I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM (a christological moment in pop music!)

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM

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THIS HIT SONG from Jesus Christ, Superstar is a christological moment in pop music! Mary Magdalene sings of whom Jesus might be (man or God). To hear Sarah Brightman's interpretation of the song, go here. To hear the original cast recording, go here. (There are other versions on youtube.)
    All the songs from the musical are on youtube; while the lyrics are easily available on the Net. There have been several recordings of the musical, including the album version (before it was staged it was released as a "concept album"). After the success of Evita producers began to capitalize on the Webber-Rice marquee value and Jesus Christ, Superstar was finally staged. Then Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was amplified from an early school production to a marketable musical and it too was successful.
    All of these musicals (including Godspell, by Stephen Schwarz (the same composer who wrote, "When You Believe" from Prince of Egypt) are literate and educational. At the very least they involve the viewer in the emotional life of the biblical texts without much tampering of those texts.
    The Italian director, Pier Paolo Pasolini's great film version of the Gospel of Matthew, called The Gospel According to Matthew (1964; Pasolini deliberately leaves out "Saint") is also valuable. It is stunning in its simplicity after a tradition of glamorizing the life of Jesus in Hollywood. The film is lovingly dedicated to the popular pope, John XXIII, called "Giovanni" in the dedication. Pasolini uses several pieces of classical music in the film, including Bach's somber Violin (sometimes, harsichord) concerto in E major and Mozart's impassioned, "Masonic Funeral Music." You might wish to familiarize yourselves with these pieces before you see the movie.
    All the movies are fairly short and the musicals are quite tuneful, with witty and incisive lyrics. As stage productions they've been done literally hundreds of times around the world and are among the most well known adaptations of the biblical stories.
    You might wish to arrange group viewings. I know your time is limited, especially near the end of the semester. But these films are well worth watching, for enjoyment as well as for other points of view on the biblical literature.

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Mary Magdalene
I don't know how to love him
What to do, how to move him
I've been changed, yes really changed
In these past few days
When I've seen myself
I seem like someone else

I don't know how to take this
I don't see why he moves me
He's a man
He's just a man
And I've had so many
Men before
In very many ways
He's just one more

Should I bring him down
Should I scream and shout
Should I speak of love
Let my feelings out?
I never thought I'd come to this
What's it all about?

Don't you think it's rather funny
I should be in this position?
I'm the one
Who's always been
So calm so cool
No lover's fool
Running every show
He scares me so

I never thought I'd come to this
What's it all about?

Yet
If he said he loved me
I'd be lost
I'd be frightened
I couldn't cope
Just couldn't cope
I'd turn my head
I'd back away
I wouldn't want to know
He scares me so
I want him so
I love him so

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