing, “It’s right.  I hope you had the time of your life.”  That is to say, I believe, that you are in the process of moving from one portion of your life to another.  You don’t know what to expect, because the future is always unpredictable, but it’s right to make the decision.  At least, that’s the way I would interpret it.  In terms of our theme, in order to make the right decision in our lives, we have to spend some time doing it.
            I really get into these songs because their messages are such that they can help our lives.  No wonder I keep telling you to enjoy the music—that’s just fine—but to listen to the message and learn from it.  Our next 30 minutes of music and message will explore our theme of “Time Can Help” with three birthday people and we also have as usual, the top 3 songs of popularity today.  May I take you to break with this thought: it comes from George Bernard Shaw: “People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”  Ah, yes.  I’m Fr. Mike, listen to these words of wisdom, and then I hope you come back for more.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
 
Part 10
            Thank you for joining us this second Sunday of April morning.  I am Fr. Mike and this is “Message at the Top”, on today’s best music Mix 103.  Our show gives you the top 10 songs of today and yesterday along with their meanings.  And what is amazing about them is that with a little bit of help, those songs can actually teach us something about ourselves and about our behavior.  With that in mind, we keep imploring you to enjoy the music AND listen to the message.  The topic of our show today is the thought of how time can help a situation.  It came from birthday person on Wednesday Leona Lewis and her song “Better in Time.”
            During our segment 10 presentation today, we celebrate three birthdays, Marvin Gaye, Pharrell and Jesse McCartney.  Marvin Gaye would have been 78 years old last Monday.  He gained world-wide fame with his work with Motown Records and was killed tragically in 1984.  Well, we don’t have a song from him, but have him as a name of a song from Charlie Puth & Meghan Trainor.  First, the song with his name as title captures the image of Marvin Gaye, using his name as a verb—very interesting.  “Let's Marvin Gaye and get it on;” they sing, “You got the healing that I want just like they say it in the song.  Until the dawn, let's Marvin Gaye and get it on.”  Obviously, referring to Marvin Gaye’s famous song, the people in the relationship want sexual healing which is just fine for people who are truly committed to one another, but my guess is that the full commitment is not there yet.  As we think of how to spend our time, our theme today, we must always remember that only a person who is honestly in love should show sexual feelings—my opinion of course.  This is from Charlie Puth’s album “Diamonds and Rain”, Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor joins him and their song “Marvin Gaye” from 2016 on MATT.
(triple)        MARVIN GAYE / Charlie Puth
                      SING / Ed Sheeran f/ Pharrell Williams
                      BEAUTIFUL SOUL / Jesse McCartney
 
Part 11 
            Jesse McCartney on MATT who celebrates a birthday on Tuesday.  He will be 32 years old, and the song that has made the top 10 from him comes from the album named after the song.  It comes from 2014, and his song “Beautiful Soul”.  It really is a beautiful song.  “I don’t want another pretty face,” he begins his song, “I don’t want just anyone to hold.  I don’t want my love to go to waste, I want you and your beautiful soul.  You’re the one I wanna chase, you’re the one I wanna hold.  I won’t let another minute go to waste.  I want you and your beautiful soul.  You might need time to think it over, but I’m just fine moving forward.  I just wanna know if you feel it too.”  It is a love song, of course, and one that goes right to the point, saying exactly what he wants, or in this case, who he wants.  I really like the idea of the song—being attractive on the outside is important, but being attractive on the inside is the thing to concentrate on—namely what a person’s soul is.  Something to spend our time on, our theme today is to realize just how beautiful our soul is, and then to understand what it should mean.
            Before him, we celebrated Pharrell Williams’ birthday which was on Friday when he was 46 years old and a song from Ed Sheeran’s album “X”, and his song “Sing” on MATT.  The song is a song of deep love feelings for the man in the relationship’s friend.  “I need you,” they sing, “come on, set the tone.  If you feel you’re falling, won’t you let me know.  If you love me, come on get involved, feel it rushing through you from your head to toe.  Sing.”  As often happens in these songs, you never know how the other person responds to his feelings, but one presumes that the lady in the relationship feels the same way, and if she does, tying the song into our theme “Time Can Help”, well, in order to develop the relationship better, they will spend time.
            Well, the numbers have become smaller and the hits are bigger, as Kasey used to say—God rest his soul—and therefore we have the top 3.  At number 3 is Halsey or Ashley Nicolette Frangipane.  It is a story of someone that the lady in the song helped, but apparently he has forgotten her now that he feels better.  “Found you when your heart was broke,” Halsey sings, “I filled your cup until it overflowed, took it so far to keep you close, I was afraid to leave you on your own.  I said I’d catch you if you fall, Put you right back on your feet just so you could take advantage of me.  Tell me, how’s it feel sittin’ up there?  Feeling so high, but too far away to hold me.  I’m the one who put you up there.  I don’t know why / thinking you could live without me.”  Her love was blind she sings, and now it has cost her the relationship because he has left.  Sounds to me like he should take some time, our theme today, and wait for another relationship.  This is Halsey and her song “Without Me” at number 3 on MATT. 
(double)     3 WITHOUT ME / Halsey
                                    2 BE ALRIGHT / Dean Lewis
 
Part 12
            Falling to the number 2 position, and therefore a former number 1 song is Dean Lewis, a 31 year old singer / songwriter from Sydney, Australia and his song “Be Alright” on MATT.  It is a song about wondering what to do when your girlfriend has cheated.  “I spring up from the ground to see your sad eyes.  You spring away from me, and I see there’s something you’re trying to hide.  And then you say to me you made a dumb mistake. And I feel the color draining from my face.  And my friend said, ‘I know you love her, but it’s over.  It doesn’t matter, put the phone away.  It’s never easy to walk away.  Let her go, it’ll be alright.”  Smart friend and a little later he sings: “Nothing heals the past like time.  They can’t steal the love you’re born to find.”  Great advice, and I would say, and exactly what our theme is all about.  Time can help heal the past.
            And the new number 1 song jumping all the way from number 4 last week is Benjamin Joseph Levin or better known as Benny Blanco as the producer of the song from his debut album with Ashley Nicolette Frangipane better known as Halsey and Khalid Donnel Robinson better known as Khalid and their song “Eastside”.  It is the story of a young couple who grew up liking each other, meeting each other on the Eastside of the town they are talking about.  Now, they are older—twenty-three and they are having to face the reality of being grown up and making money in order to start over which apparently they do by running away together.  “Run away now,” they sing.  So, a song of growing up in love, and then deciding to pursue that love, but there is question as to how well they are prepared, I think.  In terms of our theme this week, that preparation should take some time, and then they would be ready to celebrate a commitment.
            And there you have it, the top songs of our land along with some songs of the past.  Today we have spoken of some things that we can spend time on.  My prayer for you and me is that you and I will discover what is best for our lives, and be willing to spend time on it.  If you want me to study a song, or if you would like to contact me, my e-mail address is: frmikescully@yahoo.com or the address at the radio station: KJLS-FM, Hays, 67601.  My website is www.frmikescully.com where you will find meditations on songs and movies and a transcript of the show.  Remember, you can catch us on the web every Sunday morning at 10 CDT by going to www.hayspost.com and choosing Mix 103.  Thank you for being with us today.  My thanks to the producers of our show, and to our sponsors, especially Hays Car and Truck Alignment, Thomas More Prep-Marian Junior and Senior High School in Hays, and Holy Family Elementary School in Hays.  Another thought as we leave.  It comes from Socrates who died in 399 BCE, a long time ago, and a thought full of wisdom: “Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us.”  A profound statement about how we should pray to our God.  As you listen to the number 1 song from Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid and their song “Eastside” may I remind you that you are in tune with today’s best music Mix 103 and our advice to you, among other things, is to hold a good thought.  My name is Fr. Mike Scully: peace to you, and be good!
1 EASTSIDE / Benny Blanco f/ Halsey & Khalid