No la-la-la-ing For Me!

We had band practice last night and afterwards briefly discussed some songs I would like to play at our June 8th service.

Blessed Be The Name by Matt Redman was mentioned - that’ll work well as I’m very familiar with it.  Then Happy Day by Tim Hughes was suggested and I love the song, but I thought I remembered it had a la-la-la part in it.  I don’t do songs with la-la-la in it.  Or even na-na-na.  I can’t bring myself to sing that.

I listened to Happy Day on the way home (several times) and I was glad to find it contained no la-la-ing at all.  So we could be good to go with that song for June 8th after all.

Tell me, do you like singing la-la-la (or na-na-na) songs?  Let’s hear about your favourite or most despised la-la or na-na song…

Of course, now that Gary knows this I’m pretty sure he’ll be trying to fit the odd la-la-la and na-na-na songs into our upcoming set-lists.

11 Responses to “No la-la-la-ing For Me!”

  1. Matt Bunk Says:

    Well I feel the definitive la-la-la song is Trading My Sorrows. Darrell Evans even does us the favor of singing (explaining) why the la-la-las. “It’s the song of a child like heart.” Classic. I either sing that part or don’t, depending how the song is going and where in the service it is.

  2. worship1 Says:

    Nope, no la la’s for us. I just always felt that these kind of fills remove us from the focus on the Lord because they are unnatural for the average person. If I wouldn’t say it to the Lord or to you in conversation then why use it in a worship or praise song? Sometimes, I’ve changed a La La to halleluia if it fits the timing of the lyric. Also, a good fill with an instrument can have a wonderful effect and still keep the focus on the Lord.

  3. Stephen Barry Says:

    “Every Move I Make.” The song has so few lines already, it sort of NEEDS the “la la la’s.” I’m not a fan, but sometime they are necessary.

  4. Gary Says:

    What a feeble attempt to take out the la-la :) Boo to all you la-la nay sayers out there. Let’s not get too philosophical about this shall we? We can have fun in church. I think that God made it very clear that He loves it when we come to Him with a child-like heart. Now let’s hear you worshipers out there dispute that. I’d love to hear that debate, but I’d hate to be on the other side….the wrong side.

    Seriously, worship leaders, we’ve got to learn to loosen up a little guys and gals. Is your heart really to draw in the crowds into a meaningful worship experience? Then you’d better be able to take off your holy of holies robe for a bit and just be real with the folks out there in the seats. So go ahead and stretch yourself a little with a la-la or two. I promise it doesn’t hurt.

  5. alex mclean Says:

    hmmm. I was gonna say something like:
    Child-like, schmild-like, or something like that… but I do see Gary’s point. But I think we’re creative enough to bring people into a meaningful worship experience using something fun, catchy AND meaningful; besides la-la’s…
    I mean what about some “how, how, how, how’s”? (zz top in case you didn’t catch that).
    Maybe it’s a style thing or something, be we have tons of fun minus the la-la’s or the na-na’s, and so far we’ve yet to do any how-how’s.
    I wonder… what about whoop-whoops? as in, “can I get any whoop-whoops for Jesus?”

  6. Jeremy Killian Says:

    The only “la las” we do at Milestone occur at the end of “You are my Joy” by Crowder, but I’m not sure that they really count, because at that point in the song, the las sound like the voice of the Devil rather than something you could bounce your head back and forth for.

  7. klampert Says:

    dude crowder is the only guy allowed la la’s. I hate them with a passion..and I hate ooo’s and aaaaa’s yuck..

    I was going to copyright my originals “no ooo’s and aaah’s music”

  8. Tracie Says:

    I love “O Praise Him” (I think that’s David Crowder), and I LOVE the la la la’s. In fact, whenever I lead it, I encourage the congregation to join me in the la-la-las whenever that part comes! I could do them all day! Funny though … for the most part I’m not a la-la-la person. Or a na-na-na girl.

    Snowjunkie, I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and add some na-na-nas or la-la-las to a song that doesn’t have them. Set yourself free!

  9. snowjunkie Says:

    What about this Tracie?

    Beautiful One - Tim Hughes

    Wonderful, so wonderful
    Is Your unfailing love
    Your cross has spoken mercy over me
    (Na na na naaa)
    No eye has seen, no ear has heard
    No heart could fully know
    How glorious, how beautiful you are!

    Beautiful One I love You
    Beautiful One I adore
    Beautiful One my soul must la-la-la-la

    Powerful, so powerful
    Your glory fills the skies
    Your mighty works displayed for all to see
    (Na na na naaa)
    The beauty of Your majesty
    Awakes my heart to sing
    How marvellous, how wonderful You are

    You opened my eyes to Your wonders anew
    You captured my heart with this love
    Because nothing on earth is as beautiful as You

    la-la-la, my soul must sing
    na-na-na, my soul must sing
    ooooooo, my soul must sing
    Beautiful One

  10. Jeff Thompson Says:

    LALALA’s are feminine. Regular dudes cannot sing “lalala”. And they don’t. Maybe we should notice and stop putting them in our songs.

  11. snowjunkie Says:

    Actually, you’re right, the la-la’s do sound OK in “O Praise Him”…

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