AuDivina is short for Audientia Divina – Holy Listening. It’s a practice we developed here during Covid as another way to keep music at the heart of our common life while we were unable to sing together. In a nutshell, we listen to not-so-churchy music that relates to churchy or Biblical themes and narratives. We gather song suggestions from members of the parish and friends, via Facebook and email.
In October our theme was Courage. Here are the songs we listened to and discussed. There’s a longer list of recommended songs, below.
(Our November theme will be Gratitude, if you’d like to send something to Rev. Miranda at !)
1. Throw the Fear – Tom Rosenthal (2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_MKfWgGrJQ
Lyrics: https://genius.com/Tom-rosenthal-throw-the-fear-lyrics
2. Heavy – Birdtalker (2016). – Watch some of video?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioMByL8KtBk
Lyrics: https://genius.com/Birdtalker-heavy-lyrics
3. What’s Up Danger – from Into the Spiderverse (2018)
We got several suggestions FROM musicals/movies – more so than with previous themes. I think this points to how important narrative is to us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y88LVU7MAe4
Lyrics: https://genius.com/Blackway-and-black-caviar-whats-up-danger-lyrics
4. Still Sun – Obongjayar (2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba2NdGIXcu8
Lyrics: https://genius.com/Obongjayar-still-sun-lyrics
5. My Time (An Optimistic Rebuttal) – Rav (2021)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C8rPn4reZo
Lyrics: https://genius.com/Rav-my-time-an-optimistic-rebuttal-lyrics
6. Nina Cried Power – Hozier (2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2YgDua2gpk
Lyrics: https://genius.com/Hozier-nina-cried-power-lyrics
7. Soy Yo – Bomba estereo. (Watch the video!!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxWxXncl53U
Words in English: https://genius.com/Genius-english-translations-bomba-estereo-soy-yo-english-translation-lyrics
THE EXTENDED LIST…
Brave – Sara Bareilles
Waka Waka – Shakira
Fight Song – Rachel Platten
To dream the impossible dream – from Man of La Mancha
The Bullpen – Dessa
Ain’t No Man – The Avett Bros
You can do this hard thing – Carrie Newcomer
When you walk through a storm – from South Pacific
I won’t back down – Tom Petty
Better Things – The Kinks
Defying Gravity – from Wicked
Warrior – Wyrd Sisters
Let the River Run – Working Girl
Soles – Rav feat. Kill Bill (2017)
Batonga – Angelique Kidjo
The person who suggested this one said it gives her a sense of energy without even knowing what it means. I looked it up: “West African singer, songwriter and UNICEF International Goodwill Ambassador Angelique Kidjo made up the word ‘batonga.’ At a time when education for girls was not socially acceptable in her native country of Benin, Angelique invented the word as a response to taunts when she was going to school. The boys did not know what the word meant, but to her it was an assertion of the rights of girls to education. Later it became the title of a hit song of Angelique’s in which her lyrics address a young African girl and can be roughly translated as, ‘you are poor but you dance like a princess, and you can do as you please regardless of what anyone tells you.’”