Written by George Kooymans and Barry Hay, first released by Golden Earring on the 1973 Moontan album, Radar Love is the highlight in Dutch 70's rock history. Before you could send a text message or call someone in their car, there was no way to communicate to a driver - unless you had a certain telepathic love that could convey from a distance your desire to be with that person, something you might call - Radar Love. In this song, the guy has been driving all night, but keeps pushing the pedal because he just knows that his baby wants him home. Golden Earring was founded 1961 and into the '00s was still playing with the same line-up since 1970, doing 100+ shows a year in The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The group is from The Netherlands, where this was a No1 hit. They had only one other hit. It didn't come until 1982, with "Twilight Zone." "Radar Love" has had more than 500 cover versions, by artists including U2, R.E.M., Blue Man Group, James Last, Bryan Adams, Def Leppard, White Lion, Crowded House. It remains to this day one of the most widely covered rock tracks in existence.
I've been drivin' all night,
My hand's wet on the wheel
There's a voice in my head
That drives my heel
It's my baby callin',
Says: I need you here
And it's a half past four
And I'm shifting gear
When she is lonely
And the longing gets too much
She sends a cable
Coming in from above
Don't need a phone at all
We've got a thing that's called Radar Love
We've got a wave in the air,
Radar Love
The radio's playing some forgotten song
Brenda Lee's "Coming On Strong"
The road has got me hypnotized
And I'm speeding into a new sunrise
When I get lonely,
And I'm sure I've had enough
She sends her comfort,
Comin' in from above
Don't need a letter at all
We've got a thing that's called Radar Love
We've got a line in the sky,
Radar Love
No more speed, I'm almost there
Gotta keep cool now, gotta take care
Last car to pass, here I go
And the line of cars drove down real slow
And the radio played that forgotten song
Brenda Lee's "Coming On Strong"
And the newsman sang his same song
One more radar love is gone
When I get lonely and I'm sure I've had enough
She sends her comfort, coming in from above
We don't need no letter at all
We've got a thing that's called Radar Love
We've got a line in the sky
We've got a thing that's called Radar Love
We've got a thing that's called,
Radar Love
The song is self explanatory. It's about a journey home for the person in the song. Going home to their partner and navigating there by "Radar Love" the kind of love that has drawing power, or so the song suggests.
Radar is something that is in use all around us, although it is normally invisible. Air traffic control uses radar to track planes both on the ground and in the air, and also to guide planes in for smooth landings. Police use radar to detect the speed of passing motorists. NASA uses radar to map the Earth and other planets, to track satellites and space debris and to help with things like docking and manoeuvring. The military uses it to detect the enemy and to guide weapons. Meteorologists use radar to track storms, hurricanes and tornadoes. You even see a form of radar at many supermarkets when the doors open automatically! Obviously, radar is an extremely useful technology. When people use radar, they are usually trying to accomplish one of four things:
In this mornings devotion I would like to explore Radar as a navigating tool that guides a ship to it's final destination. Radar is needed as the journey of a ship on the ocean can be fraught with difficulty. Rocks, sandbanks, High winds, other ships, currents and so on. The radar is there to help the safe navigation of a ship to port.
Imagine the scene.......A huge oil tanker sets out from one side of the world to another. The captain is skilled and so is it's crew. The charts are up to date. The ship has just come out of dry dock and has been equipped with the latest in technology. She is ready to take on the might of the oceans of the world. But.....What if the radar is out. What if the radar is 5 degrees out, 10 degrees out what then? What if the Radar is in need of calibration and also the ships compass. It would not matter the skill of the captain or the reliability of the charts or that she has been fitted out with such. The ship may not make it to port at all, and may finally be 100's of miles out of where it should be because of failure of it's equipment. It may be working but it may still be giving wrong information. This huge ship may become a casualty on the ocean waves all because of a malfunction of a vital piece of the ships equipment namely the "Radar". Navigation for a ship is not just important, it is vital! It means the difference between a successful sailing or catastrophe.
The same is true in life. We set out on life's journey and we may feel that we have all that it takes to accomplish the journey and find safe port, when it comes to the end destination. We may feel that we are equipped to take on the storms and difficulties of life. We may feel that we can dodge the rocks of doubt and sail through the high winds that would take us off course if given the chance. But what if...........what if our calibration is out. We may have all the skill, the strength of character, the determination, the drive, the opportunity for success in life. We may have everything going for us. But what if...... our calibration is out. We may end up in the end so off course that we are no where near where our final destination should be.
Jesus knew this was what his disciples could end up like. People who on their own could not navigate a pond never mind the ocean of life. so Jesus gives then two important gifts as a "Radar" so that they might navigate not just themselves but navigate the church, His church through the ocean of time and life.
John 16:13-15 is the promise of Jesus. He will send one who will guide (Help Navigate, be the Radar) you though life. He will guide you in a right way, a straight way, a way full of truth. Jesus makes it known that the Holy Spirit will be the guide of the followers of Jesus and that they need not navigate the ocean of life without direction. Jesus does a second thing when he is with his disciples that also is part of the "Radar" and is part of the guidance system for the individual and for the church. He meets with them in Luke's Gospel on the morning of the resurrection .
Jesus opens the minds of the disciples so that they can understand the scriptures. What a wonderful thing. So they have a radar that will guide them through life, both individually and as a church. The Spirit of God and the Word of God are that "Radar". The guidance system that is given so that we keep the ship of our lives on track. The Spirit of God and the Word of God never need calibrating, they remain forever calibrated. So that just like in the song "Radar Love" "She sends a cable Coming in from above" We as the followers of Jesus have guidance that like a radar leads us to safe port, leads us home. May God Bless you today as you reflect on these things.
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