71. Rock Goes The Gospel ELO "The Diary of Horace Whimp"

Elo's "The Diary of Horace Whimp" was released in 1979 as a single, the song is just like a Beatles song in nature and became a Top Ten hit in the UK and Ireland. The lyrics describe a week in the life of a repressed man who nevertheless overcomes his incredibly shy nature with the help of "a voice from above." The original video is a mixture of real life band footage and a cartoon animated "Horace"

Monday:

Late again,today,he'd be in trouble though
he'd say he was sorry,he'd have to hurry out the bus.

Tuesday:

Horace was so sad,he'd never had a girl that he
could care for,and if he was late once more,he'd be out.

[CHORUS]
Don't be afraid,just knock on the door,
Well he just stood there mumblin' and fumblin'.
Then a voice from above said--
"Horace Wimp,this is your life,
Go out and find yourself a wife.
Make a stand and be a man,
And you will have a great life plan."

Wednesday:

Horace met a girl,she was small and she
was very pretty,he thought he was in love,he was afraid.

Thursday:

Asks her for a date,the cafe down the street
tomorrow evening,his head was reeling,
when she said "Yes O.K."

[Repeat Chorus]

Friday:

Horace,this is it,he asks the girl if maybe they
could marry,when she says "gladly." Horace cries.

Sunday:

Everybody's at the church,when Horace
rushes in and says "Now here come my wife,
for the rest of my life." and she did.

[CHORUS]
Don't be afraid,just knock on the door,
Well he just stood there mumblin' and fumblin'.
Then a voice from above said--
"Horace Wimp,this is your wife,
Go out and find yourself a life.
Make a stand and be a man,
And you will have a great life plan."

"The Diary of Horace Whimp" was from the album "Discovery" which was the band's first number 1 album in the UK, entering the chart at that position and staying there for five weeks. The album would contain five powerful hit songs 1. "Shine a Little Love", 2. "Don't Bring Me Down", 3. "Last Train to London", 4. "Confusion" and 5. "The Diary of Horace Wimp", many of which were heavily influenced by disco (in fact, Richard Tandy came up with its well known nickname, Disco Very). "Don't Bring Me Down" would become one of their only two top three hits in the UK throughout their career ("Xanadú" would be number one in 1980),. "The Diary of Horace Wimp" was also a hit single in the UK, not patterned after the disco sound; instead it was closer to the Beatles in style to the band's earlier hit "Mr. Blue Sky". The album itself was the first ever to generate four top-ten singles (one of which was a Double A-side) from a single LP which was an amazing feat at the time and was eventually certified 2x platinum by the RIAA in 1997.

"Horace Whimp" tells the ordinary story of ordinary people who either are shy or have no prospects to meet someone fall in love and have a life together. Of course this is the dream. In the song it's a girl that is "Horace's" dream for other people they have other things that they dream of and are held back from. The song and the accompanying video charts the week of "Horace Whimp" a self concious shy person. Who discovers that a voice comes to him from above "Then a voice from above said-- "Horace Wimp,this is your life, 

Go out and find yourself a wife. Make a stand and be a man, And you will have a great life plan." The song does not go into the surprise of "Horace" when he hears the voice. He simply goes along with the plan of the voice from above. By the end of the song when he marries the wife that he has found the lyrics have changed to say 

"Horace Wimp,this is your wife, Go out and find yourself a life.

Make a stand and be a man, And you will have a great life plan."

There is a wonderful passage in Jeremiah that fits with this song and charts for us the same feeling of a voice speaking into our lives like the voice did into "Horace's"Life.

Jeremiah 29:11- 14 "11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."

This well known passage f scripture could well have been written to fit "The Diary of Horace Whimp" It the voice from above, coming from the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah saying roughly " I have a plan for your future welfare, a plan to give you hope and a better life" This is wonderful news at a time when things for the people of God seemed bleak and mundane. Similar to "Horace Whimp's bleakness and mundane life.

A voice breaks through the darkness and redresses the balance. Jesus too had that voice moment from heaven to endorse the plans that God had for the world. In Matthews Gospel we have that voice from above speak

Matthew 3:16- 17 "16 And when Jesus was baptised, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

That voice was for the benefit of others. Jesus on this occasion unlike "Horace Whimp" and us did not need to hear the voice from above. It was spoken for the hearers benefit and endorsed Jesus' ministry. We on the other hand at times need the encouragement from God by him speaking to us. A "Voice from Above" moment can be the most special kind of revelation. It may just be an inward conviction, or a echo of a situation or a word in our minds and hearts that simply wont go away.

It's my prayer today that you will know the certainty of God's leading and guiding in your life. Just the same as "Horace" did. Just the same as Jeremiah promised.