While I’m not a big fan of organized religion, there’s something about the idea of “selling cherry bombs for Jesus” that tickles me. In addition, Paul Thorn has made Mission Temple Fireworks Stand a piece of rockin’ blues that takes the best of rollicking gospel, adds a dash of humor, and really makes it stand up and dance. Wait, it was me that stood up and danced. It’s just that kind of song. Paul Thorn tells such a good story that you can picture the scene, “bottle rockets two for one and the salvation is free”. I may not agree with the message, but I love the way it comes across.
Sawyer Brown covered Mission Temple Fireworks Stand, with Robert Randolph, of all people. While I adore Robert Randolph, I don't think that this version jumps like the original. In addition, the beginning and especially the end of the video creep me out. That doesn’t mean that you can’t love the song, of course, but that’s how I feel about it.
Edit: The stupid Imeem version has disappeared and the original song isn't on Grooveshark. They do, however, have the Sawyer Brown cover with Robert Randolph so you can hear about what I (and my commenter below) were writing.
Top Menu
Before you start talking about "agreeing" with the song, you might want to read of Paul's "This I Believe..." on NPR.
http://www.paulthorn.com/blog/?p=71
Perhaps I should have written "the lyrics" and not "the message", in particular, the line "a man who worships Buddha ain't got no guarantee". I don't agree that anyone has a guarantee. Nor do I agree that fire and brimstone exist in the purely religious sense of the terms. Regardless of Mr. Thorn's personal feelings on the matter, the song is pretty specific. It's still a great song.