KJLS-FM 103.3 10am Sundays
September 13, 2026
When One is Too Proud
Part 1
Hello, Central Kansas and around the world. Happy second Sunday of September, almost the season of Fall, and happy football to those who you who enjoy that sport. I hope all is well with you. Right now, welcome to Mix 103’s unique top 10 show, “Message at the Top”. I am Fr. Mike, your host. We play the top 10 of today and yesterday and give you their meanings at the same time. Today we continue that tradition, giving you the songs that have been most popular as of this week, ending today September 13, 2026. As promised, we will give you the meanings of the songs so that they can inspire and/or challenge each of our lives. During our show today, we not only will give you the top 10 as of today, but we will choose a song from 2010 as our lead song, and we will use the top 10 of that date as well as the songs popular today on our show.
The song from 2010 that is our lead song is on my website www.frmikescully.com today, and concerns “pride”. It was the number 3 song on September 13, 2010 and was from Mike Posner, a Detroit MI-born singer-songwriter who is still on the music scene, and his song is an interesting one to study from a spiritual point of view because it deals with the subject of pride. But it is also good to see what pride does to romantic relationships which the song is dedicated to, and that will be our quest this morning—to see what happens with the circumstances of the song that we play with regard to being proud, or as we will call it today, “When One is Too Proud.” Before we get to his song, let me say something that comes from my website.
The sin of pride is a preoccupation with self and the only way to determine it is by taking the time to study our motives, why we do certain things. It comes out in the way that we look at our own abilities, and especially in the way we look on others. Mike Posner in his song sings about a person who is taken up with herself, and therefore a victim of pride.
Is there a remedy to pride? I believe so. It begins with recognizing our own problem. In the romantic world, as Mike Posner sings, a relationship will go nowhere when there is too much pride involved. It is a fact of life as well. The first sin is pride: it destroys everything. Once we have fallen into it, it will destroy our lives. We must understand the noise that it makes by analyzing ourselves.
His song? Well, it is all about a relationship that is troubled. “If I could write you a song and make you fall in love,” he begins his song, “I would already have you up under my arm. I used up all of my tricks; I hope that you like this. But you probably won’t, you think you’re cooler than me. You got designer shades just to hide your face and you wear them around like you’re cooler than me. And you never say, ‘hey’, or remember my name. It’s probably ‘cause you think you’re cooler than me. You got your high brow, shoes on your feet, but you don't know the way that you look, when your steps make that much noise." Like I say, a troubled relationship with both thinking that each is better than the other because of too much pride.
He gives us a great theme this morning since it is very interesting to see how pride plays or could play a part in the different songs of our day. We’ll entitle our show this morning: “When One is Too Proud” and find out how each of the songs work with that question. This is Michael Robert Posner, giving us our theme this morning, from his album “31 Minutes to Takeoff,” the name of his song “Cooler Than Me” at number 3 in the top 10 of September 13, 2010 on MATT.
(double) 3* COOLER THAN ME / Mike Posner
COOL / Gwen Stefani
Part 2
The number 5 song of meaning from 2005, a 10+ category song of meaning, another song of “Cool”, and the name of the song is “Cool”, and in true teenage language, it indeed is “cool”—from Gwen Stefani and her album “Love, Angel, Music, Baby” on MATT. MATT placed the song high in meaning because I think that Gwen Stefani presents the perfect picture of what should happen in life as we work with past love relationships. It is generally known that we will not marry the first people that we fall in love with. Granted there are a few exceptions, but for the most part, the fact means that we will have a temporary falling out with people that we like a whole lot at some time in our lives—either they will leave us, or we will leave them. However we say it, it spells / breakup. Many times that breakup is hostile and angry, and leaves people out of sorts for a long time. Well, Gwen Stefani sings about a good life after the breakup. She begins by talking about the once-upon-a-time relationship and says that it is hard to remember what it was like now that she has found the true love of her life. She sings, “After all the obstacles, it’s good to see you now with someone else, and it’s such a miracle that you and me are still good friends. After all that we’ve been through,” she sings, “I know we’re cool.” It is a great attitude and the best way to handle any past love relationship so that we can remember it with a good feeling. What happens when a person is too proud in this situation? No doubt, they will follow the path of a lot of people, and hold a grudge against the person they once had the relationship with.
We will give you the songs of this date in 2010 and the songs at that number right now on September 13, 2026. That means we owe you number 3 right now that comes from Bruno Mars. It was our theme last week when we spoke about what a true permanent commitment means. “For just the chance to win your heart, you could set the bar beyond the stars” he sings, “I’ll do anything, anything you ask me to. Say you want the moon—watch me learn to fly, ain’t no mountain you could point to I wouldn’t climb. It’s crazy, but it’s true. There’s nothing I won’t do. I’d risk it all for you.” In just a couple of words, he describes a permanent commitment to another really well. In terms of our theme this week, it is okay to be proud of the fact that he keeps a permanent commitment; he has to watch though that he can become too proud of himself. This is from his album “The Romantic”, Bruno Mars, that is Peter Gene Hernandez, and his song of complete commitment to another, “Risk It All”, number 3 right now on MATT.
(triple) 3 RISK IT ALL / Bruno Mars
5 BACK TO FRIENDS / Sombr
5* SEPTEMBER / Daughtry
Part 3
Number 5 on September 13, 2010, Chris Daughtry and his band’s song from their album “Leave This Town”, and their song “September” on MATT. It is a song of reflecting on the past, a past that never did work out, but nonetheless was a good experience for the man in the relationship. “How the time passed away, all the trouble that we gave,” he begins his song, “Has it all gone to waste? All the promises we made one by one, they vanish just the same. Of all the things I still remember, summer’s never looked the same; the years go by and time just seems to fly, but the memories remain. In the middle of September we’d still play out in the rain—nothing to lose but everything to gain, reflecting now on how things could have been, it was worth it in the end. Now it all seems so clear, there’s nothing left to fear, so we made our way by finding what was real. We knew we had to leave this town, but we never knew when and we never knew how.” The man in the song had memories and applying our theme to the song—if he has too much pride in those memories, the chances are that he will be self-centered in his approach, which is not a good thing at all.
Before them, fulfilling our promise to give us the songs of September 13 of both 2010 and 2026, we heard from number 5 right now. It is a song about the scenario in which a couple have given themselves completely to each other physically, and now one of them just wants to be friends, and that, the artist concludes, is a contradiction. It comes from 21 year old Shane Michael Boose, that is Sombr from his album “I Barely Know Her” and his song “Back to Friends”. He sings, “How can we go back to being friends when we just shared a bed? How can you look at me and pretend I’m someone you’ve never met?” It seems as though the lady in the relationship wants to have a breakup or at least a temporary time apart, but the two have already made it clear that they are committed to each other. As I have mentioned, it is unfortunately a common enough experience. As I have said with the song, I believe that one of the evils of society is giving in to too much physical involvement because the physical involvement tends to dominate rather than thinking about—say--what love truly is, and in terms of the song, what a permanent commitment consists of. In terms of our theme today, too much pride may bring about the desire to temporarily put the commitment on hold.
Our theme this Sunday morning is the thought of looking how too much pride affects a person. We will continue to pursue that thought in a couple of minutes with music from in order of appearance Bruno Mars again, John Mayer, Ariana Grande, Rob Thomas and Taylor Swift. First, here is a quote to lead you into break from Anne Frank: “Think of all the beauty around you and be happy.” She could say that after all she had been through and what she knew would probably happen to her at the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen in 1945. Super lady, super thought. I’m Fr. Mike, this show is “Message at the Top” and your dial is set at Mix 103.3.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Part 4
We are back for “Message at the Top” and we welcome you back to the top 10 songs of today and yesterday as determined by our research and your requests. We call our show MATT and analyze their messages in the light of how we can live better in this complicated world of ours. I am Fr. Mike, your host for the top 10 show of the best mix of music, Mix 103.3, and we are pursuing the thought of discovering what too much pride does to a person, that thought having come from Mike Posner’s 2010 song “Cooler Than Me.” And we are playing the songs of September 13, both of 2010 and 16 years later, today.
At number 7 today is another song from Bruno Mars. The song was a former number 1, a song of wanting another to show her love for him by good dancing. “It would break my heart” he sings, “if I find out you can’t move. You better show me now ‘cause when I take you to the floor, you gotta get down. Hey, Mr. DJ, play a song for this pretty little lady ‘cause if she dance as good as she look right now, I just might make her my baby.” It is a rather selfish song in the sense that the man is really only thinking of himself, and in general in terms of our theme, he just may be too proud of his own dancing ability. This is the second song in the top 10 for him, Bruno Mars, also from his album “The Romantic” and his number 6 song right now, “I Just Might” on MATT.
(double) 7 I JUST MIGHT / Bruno Mars
7* HALF OF MY HEART / John Mayer
Part 5
That was John Mayer with the help of Taylor Swift at number 7 on September 13, 2010, and his song “Half of My Heart” from his album “Battle Studies” on MATT. He began his song: “I was born in the arms of imaginary friends, free to roam, then you come crashing in, like the realest thing, trying my best to understand all that your love can bring. Half of my heart’s got a grip on the situation, half of my heart’s got a right mind to tell you that I can’t keep loving you with half of my heart.” The person in the song is not loving his current fiancée because of something that has happened in his past and he sings correctly that he can’t love with only half of his heart. Later on, he correctly sings: “You will hate that I never gave more to you than half of my heart.” He is correct with those words—she will hate that she was never given more than half of his heart because such a love is doomed to failure—very simply, one cannot love with only half of one’s heart. In terms of our theme today, he may be too proud to admit that he must take the time to love the person completely. That is what happens when you only love with half of your heart.
Let’s go to number 9 right now in our top 10. According to the music critics, it addresses regret over a relationship while also reflecting her conflicted feelings about fame and public scrutiny. “Just know that I will find my way from you,” she sings, “Like flowers from a tomb while you decide who you are. And I can see right through like shadows on the moon and it’s all bad news. I hate that I made you love me, sorry if I made me your type. Yeah, I hate that I made you love me ‘cause I barely tried. What’s happening now? You studied my crown and borrowed my body, warm, kissed by the sun, then cold like the wind, a bee stuck in honey. Know that I will find my way from you. I hate that I made you love me.” So, a relatively negative song, and in terms of our theme, beginning romantic relationships may not always be smooth and one of the reasons just may be the pride of one of them. This is a song of a breakup with some personal overtones about her career, from her new album “Petal,” “Hate That I Made You Love Me” from Ariana Grande, number 9 on MATT.
(triple ) 9 HATE THAT I MADE YOU LOVE ME / Ariana Grande
9* MOCKINGBIRD / Rob Thomas
10 I KNEW IT, I KNEW YOU / Taylor Swift
Part 6
That was number 10 right now, a former number 1, in the top 10. It came from Taylor Swift “I Knew It, I Knew You” speaking the mind of the character known as Jessie in the movie “Toy Story 5”. It talks of the concepts of reunion and memory, and the emotions that go with it. “I knew you through the daze of the blades of the grass in summer,” she begins her song, “parachutes for the free fall of being younger. I memorized the sound of your bare footsteps running wild. It’s been a long time; life has ways of leaving those days behind. But seeing you tonight, I remembered I loved you, came back when it mattered. I saw you, standing there in the light of the window, wearing that same smile. Man, it’s been a while, but I knew it, I knew you.” Remembering a past love is its theme, and in terms of our theme this week, if our minds are clouded by our own pride of what we do, chances are that we will not remember that past love as we should.
Before her, we heard from Mr. Rob Thomas from his album “Cradlesong” at number 9 on September 13, 2010, his song “Mockingbird”. He begins with this thought: “Here we stand somewhere in between this moment and the end. Will we bend or will we open up and take this whole thing in?” One is led to believe that the relationship really could work out, but you’re not sure that it will. “Maybe you and me got lost somewhere,” he sings, “we can’t move on; we can’t stay here. Maybe we’ve just had enough, well, maybe we ain’t meant for this love. You and me tried everything, but still that mockingbird won’t sing. I don’t wanna love you now if you’ll just leave some day. I don’t wanna turn around if you’ll just walk away.” Up to that point in time, the love had not worked out, and the man in the relationship is ready to move on in life because his fiancée has not been true to him in the past. In terms of our theme, if he were too proud, he would have blamed everything on that situation in his past—and blamed the other person, and would probably look at the future with a chip on his shoulder.
We are exploring that theme of “when one is too proud” today. During this next segment, we will hear from people like Tame Impala and Katy Perry. First, a thought from an anonymous author: “We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.” Yes, indeed, and learning to live together is a way to overcome pride. I hope our music and message will help you live a little better. I’m Fr. Mike, your dial is set at Mix 103.3, and I hope you keep it right where it is.
We are back for “Message at the Top” on Mix 103 and I am Fr. Mike. We call our show MATT because we take the top 10 songs and analyze their messages in the light of how we can live better in the complicated world we live in. Welcome back to the top 10 show of Mix 103.3 where our plea is for you to enjoy the music and listen to the message, allowing that message to make you and me better than we are. Today we are enjoying the music of September 13, both of 2010 and 2026. We begin hour number 2 together on this almost Fall Sunday morning, and we are pursuing some thoughts about what happens when a person is too proud, a thought which we took from Mike Posner’s 2010 song “Cooler Than Me.”
We played our current number 10 just before break, so in keeping with our format this morning, let’s give us number 10 of the year 2010. It is a love song with an excellent message not only for the discovery of love, but also for life. The thought is that there are reasons why love will not be present, but eventually we will find love. They tell the story: “When I was younger,” they sing, “I saw my daddy cry and curse at the wind. He broke his own heart and I watched as he tried to reassemble it. And my momma swore that she would never let herself forget. And that was the day that I promised I’d never sing of love if it does not exist. Well, you are the only exception.” And the girl in the relationship closes the song with hope: “I’m on my way to believing,” she sings. As we consider the song with our theme, a person will have a problem with pride if they think that they are hurt so much that they will never be able to love—and the person in the song finally realizes that. This is the band Paramore formed in Franklin, Tennessee in 2004 and are on a brief hiatus right now from their album “Brand New Eyes,” and the name of their song “The Only Exception” at number 10 on September 13, 2010 on MATT.
(triple) 10* THE ONLY EXCEPTION / Paramore
2 DRACULA / Tame Impala
2* MISERY / Maroon 5
Part 8
Number 2 on September 13 2010, the band Maroon 5, and their song “Misery” from their album “Hands All Over” on MATT. It is a song of begging the girlfriend in a relationship to respond to the man’s desires. "So scared of breaking it," they sing, "but you won’t let it bend. And I wrote two hundred letters I won’t ever send. Somehow it cut so much deeper than they seem. You’d rather cover up, I’d rather let them be, so let me be, and I’ll set you free. I am in misery. There ain’t no other who can comfort me. Why won’t you answer me? Your silence is slowly killing me. Girl, you really got me bad; I’m gonna get you back. I’m desperate and confused, so far away from you. Why do you do what you do to me?" The man in the relationship is in very bad straits, and his girlfriend is not responding. Consequently, he is about to make matters worse--he is threatening revenge. That is not the way to work with misery. In fact, a person who works with misery by showing revenge is a person who is probably too proud to try to do anything about his problem.
Before them, we heard our current number 2 song this week, from Tame Impala, the musical project of Australian instrumentalist Kevin Parker and he is accompanied by South Korean singer Jennie. It is from the album “Deadbeat” and the song “Dracula”. The song is about a person who is wanting a love connection while at the same time not wanting to come out of his chosen hidden life. Comparing the person in the song to a vampire, they sing: “The morning light is turning blue, the feeling is bizarre,” they begin their song. “The night is almost over, I still don’t know where you are. The shadows, they keep me like a movie star, daylight makes me feel like Dracula. In the end, I hope it’s you and me in the darkness, I would never leave. Run from the sunlight, Dracula.” The man in the relationship is growing up trying to understand love, and one of the problems with that understanding as we grow is that we become too proud to force ourselves to make any changes that must be made, being “too proud”, our theme today.
Now, let’s go to number 4 on our current chart. It comes from Olivia Rodrigo. It is a song about being totally infatuated with someone as a beginning love experience. She begins her song: “I know that the bar closes at 11, but I hope you never finish that beer. You know all the words to ‘Just Like Heaven,’ and I know why he wrote them now that you’re standin’ right here. One night I was bored in bed and stalked you on the internet. It’s feminine intuition ‘cause I always had a vision of us standing like this. You’re lookin’ like an angel on the walls of Versailles, the most alive I’ve ever been, but kiss me and I might drop dead.” The person in the song is completely infatuated with the man, and portrays the intense feeling of an early romance, referring to a similar experience as described in the band the Cure’s song “Just Like Heaven.” In terms of our theme today, being infatuated with someone can be studied as a form of pride because often we might feel that no one can love that person the way he/she can, and that is not true. This is from Olivia Rodrigo’s album “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love,”, and her song “Drop Dead”, number 4 this week on MATT.
(triple) 4 DROP DEAD / Olivia Rodrigo
4* CALIFORNIA GURLS / Katy Perry
6 GOLDEN / Huntr/X
Part 9
Our current number 6 song on MATT, three Korean young ladies named Huntr/X, and their former number 1 song “Golden” on MATT. It is from the soundtrack of the animated movie, “K Pop Demon Hunters” and the theme of the Netflix film that follows Huntr/X—who lead double lives facing off against a rival boys band, the Saja boys whose members are secretly demons. The words recall that story. “We’re going up, it’s our moment. You know together we’re glowin, gonna be golden. I’m done hidin’ now, I’m shinin’ like I’m born to be, oh, our time, no fears, no lies, that’s who we’re born to be.” I interpret it as a song urging people to do what is right, and in terms of our theme today, we can be proud of what we try to do when it’s the right thing, but when we become too proud, we can easily lose sight of the good that we can do.
Before them, we heard the number 4 song on this date in 2010, a former number 1 from Katy Perry from her album “Teenage Dream”, “California Gurls”. She talks about physical beauty. Now, I think that we are all called to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation, respecting at all times what God has done. That is my premise as I listen to Katy Perry’s song. She sings about a journey in her song: “I know a place where the grass is really greener, warm, wet and wild—there must be something in the water, laying underneath the palm trees. You could travel the world, but nothing comes close to the golden coast. Once you party with us, you’ll be falling in love. California girls, we’re unforgettable, sun-kissed skin so hot.” It is a journey to a California beach, and as you listen to it, it is a pleasant journey indeed. It is a song dedicated to the beauty of the female body. My fear is that too many people use the beauty of the female body for their own enjoyment, and that is a misuse of something created by God. Tying that thought into our theme today, it is easy to feel too proud about our looks, and we have to make sure that we are realistic in our thinking about ourselves.
Which brings us to our final segment that will begin in just a few moments with a birthday wish and the remaining top 10 songs of September 13, 2010 and today. To break, let me give you this thought from my anonymous collection: “A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.” You bet, and being truly happy is something that will make us proud of the proper things in life. Yes, indeed. Don’t go way, we’ll be right back on the MATT music network.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Part 10
We are back for the final portion of the show MATT, a show that takes the top 10 songs from the past 46 years including today and studies their messages in the hope that those messages can truly help our lives. Our motto therefore is to enjoy the music and listen to the message. The theme of our show today deals with the thought that we can be too proud in the way we go about life.
Let’s begin this final portion of our show with the song at number 6 on our chart 16 years ago today in 2010. It is a song in my opinion that sounds happy, but the message is a direct statement of things not going right. The lady in the relationship is telling her boyfriend exactly what she thinks of his behavior, and she doesn’t think very highly of it, to say the least. “So many things I’d say if only I were able,” she sings, “but I just keep quiet. You got opinions, man, we’re all entitled to them, but I never asked. So let me thank you for your time, and try to not waste any more of mine; get out of here fast. I hate to break it to you, but I’m not drowning: there’s no one here to save. Who cares if you disagree. You are not me. Who made you king of anything? So, you dare tell me who to be? Who died, and made you king of anything?” And she goes on to make it perfectly clear that he hasn’t done real well in the relationship, and he has to get out of her life. As we think of the theme of using the question of what happens when a person is too proud in this situation, it sounds as though the man in that relationship is too proud to admit that he is making some mistakes. From her album “Kaleidoscope Heart,” Sara Bareilles, and “King of Anything” on MATT.
(triple) 6* KING OF ANYTHING / Sara Bareilles
8 MIDNIGHT SUN / Zara Lasrson
8* HOME / Goo Goo Dolls
Part 11
The song at number 8 on September 13, 16 years ago in 2010, the Goo Goo Dolls, from their album “Something For the Rest of Us”, and their song “Home” on MATT. Their song is a song of missing someone and the desire to be with that someone, in a place the man in the relationship calls “home,” the name of the song. “Crowded rooms full of empty faces,” they begin their song, “our deepest conversation full of lies, another night with all my friends, the kind you’ll never see again. I wonder if they’ll see through my disguise. And I want to say that I can’t hold back, and it might be wrong, but it’s all I have. Come take me home tonight. Oh, I need you now. I’m lost without you. A million miles but I will find you, so take me home.” The person in the song is remembering a past experience, and because it was a pleasant one, they want it back. As we ask our question of what would happen in the situation if the person were too proud, well, most probably, the person would blame the other for ruining the relationship, refusing to look at his part in the problem.
Before them, we heard the number 8 song on our playlist right now. It is new to our top 10 and extols, according to the singer, her Swedish roots, and in particular a summer than never ends. The name of the song “Midnight Sun” from the album of the same name from Zara Larsson. “No nightmares when you can still see the light, can’t find me—I’m not in the city tonight. I like your playlist, boy, turn it up a little louder; road’s empty, so you drive a little faster. Ain’t taken nothing tonight, but I’m feeling so high. Show my tan lines, low-rise, rooftop down, it’s golden hour all the time. It’s that midnight sun-kissed skin under the red sky. Summer isn’t over yet, it’s my favorite part now. We ain’t gotta tell no one: a never-ending midnight sun.” Sweden is a land of literally a midnight sun at least during the summer, and the singer recalls that fact in her love of a friend. In terms of our theme, a personal pride in loving is fine, but too often we human beings lose sight of the importance of others as we congratulate ourselves.
Now, let’s wish a happy birthday right now. Alexander Warren Hughes better known simply as Alex Warren will be 26 years old this Friday. This song has the honor of spending most weeks at number 1 in our top 10–19 weeks—since 1980. It is another song of sincere commitment, at least from the man’s point of view. He sings, “They say, ‘The holy water’s watered down and this town’s lost its faith. Our colors will fade eventually’. So, if our time is runnin’ out day after day, we’ll make the mundane our masterpiece. I take one look at you. You’re takin’ me out of the ordinary. I want you layin’ me down ‘til we’re dead and buried. You got me kissin’ the ground of your sanctuary. At your altar, I will pray. You’re the sculptor, I’m the clay. You take me out of the ordinary.” As I say, he is pretty taken with his friend, and it could very well be real love, but one would have to know how she feels. In terms of our theme, one has to control his/her pride if he really wants to make the mundane a masterpiece. That is probably the best line of a song that I have studied during this past year—our call is to make the mundane which we live every day a true masterpiece. This is Alex Warren—happy birthday to him, his song from his album “You’ll Be Alright, Kid,” and his song from last year “Ordinary” on MATT.
(double) ORDINARY / Alex Warren
1* IF IT’S LOVE / Train
Part 12
The number 1 song on September 13, 2010 from the group Train from their album “Save Me, San Francisco” and their song “If It’s Love” on MATT. They sing: “While everybody else is getting out of bed, I’m usually getting in it. I’m not in it to win it. But I’m afraid when I hear stories about a husband and wife, there’s no happy endings, but you are the greatest thing about me. If it’s love, and we decide that it’s forever, no one else could do it better. If it’s love, and we’re two birds of a feather, then the rest is just ‘whenever’. We can be two birds of a feather that flock together. Got to have something to keep us together. Love, that’s enough for me.” And obviously, the two seem to love each other, and will do things for each other—at least, he will do things for her. Tying it into our theme today, if either of them are too proud, the chances are very strong that the relationship will not be one of love for very long.
And the number 1 song this date of September 13, 2026 is once again from London born Olivia Dean, from her album “The Art of Loving,” and her song “So Easy”, making it altogether 10 weeks at number 1. It is a song of the desire for love of one particular person. “I could be the twist, the one to make you stop,” she begins the song, “The icing on the cake, the cherry on the top. It’s heaven in my heart, and we could find you some space. I could be the world to you, the missing piece, that extra kind of chemistry. Some people make it hard; with me, that isn’t the case ‘cause I make it so easy to fall in love. So, come give me a call, and we’ll fall into us. I’m the perfect mix of Saturday night and the rest of your life. Anyone with a heart would agree: it’s so easy to fall in love with me.” So, a rather straightforward statement to someone and it’s pretty easy to see what could happen if one is too proud in this situation, our theme today—he/she just may think too much of their ability to love so well.
We have worked with that thought throughout our show today—what does pride do to a person in our world, a thought that Mike Posner gave us two hours ago. My prayer for you and me is that we will be people who control our pride and recognize the imortance of everyone. My thanks to our producers and our sponsors, especially our sponsors at Hays Car and Truck Alignment, Auto World in Hays, Holy Family Elementary School in Hays, and Thomas More Prep-Marian Junior and Senior High School in Hays. If you want to contact me by mail, I hope you do so at KJLS radio, Hays, KS, 67601 or my e-mail address is frmikescully@yahoo.com. My website is www.frmikescully.com where you can find some meditations on some Gospels, our music and some movies along with a transcript of the show. You can join us on the web every Sunday morning by clicking on www.hayspost.com and then choosing Mix 103.3 at 10 am. A final thought as we lead into the number 1 song, this thought from Mae West who died in 1980: “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” You bet. The most important word in that quote is “if”. As we close with the number 1 song once again from Olivia Dean and “So Easy,” may I remind you that right now you are listening to today’s best music, Mix 103.3, and part of our advice to you is to hold a good thought. From beautiful downtown Lawrence through the likewise beautiful city of Hays, and to the world as we prepare for Fall next week, my name is Fr. Mike Scully. Be safe, peace to you, and be good.
1 SO EASY / Olivia Dean
September 6, 2026
A Permanent Commitment
Part 1
Good morning, Central Kansas and around the world; thank you for joining us this morning, this first Sunday in September, 2026, and getting close to the season of Fall which begins later this month, ah, looking forward to it. A couple days from now, of course, is a sad remembrance day. We remember all of those who died on 9/11 and those injured, especially the families who were affected. May the Lord give them peace. Right now, welcome to MATT on today’s best music, Mix 103.3. It’s great to have you with us today as we discover exactly what the attitudes and meanings of popular music are all about. I’m Fr. Mike, your host for MATT and it’s my pleasure to work with some great songs and great messages—that being what we are all about: songs and messages. We take the top 10 popular songs of today and yesterday, study them a little bit, and come up with a message that can help us live better. We’ll let Bruno Mars direct our thinking today.
And he will do it with a song of commitment. The songs of our day speak about love an awful lot, and almost always there is an idea of commitment that runs through them. Our world doesn’t do well with commitments. Ruled by selfish human natures, people of our world too often make what might be called “temporary permanent commitments.” Of course, such commitments are a contradiction, but they are so much easier than “permanent permanent commitments.” Granted that there are legitimate exceptions in which permanent commitments should be abandoned, but one wonders whether there should be as many exceptions as there are.
Of course, the answer to the problem of commitment comes before the commitment is made. People must spend time and study on questions like “Are you willing to say and mean ‘forever’?”; “Do you know what you are getting into?”; Are you aware of the scope of ‘for better and for worse’?”
A couple songs in the top 10 right now addresses those thoughts and one of them comes from Bruno Mars or Peter Gene Hernandez who has two songs in the top 10. His song expressing a permanent commitment is at number 3: “For just the chance to win your heart, you could set the bar beyond the stars” he sings, “I’ll do anything, anything you ask me to. Say you want the moon—watch me learn to fly, ain’t no mountain you could point to I wouldn’t climb. It’s crazy, but it’s true. There’s nothing I won’t do. I’d risk it all for you.” In just a couple of words, he describes a permanent commitment to another really well.
So, let’s let the songs of our show today lead us into some thinking about a permanent commitment. We’ll play our top 10 of course, along with the songs on my website this week and eight special songs of permanent commitment. To start us off, this is from his album “The Romantic”, Bruno Mars, his song of complete commitment to another, “Risk It All”, number 3 on MATT.
(double) 3 RISK IT ALL / Bruno Mars
6 I JUST MIGHT / Bruno Mars
Part 2
A double play of current top 10 songs for him, Mr. Bruno Mars, and his number 6 song right now, “I Just Might” on MATT. It is also from his album “The Romantic”. The song was a former number 1, a song of wanting another to show her love for him by good dancing. “It would break my heart” he sings, “if I find out you can’t move. You better show me now ‘cause when I take you to the floor, you gotta get down. Hey, Mr. DJ, play a song for this pretty little lady ‘cause if she dance as good as she look right now, I just might make her my baby.” It is a rather selfish song in the sense that the man is really only thinking of himself, but in general, if the two have made a permanent commitment to each other, it can always be shown by dancing with each other.
There are four recent songs on my website www.frmikescully.com this week, and let’s give you all four in the next four songs. One of them is an excellent song about the magic of the good old days, basically saying we must live in the present and realize that what we did in the past is affecting what we do today. “I wish somebody would have told me,” Ke$ha begins the song, “someday, there will be the good old days, all the love you won’t forget and all these reckless nights you won’t regret—someday soon, your whole life’s gonna change.” In the rap part of the song, Macklemore says, “Now look at where we are, still growing up. Now that I’m here, wishing for those good old days.” Some great philosophy in the song, telling us that remembering the past is good, but we will always be able to remember the past—what we must do now is live well. “Been scared of the future, thinking about the past while missing out on now,” they sing. Thinking of it with our theme, one of the things that will affect present, past and future is making a permanent commitment and living with it in action. This is Benjamin Hammond Hagerty better known as Macklemore and with him is Kesha Rose Sebert better known as Ke$ha and their song “Good Old Days” from 2017 from Macklemore’s album “Gemini” on my website today on MATT.
(triple) GOOD OLD DAYS / Macklemore f/ Ke$ha
RATHER BE / Clean Bandit f/ Jess Glynne
LOCKED AWAY / R City f/ Adam Levine
Part 3
On my website this Thursday, R City or Rock City, that is a duo from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Theron and Timothy Thomas featuring Adam Levine from Maroon 5, and their song, “Locked Away” from 2017 on MATT. Their song is an important extended question about commitment, and phrased very well, a question that every serious couple should ask themselves. “If I got locked away,” they sing, “and we lost it all today, tell me honestly, would you still love me the same? If I showed you my flaws, if I couldn't be strong, tell me honestly, would you still love me the same? Right about now, if you judge for life me, would you stay by my side? Or is you gonna say goodbye?” Challenging English, but important questions for a permanent commitment, our theme today. Good song and video.
Before them, again on my website tomorrow, we heard the band Clean Bandit singing with British singer/songwriter Jessica Hannah Glynne better known as Jess Glynne and their song “Rather Be” from 2014 from Clean Bandit’s album “New Eyes”. They are a British group formed in Cambridge, England in 2009, and their song is a song of devotion to another while the interesting video goes another direction. “We’re a thousand miles from comfort; we have traveled land and sea, but as long as you are with me, there’s no place I’d rather be. I would wait forever, exalted in the scene. As long as I am with you, my heart continues to beat. If you gave me a chance I would take it; it’s a shot in the dark, but I’ll make it. Know with all of your heart, you can’t shame me.” You don’t know how the other feels in the relationship, but if it is the same way as the one singing, you can count on the fact that they will live up to a permanent commitment if they make one, our theme today.
Important things being said there—not because I said them, but because we all need to understand them to understand life a little more. We’re talking about the best in popular music for the past 46 years on our show that we call MATT and today exploring thoughts about permanent commitments. Get ready for music from Shawn Mendes and Sombr among others. Leading us to break, let me quote my famous anonymous quotebook: “If you think you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.” Yes indeed. You’ve got MATT on your dial today, this 6th day of September 2026. I’m your host Fr. Mike, and this is your invitation to stay right where you are.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
We continue with MATT. Welcome back to the only show of its kind in these parts. We take the attitudes of the songs we play here on Mix 103.3, and we look at their meanings in the hopes that you and I can learn to live better. I’m Fr. Mike, your host, and it is great to have you with us again today. Our theme came from an excellent song by Bruno Mars named “Risk It All” and we are talking about permanent commitments.
The final song of the week on my website www.frmikescully.com is up for us next. It is on my website on Saturday and it is a song about feelings, a song of real devotion to another but it seems to even go further than that. It is almost like the person in the song cannot even exist without the other. “I can't write one song that's not about you. Can't drink without thinking about you. Is it too late to tell you that everything means nothing if I can't have you? Oh, I'm good at keeping my distance. I know, / that you're the feeling I'm missing. You know that I hate to admit it, but everything means nothing if I can't have you.” The person in the song is describing a permanent commitment that he has made to his friend, our theme today. This is Shawn Mendes and his song “If I Can’t Have You” from 2019 from his album “Shawn Mendes: Deluxe” on MATT.
(double) IF I CAN’T HAVE YOU / Shawn Mendes
10 BABYDOLL / Dominic Fike
Part 5
Going back to our top 10, at number 10 is 30 year old Dominic Fike born in Naples, Florida, and his song “Babydoll” on MATT. It is a song of a person who cannot let go of a previous love relationship / perhaps because of a very difficult childhood. “I can’t move on, babydoll, waitin’ on calls, flippin’ through stations. I’m outclassed and it’s outrageous, and I’ll take it all, babydoll, whatever’s been weighin’ you down. Find me on Miami concrete, lookin’ for somebody different ‘cause my daddy was a pimp; my mama had her issues, but I miss her anyway. Oh, babydoll, please don’t call me for the wrong reasons.” The man in the relationship is looking for love, and he may not have ever learned exactly what it is. Tough song, teaching the importance of a good childhood. In terms of our theme, if a person has a relatively good childhood, she/he will usually learn what a permanent commitment is.
Right now, let’s listen to three top 10’s in a row beginning with number 9. According to the music critics, it addresses regret over a relationship while also reflecting her conflicted feelings about fame and public scrutiny. “Just know that I will find my way from you,” she sings, “Like flowers from a tomb while you decide who you are. And I can see right through like shadows on the moon and it’s all bad news. I hate that I made you love me, sorry if I made me your type. Yeah, I hate that I made you love me ‘cause I barely tried. What’s happening now? You studied my crown and borrowed my body, warm, kissed by the sun, then cold like the wind, a bee stuck in honey. Know that I will find my way from you. I hate that I made you love me.” So, a relatively negative song, and those negative feelings are important for us in a way, because in terms of our theme, beginning romantic relationships may not always be smooth and we need to learn to work with those negative feelings. Because if we do, we will be able to know what a permanent commitment is, our theme today. This is a song of a breakup with some personal overtones about her career, from her new album “Petal,” “Hate That I Made You Love Me” from Ariana Grande, number 9 on MATT.
(triple ) 9 HATE THAT I MADE YOU LOVE ME / Ariana Grande
8 BACK TO FRIENDS / Sombr
7 GOLDEN / Huntr/X
Part 6
Three Korean young ladies named Huntr/X there, and their number 7 song this morning, former number 1, “Golden” on MATT. It is from the soundtrack of the animated movie, “K Pop Demon Hunters” and the theme of the Netflix film that follows Huntr/X—who lead double lives facing off against a rival boys band, the Saja boys whose members are secretly demons. The words recall that story. “We’re going up, it’s our moment. You know together we’re glowin, gonna be golden. I’m done hidin’ now, I’m shinin’ like I’m born to be, oh, our time, no fears, no lies, that’s who we’re born to be.” I interpret it as a song urging people to do what is right, and in terms of our theme today, that is pretty important if we are deciding to go into a permanent commitment.
Before them, we heard a good song about the scenario in which a couple have given themselves completely to each other physically, and now one of them just wants to be friends, and that, the artist concludes, is a contradiction. It comes from 21 year old Shane Michael Boose, that is Sombr at number 8 in our top 10 right now from his album “I Barely Know Her” and his song “Back to Friends”. He sings, “How can we go back to being friends when we just shared a bed? How can you look at me and pretend I’m someone you’ve never met?” It seems as though the lady in the relationship wants to have a breakup or at least a temporary time apart, but the two have already made it clear that they are committed to each other. As I have mentioned, it is unfortunately a common enough experience. As I have said with the song, I believe that one of the evils of society is giving in to too much physical involvement because the physical involvement tends to dominate rather than thinking about—say--what love truly is, and in terms of our theme today, what a permanent commitment consists of.
We are looking at the top 10 of this week together with some top 10’s of the past, and we have taken our lead from Bruno Mars and his excellent song “Risk It All” and we are speaking about a permanent commitment. During this next segment, we will hear music in order of appearance from John Legend, David Cook, Katy Perry, Rob Thomas, Jason Mraz, and the band Disclosure. Let’s close out this segment with a quote from Mr. Socrates, from a long time ago, and still great advice: “The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.” A superb thought, and if we live with honor, when we make a permanent commitment, we will mean it. We look forward to your joining us after the break. I’m Fr. Mike, your dial is set at Mix 103.3, and I hope you keep it right where it is.
Indeed, this is MATT on Mix 103. Thank you for joining us this morning—it’s great to have you here. We are back for “Message at the Top,” and we do welcome you back to the top 10 songs of our area as determined by our research and your requests. We call our show MATT because we take those top 10 songs and analyze their meanings in light of the messages of human living. I am Fr. Mike, your host for the top 10 show of Mix 103.3, “Message at the Top.” Our theme this morning came from a song from Bruno Mars and we are thinking about a permanent commitment.
And it is a theme that we have used often on our show because it comes up so often in the songs. Individual love experiences usually end in some type of commitment and the love songs of our day—which is by far most of the songs that we listen to—will reflect on the circumstances of making or not making that commitment. I thought it would be interesting to look at some relatively recent songs that speak of commitment and talk about them. What follows are 8 songs that speak of that commitment.
In alphabetical order, here they are beginning with a song from John Roger Stephens better known as John Legend, an American singer/songwriter, on the music scene since 2004. The song is a love song, but his girlfriend is just a little mixed up, although it sounds as though she is coming around to what the man in the relationship wants. “What would I do without your smart mouth,” he begins the song, “drawing me in and you kicking me out.” But the refrain is: “All of me loves all of you. Love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections. Give your all to me, I’ll give my all to you. You’re my end and my beginning. Even when I lose I’m winning ‘cause I give you all of me, and you give me all of you.” It is a song of beginning romantic love, and the man is hopeful that the relationship will last. And from his point of view, it will become permanent. This is from John Legend’s album “Love in the Future” and his beautiful song from 2014 “All of Me” on MATT.
(triple) ALL OF ME / John Legend
COME BACK TO ME / David Cook
DARK HORSE / Katy Perry f/ Juicy J
Part 8
A statement by the girl in the relationship that if the man wants a commitment from her, she will give it, but he’d better be sure of what he’s doing. It is from Ms. Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson better known as Katy Perry singing along with Jordan Michael Houston better known as Juicy J, from Katy Perry’s album “Prism” and their song “Dark Horse” from the year 2013 on MATT. “I knew you were gonna come to me,” the lady in the relationship sings, “and here you are, but you better choose carefully ‘cause I’m capable of anything and everything. So you wanna play with magic, boy, you should know what you’re falling for. I’m coming at you like a dark horse. Are you ready for a perfect storm ‘cause once you’re mine, there’s no going back.” There’s no going back—part of the definition of a permanent commitment.
Before her, we heard from the album named after him, American Idol number 7 David Cook, and “Come Back To Me”. It is another song of strong commitment. “You say you gotta go and find yourself,” he sings, “you say that you’re becoming someone else. I know there’s really nothing left to say. Just know I’m here whenever you need me. I’ll wait for you. So I’ll let you go, I’ll set you free, and when you’ve seen what you need to see. / When you find you, come back to me.” It is a great statement of how people should handle breakups when one says to another that he/she needs a temporary time away. Real commitment, our theme today, is shown in the fact that he will wait. But there is another side to this, of course, and that is the situation in which the man has made the commitment—as he has in the song, and then the woman finds someone else. It is the situation in which he has sung—“when you’ve seen what you need to see,” and what she has seen is that their relationship is over. Then it becomes a problem because it moves from a commitment situation, our theme today, to a breakup situation. And that is tough to work with.
Another 10+ category of meaning song for me is up next, another song about commitment. “We were drawn from the weeds,” Rob Thomas begins the song, “we were brave like soldiers, falling down under the pale moonlight. You were holding on to me like someone broken, and I couldn’t tell you but I’m telling you now—just let me hold you while you’re falling apart, just let me hold you and we’ll both fall down. Fall on me, tell me everything you want me to be, forever with you, forever in me, ever the same.” The idea of commitment that is sung about all the time is so important for our world, and I’m convinced that if we would all understand the idea of a permanent commitment better, we would have such a better world. This is from his album “Something To Be”, Rob Thomas, number 3 of all the songs of meaning of 2006, “Ever The Same” on MATT.
(triple) EVER THE SAME / Rob Thomas
I WON’T GIVE UP / Jason Mraz
LATCH / Disclosure
Part 9
The English duo of brothers, Guy and Howard Lawrence who call themselves Disclosure, and performing with them is the English singer Sam Smith from Disclosure’s album “Settle,” and their song “Latch” from 2012 on MATT. The song is another song of devotion to another. “You lift my heart up when the rest of me is down,” they sing, “You enchant me even when you’re not around. If there are boundaries, I will try to knock them down. I’m latching on, now I know what I have found. I feel we’re close enough. I wanna lock in your love. I think we’re close enough, could I lock in your love? Now I got you in my space, I won’t let go of you. Got you shackled in my embrace, I’m latching on to you.” It is another song of real commitment to another, and as we are saying with these commitment songs, if both share the commitment, their lives will be infinitely better.
Before them, yet another song of strong commitment and a great song to study for all of us, I believe, Jason Mraz from his album “Love is Four Letter Word,” and his song “I Won’t Give Up” from 2012. “I won’t give up on us,” the person sings of their commitment to each other, “even if the skies get rough. I’m giving you all my love; I’m still looking up. And when you’re needing your space to do some navigating, I’ll be there patiently waiting to see what you find. I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily. I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make. Our differences, they do a lot to teach us how to use the tools and gifts we got. And in the end, you’re still my friend; at least we did intend for us to work. We didn’t break, we didn’t burn. We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in. I had to learn what I’ve got, and what I’m not, and who I am.” To me, the song is a perfect teaching tool to the people who choose marriage as a way of life. One of the ways to help make a commitment real, our theme today, is that the couple will know what a permanent commitment is.
We have two more special songs of permanent commitments to go yet from the band Nickelback and Ed Sheeran and then the final songs of our top 10. Let’s go to another good quote from my favorite author Mark Twain. “No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot.” Dare I say, that we find evidence of that in our political parties. And my comment: idiots can never make a real commitment. I’m Fr. Mike, your host for this show which we call MATT, and we are on the airways on Mix 103.3 in Hays, KS and on the internet at www.hayspost.com. I hope you are still here when we come back in a few moments.
Hi again, everyone, this is “Message at the Top”, on Mix 103.3. Thank you for spending part of your Sunday with us. I am Fr. Mike, and our show gives you the top 10 songs of our area, as well as some great songs of the past. And what is amazing about them is that with a little bit of help, those songs can actually teach us something about ourselves and about our behavior. That aspect of behavior that we are talking about right now is the thought of a permanent commitment.
Two more songs with that thought are up next for us. The first one comes from the year 2009. “Time is going by so much faster than I,” they sing, “and I’ve started to regret not spending a little with you. I’ve gotta let you know. You’re never gonna be alone from this moment on. If you ever feel like letting go, I won’t let you fall. When all hope is gone, I know that you can carry on. We’re gonna take the world on. I’ll hold you until the hurt is gone. I'm gonna be there all the way, I won't be missing one more day." The man in the relationship is singing direct communication and a solemn promise of commitment, our theme today. This is the Canadian group Nickelback from their album “Dark Horse” and their song “Never Gonna Be Alone” on MATT.
(triple) NEVER GONNA BE ALONE / Nickelback
THINKING OUT LOUD / Ed Sheeran
5 I KNEW IT, I KNEW YOU / Taylor Swift
Part 11
Number 5 in our countdown this morning, Taylor Swift “I Knew It, I Knew You” speaking the mind of the character known as Jessie in the movie “Toy Story 5”. It talks of the concepts of reunion and memory, and the emotions that go with it. “I knew you through the daze of the blades of the grass in summer,” she begins her song, “parachutes for the free fall of being younger. I memorized the sound of your bare footsteps running wild. It’s been a long time; life has ways of leaving those days behind. But seeing you tonight, I remembered I loved you, came back when it mattered. I saw you, standing there in the light of the window, wearing that same smile. Man, it’s been a while, but I knew it, I knew you.” Remembering a past love is its theme, and in terms of our theme this week, if that past love was a permanent commitment, which it wasn’t in the movie, then it should still be strong, that which is the nature of a permanent commitment.
Before her, we closed off our special songs of commitment with Ed Sheeran and his song “Thinking Out Loud.” It was the Song of the Year from 2015 according to the Grammys from his album “X” or a multiplication sign. It is a song that speaks of a solid commitment between lovers, and he adds a characteristic that is extremely important for any romantic commitment, and also for any other commitment. The nuance that he adds is that not only has the commitment occurred at one particular time, but he says that he will "fall in love every single day." There is no time limit when it comes to love. If we love someone, we will love them "right where they are," that is, every moment, every day. "When your legs don’t work like they used to before,” he sings, “and I can’t sweep you off of your feet, I fall in love with you every single day, and I just wanna tell you I am. I’m thinking out loud that we found love right where we are.” As I say, a great love commitment song, our theme today.
And we are up to our number 4 song this week from Olivia Rodrigo. It was our theme last week when we spoke about being infatuated with someone else. It is a song about being totally infatuated with someone as a beginning love experience. She begins her song: “I know that the bar closes at 11, but I hope you never finish that beer. You know all the words to ‘Just Like Heaven,’ and I know why he wrote them now that you’re standin’ right here. One night I was bored in bed and stalked you on the internet. It’s feminine intuition ‘cause I always had a vision of us standing like this. You’re lookin’ like an angel on the walls of Versailles, the most alive I’ve ever been, but kiss me and I might drop dead.” The person in the song is completely infatuated with the man, and portrays the intense feeling of an early romance, referring to a similar experience as described in the band the Cure’s song “Just Like Heaven.” In terms of our theme today, being infatuated with someone can end up to be a permanent commitment between the two, but some time and effort will be required. This is from Olivia Rodrigo’s album “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love,”, and her song “Drop Dead”, number 4 this week on MATT.
(double) 4 DROP DEAD / Olivia Rodrigo
2 DRACULA / Tame Impala
Part 12
That was Tame Impala, the musical project of Australian instrumentalist Kevin Parker and he is accompanied by South Korean singer Jennie. It is from the album “Deadbeat” and the song “Dracula”, number 2 this week on MATT. The song is about a person who is wanting a love connection while at the same time not wanting to come out of his chosen hidden life. Comparing the person in the song to a vampire, they sing: “The morning light is turning blue, the feeling is bizarre,” they begin their song. “The night is almost over, I still don’t know where you are. The shadows, they keep me like a movie star, daylight makes me feel like Dracula. In the end, I hope it’s you and me in the darkness, I would never leave. Run from the sunlight, Dracula.” The man in the relationship is growing up trying to understand love, and if he accomplishes that, he may be able to make a permanent commitment a little later in life, our theme today.
And the number 1 song is once again from London born Olivia Dean, from her album “The Art of Loving,” and her song “So Easy”, making it altogether 9 weeks at number 1. It is a song of the desire for love of one particular person. “I could be the twist, the one to make you stop,” she begins the song, “The icing on the cake, the cherry on the top. It’s heaven in my heart, and we could find you some space. I could be the world to you, the missing piece, that extra kind of chemistry. Some people make it hard; with me, that isn’t the case ‘cause I make it so easy to fall in love. So, come give me a call, and we’ll fall into us. I’m the perfect mix of Saturday night and the rest of your life. Anyone with a heart would agree: it’s so easy to fall in love with me.” So, a rather straightforward statement to someone and both of them seem to be growing up well in their relationship together and it can easily end up in a permanent commitment with each other, our theme today.
That rather common theme of a permanent commitment was taken from Bruno Mars and his song “Risk It All” and we have tied in that idea with all of the situations of the songs of our show. I hope it made some sense to you. My prayer for you and me is that every one of us will understand love and when we make a permanent commitment, we will mean it. My thanks to our producer Jeff and sponsors, especially our sponsors at Hays Car and Truck Alignment, Auto World in Hays, Holy Family Elementary School in Hays, and Thomas More Prep-Marian Junior and Senior High School in Hays. If you want to contact me by mail, I hope you do so at KJLS radio, Hays, KS, 67601 or my e-mail address is frmikescully@yahoo.com. My website is www.frmikescully.com where you will find some meditations on the Gospels and on these songs and some great movies and a transcript of this show. If you want to join us on the web, go to www.hayspost.com and click on Mix 103.3 at 10am every Sunday morning. One final thought, this one from my quote book marked anonymous: “Always borrow money from a pessimist, he doesn’t expect to be paid back.” I love it. As we close with Olivia Rodrigo’s “So Easy” may I remind you that you are listening to today’s best music Mix 103.3, and our advice today among all the other points that we have said is to hold a good thought. From beautiful almost heaven West Virginia through the beautiful cities of Lawrence and Hays, KS to you and to the world, my name is Fr. Mike Scully. Be safe, peace to you, and be good.
1 SO EASY / Olivia Dean
August 30, 2026
Early Romantic Relationships
Part 1
Hello, Central Kansas and around the world. Thank you for spending some of your Sunday with us and we celebrate together the final Sunday of August, 2026. Welcome to MATT on today’s best music, Mix 103.3. It’s great to have you with us. I’m Fr. Mike, your host for MATT. We take the top 10 songs of the past 46 years, songs that we have played here on Mix 103 and we talk about their meanings and their applications to our lives in this often mixed-up complicated world of ours. Our motto here is: enjoy the music, and listen to the message, allowing that message to influence our lives for the better. Today, besides our top 10 we will hear songs from our past top 10’s as well, with people like Charlie Puth, the group Blind Melon and Rihanna.
Most of the songs written for radio play are love songs, estimated to be about 70% or so. And of course, there are many sides to the love that is written about. One of the more interesting sides to study in popular music is love which is just beginning. It has characteristics of its own and can be made better than it is. Consequently, we can say some positive elements to it so that it is a good way to live at that particular moment of a couple’s lives or of course, some negative elements. Also since there will be a more permanent love a little later on, it’s good to see what preparation there is in the song for a future marriage.
I think of all of that as I study the number 3 song in our countdown right now from Olivia Rodrigo. It is a song about being totally infatuated with someone as a beginning love experience. She begins her song: “I know that the bar closes at 11, but I hope you never finish that beer. You know all the words to ‘Just Like Heaven,’ and I know why he wrote them now that you’re standin’ right here. One night I was bored in bed and stalked you on the internet. It’s feminine intuition ‘cause I always had a vision of us standing like this. You’re lookin’ like an angel on the walls of Versailles, the most alive I’ve ever been, but kiss me and I might drop dead.”
The person in the song is completely infatuated with the man, and portrays the intense feeling of an early romance, referring to a similar experience as described in the band the Cure’s song “Just Like Heaven.” The song will give us an opportunity to speak about a beginning love experience on our show today, and what each of our songs will give as a particular insight.
This is from Olivia Rodrigo’s album “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love,”, and her song “Drop Dead”, number 3 this week on MATT.
(double) 3 DROP DEAD / Olivia Rodrigo
Deja vu / Olivia Rodrigo
Part 2
Double Olivia Rodrigo there, that last one from her debut album “Sour”, her song “Déjà vu” from 2021. It is a song lamenting the fact that the lady in the relationship has lost her once-upon-a-time boyfriend to another girl, and she is thinking that the other girl and he are doing the same thing that they did. “I bet she’s braggin’ to all her friends, sayin you’re so unique; so when you gonna tell her that we did that, too? She thinks it’s special, but it’s all reused. That was our place, I found it first, I made the jokes you tell to her when she’s with you. Do you get déjà vu when she’s with you?” She is being very sarcastic, and probably very angry at her ex and she is no doubt jealous. In terms of our theme, these are the common problems of early love relationships, and the mature person will take time to study them in order to make the best possible response.
My website www.frmikescully.com has a song by Tate McRae on Wednesday that is interesting to study. She calls it a song celebrating female confidence. “He says, ‘Are you serious,’” she begins her song speaking of the boyfriend in the relationship, “I’ve tried, but I can’t figure out; I’ve been next to you all night and still don’t know what you’re about.” But she says, “I would want myself. Please believe me. I’ll put you through hell just to know me, so sure of yourself, don’t get greedy—that stuff won’t end well.” I changed the words a little. It is a song of female empowerment. And exactly what should be said to someone who wants to control a situation when he/she shouldn’t. In terms of our theme, when just discovering love, we have to be very aware that too many people want to control a situation. From the year 2o24, and a song from her album “Think Later,” her song, “Greedy”—23 year old Canadian singer Tate McRae on MATT.
(triple) GREEDY/ Tate McRae
MISERY / Maroon 5
10 BABYDOLL / Dominic Fike
Part 3
30 year old Dominic Fike born in Naples, Florida, and his song “Babydoll”, number 10 on MATT this morning. It is a song of a person who cannot let go of a previous love relationship perhaps because of a very difficult childhood. “I can’t move on, babydoll, waitin’ on calls, flippin’ through stations. I’m outclassed and it’s outrageous, and I’ll take it all, babydoll, whatever’s been weighin’ you down. Find me on Miami concrete, lookin’ for somebody different ‘cause my daddy was a pimp; my mama had her issues, but I miss her anyway. Oh, babydoll, please don’t call me for the wrong reasons.” The man in the relationship is looking for love, and he may not have ever learned exactly what it is. Tough song, teaching the importance of a good childhood. In terms of our theme, early romantic relationships will often reflect the kind of childhood the couple have experienced.
Before him, we heard from the group Maroon 5 and their song from their album “Hands All Over” and their song “Misery” from 2010 on MATT. It is a song of begging the girlfriend in a relationship to respond to the man’s desires. "So scared of breaking it," they sing, "but you won’t let it bend. And I wrote two hundred letters I won’t ever send. Somehow it cut so much deeper than they seem. You’d rather cover up, I’d rather let them be, so let me be, and I’ll set you free. I am in misery. Girl, you really got me bad; I’m gonna get you back. I’m desperate and confused, so far away from you. Why do you do what you do to me?" The man in the relationship is in very bad straits, and his girlfriend is not responding. Consequently, he is about to make matters worse--he is threatening revenge. It is an early romantic relationship, our theme today, and one of the things to stay away from early on and later as well is the thought of revenge.
Our theme of early romantic relationships came from Olivia Rodrigo’s number 3 song right now “Drop Dead.” Get ready for the music of top 10 from Huntr/X and Ariana Grande as well as music from the band Blind Melon, Meghan Trainor and Charlie Puth. And, thanks to my trusty quote book, as usual, I have a thought for you to close this session. This one comes from Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous: “It is better to lose your pride with someone you love rather than to lose that someone you love with your pride.” That is a great thought, especially apropos for early love relationships. You’ve got today’s best music Mix 103 on your dial right now; I’m your host Fr. Mike, and you are in tune / with the MATT music network.
We continue on the MATT music network on Mix 103. Welcome back to the only top 10 show of its kind in these parts, maybe in the whole world. We look at the meanings of the songs we play in the hopes that you and I can learn to live better as we follow our motto to enjoy the music and especially to listen to the message. I’m Fr. Mike, your host, and it is so good to have you with us today. We are using a theme of early love relationships and what can happen with them. Let’s see how that theme fits in with a song from Ariana Grande.
According to the critics, it addresses regret over a relationship while also reflecting her conflicted feelings about fame and public scrutiny. “Just know that I will find my way from you,” she sings, “Like flowers from a tomb while you decide who you are. And I can see right through like shadows on the moon and it’s all bad news. I hate that I made you love me, sorry if I made me your type. Yeah, I hate that I made you love me ‘cause I barely tried. What’s happening now? You studied my crown and borrowed my body, warm, kissed by the sun, then cold like the wind, a bee stuck in honey. Know that I will find my way from you. I hate that I made you love me.” So, a relatively negative song, and those negative feelings are important for us in a way, because in terms of our theme, beginning romantic relationships may not always be smooth and we need to learn to work with those negative feelings. The song has quite a good video, I believe. This is a song of a breakup with some personal overtones about her career, from her new album “Petal,” “Hate That I Made You Love Me” from Ariana Grande on MATT.
(double) 9 HATE THAT I MADE YOU LOVE ME / Ariana Grande
NO / Meghan Trainor
Part 5
32 year old Nantucket, Massachusetts-born Ms. Meghan Elizabeth Trainor and a song about how not to get into a relationship. You do it by saying “no.” It comes from her album “Thank You”, and very simply its title “No” from 2016 on MATT. “I think it's so cute and I think it's so sweet,” she sings, “how you let your friends encourage you to try and talk to me. But let me stop you there before you speak. My name is no; my sign is no; my number is no. You need to let it go.” Then she goes into a little teaching, saying “All my ladies, listen up. If that boy ain't giving up, girls, all you gotta say is no.” It’s really not bad advice—you must learn direct communication at times, and difficult or not, we should learn it and in terms of our theme, learn it even in early love relationships.
Let’s go into this triple play with a song which is on my website www.frmikescully.com on Tuesday of this week. Charlie Puth sings here “I’m only one call away; I'll be there to save the day. Superman’s got nothing on me. I'm only one call away. Call me if you need a friend. I just wanna give you love. Reaching out to you, so take a chance. Come along with me and don't be scared. I just wanna set you free. You and me can make it anywhere. For now, we can stay here for a while 'cause you know, I just wanna see you smile.” It seems the man in the relationship would like it to turn into a real relationship but for right then, he was just interested in making her feel good. And in terms of our theme, that is a pretty good goal to begin a love relationship with. This is Charlie Puth from the album “Nine Track Mind” and his song “One Call Away” on MATT.
(triple) ONE CALL AWAY / Charlie Puth
NO RAIN / Blind Melon
8 GOLDEN / Huntr/X
Part 6
Three Korean young ladies named Huntr/X there, and their number 8 song this morning, former number 1, “Golden” on MATT. It is from the soundtrack of the animated movie, “K Pop Demon Hunters” and the theme of the Netflix film that follows Huntr/X—who lead double lives facing off against a rival boys band, the Saja boys whose members are secretly demons. The words recall that story. “We’re going up, it’s our moment. You know together we’re glowin, gonna be golden. I’m done hidin’ now, I’m shinin’ like I’m born to be, oh, our time, no fears, no lies, that’s who we’re born to be.” I interpret it as a song urging people to do what is right, and in terms of our theme today, that is pretty important as we begin romantic relationships.
Before them, we heard a great song to study from the band Blind Melon who are still on the music scene with different members, this song from 1993’s top 10, from the album named after them the song “No Rain”. It is a song that describes a bored individual who leads a life that was “pretty plain”, as they sing. The title is a little too realistic for some areas of our country, to be sure—no rain. Actually, the description of life being “pretty plain” for the man in the song is an understatement. Not only is it “plain,” / it is so boring that he “watches the puddles gather rain” and when it does not rain, he occupies his time by sleeping and complaining that there is no rain to gather into puddles. No one pays any attention to him, they call him insane; he would do anything to escape the boredom. “It rips my life away,” the group sings. This person needs some help, and that help would be a must for anyone beginning a love relationship, our theme today.
That theme of studying early love relationships came from Olivia Rodrigo and her song “Drop Dead.” We have another hour to go yet today with MATT. In fact, get ready for people like Bruno Mars and Paula Abdul. Popular music always has a message, and the songs of popular music always contain something to talk about, and we will continue to do just that in a couple of minutes. First, a little break, and before the break a thought from Christian author C. S. Lewis: “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and of course, as long as you are looking down, you can’t see something that’s above you.” Now, that’s one great insight, Mr. Lewis. And the person who is looking down on others will often make mistakes in relationships, especially early ones. I’m Fr. Mike, inviting you to keep your dial right there as we continue shortly / on the MATT music network on today’s best music Mix 103.3.
We continue with the only top 10 show of its kind in this area as we celebrate the last Sunday of August 2026. It is great to have you with us on 100,000 watts of power, and the show we have labeled MATT, the show that takes only the top 10 of today and yesterday, and discovers just what their messages are, often giving us some thoughts to live by. Our motto is to enjoy the music, and listen to the message, allowing that message to influence our lives for the better. My name is Fr. Mike, your host, and we are featuring the thought of Olivia Rodrigo this morning from her song “Drop Dead,” and we are studying the songs of our show in light of what they say about early love relationships.
Let’s begin our second hour together with a good song about the scenario in which a couple have given themselves completely to each other physically, and now one of them just wants to be friends, and that, the artist concludes, is a contradiction. He sings, “How can we go back to being friends when we just shared a bed? How can you look at me and pretend I’m someone you’ve never met?” It seems as though the lady in the relationship wants to have a breakup or at least a temporary time apart, but the two have already made it clear that they are committed to each other. As I have mentioned, it is unfortunately a common enough experience. I believe that one of the evils of society is giving in to too much physical involvement because the physical involvement tends to dominate rather than thinking about—say--what love truly is. And when early romantic experiences are defined physically, that is certainly the case. This is a song from 21 year old Shane Michael Boose, that is Sombr at number 7 in our top 10 right now from his album “I Barely Know Her” and his song “Back to Friends” on MATT.
(triple) 7 BACK TO FRIENDS / Sombr
O MY GOD/ Adele
OPPOSITES ATTRACT / Paula Abdul f/ The Wild Pair
Part 8
Paula Abdul there singing with the Wild Pair, from 1989 and Paula Abdul’s album “Forever Your Girl,” and the song “Opposites Attract” on MATT. She reminds us in the song that one of the major blocks to a good relationship is the lack of common interests, something that is discovered very early in a relationship, our theme today. Anyone who is dating realizes that, but given that knowledge, showing once again that love does not follow the rules of logic, one of the phenomena of love relationships in countries where we choose our mates, is that we often choose a partner who has very little in common with us. Or, as Paula Abdul sings here, “Opposites Attract.” In the song, they sing about all kinds of opposites, but even given them, they do hit it off well. But there can be a problem. In the very clever video of the song, Paula Abdul and her cartoon feline friend are playfully choking each other, as they sing “We have nothing but fun”. Something worth pointing out: opposites may attract initially, but in the long run, they will probably tear the relationship apart, a fact that should not be forgotten as such a couple begin the relationship.
Before them, we heard a song about coming out of a negative time in the person in the song’s life, and reaching out to something new in a tentative way. It comes from Adele Laurie Blue Adkins or simply Adele from her album “30” and her song “Oh My God”. “Wish that I would let you break my walls, but I’m spinning out of control from the fall. I know that it’s wrong, but I want to have fun. Oh my God, I can’t believe it, out of all the people in the world, what is the likelihood of jumping out of my life and into your arms? Maybe baby I’m just losing my mind ‘cause this is trouble, but it feels right. Teetering on the edge of heaven and hell is a battle I cannot fight. Oh, Lord, don’t let me down.” I just love it when these songs ask God for help because that is exactly what must happen in life, in my humble opinion, and therefore, for me, it is THE way to work with early romantic relationships, our theme today.
Yet another triple play is all set up on these fancy computers and it begins with a song about begging another person to love the person in the song, and that is something you have to be very careful about. “I want you to love me,” she sings, speaking the thoughts of the woman in a relationship, “so forget about the world ‘cause it’s going to be me and you tonight. Want you to make me feel like I’m the only girl in the world, like I’m the only one that you’ll ever love, like I’m the only one who knows your heart, like I’m the only one that’s in command, ‘cause I’m the only one who understands how to make you feel like a man. I’ll tell you all my secrets that I’m keepin’; when you enter, you ain’t leaving, be my prisoner for the night.” Words asking the other to love, and the reason that this is so risky is that she might give too much of herself, and get nothing in return. It is one of the problems with early romantic relationships, our theme today. From 2010, Rihanna from her album “Loud”, “Only Girl (in the World)” on MATT.
(triple) ONLY GIRL (IN THE WORLD) / Rihanna
NO AIR / Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown
6 I JUST MIGHT / Bruno Mars
Part 9
At number 6 from Bruno Mars’s album “The Romantic”, and the song “I Just Might” on MATT. He has number 4 also which we will hear in a couple minutes. His real name is Peter Gene Hernandez. The song was a former number 1, a song of wanting another to show her love for him by good dancing. “It would break my heart” he sings, “if I find out you can’t move. You better show me now ‘cause when I take you to the floor, you gotta get down. Hey, Mr. DJ, play a song for this pretty little lady ‘cause if she dance as good as she look right now, I just might make her my baby.” It is a rather selfish song in the sense that the man is really only thinking of himself, but in general, early romantic relationships, our theme today, may often be defined in terms of good dancing.
Before him, we heard Ms. Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown and their song “No Air” from 2008 from the album “Jordin Sparks.” The song begins with its theme: “Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air.” Then they continue: “If I should die before I wake, it’s ‘cause you took my breath away. Losing you is like living in a world with no air. How do you expect me to live alone with just me, ‘cause my world revolved around you. It’s so hard for me to breathe. Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air; can’t live. That’s how I feel whenever you ain’t there.” Not very good English, but rather straightforward thought—for some reason, the two broke up, and it feels like they’re dying because there is no air. A very good description of pain. We simply have to work with the pain, especially as we experience breakups early in our romantic relationships, our theme today.
Which brings us to another momentary break in the music and message. Get ready during our final segment for songs from Taylor Swift along with numbers 4, 2 and 1 in our nation right now. Here is a thought that comes from Mr. Will Rogers who died in 1935: “Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.” Well said Mr. Rogers, which means we must do more than simply talk about things in order to live well. Stay with us as we pursue a theme that has come from Olivia Rodrigo’s number 3 song “Drop Dead.” This is MATT on Mix 103.3.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Part 10
Welcome back to MATT on Mix 103. I am Fr. Mike, and we are beginning the final segment of our show this last Sunday of August. We take the songs of the top 10 of today and yesterday, and we speak about the messages of those songs, those messages often giving us some good thoughts to live by. Our motto as always is to enjoy the music of our show and this great radio station, and at the same time, listen to the message so that our lives can be a bit better than they are now.
At number 5 in our countdown today is Taylor Swift and let’s do a triple play from her. The song falls from the number 1 position to number 5 right now. It talks of the concepts of reunion and memory, and the emotions that go with it. “I knew you through the daze of the blades of the grass in summer,” she begins her song, “parachutes for the free fall of being younger. I memorized the sound of your bare footsteps running wild. It’s been a long time; life has ways of leaving those days behind. But seeing you tonight, I remembered I loved you, came back when it mattered. I saw you, standing there in the light of the window, wearing that same smile. Man, it’s been a while, but I knew it, I knew you.” Remembering a past love is its theme, and in terms of our theme this week, much of early romantic relationships are nothing more than comparing those relationships with recent past ones. The song is “I Knew It, I Knew You” from Taylor Swift and the character known as Jessie in the movie “Toy Story 5”, number 5 on MATT.
(triple) 5 I KNEW IT, I KNEW YOU / Taylor Swift
CARDIGAN / Taylor Swift
I CAN DO IT WITH A BROKEN HEART / Taylor Swift
Part 11
Closing off a triple play from her, Taylor Alison Swift, and a song of despair, from her album “The Tortured Poets Department,” and “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” on MATT. The lady in the song is swearing that she will get over the despair, although you wonder whether she ever will. “I can read your mind, ‘she’s having the time of her life,’” the lady in the relationship sings, “There in her glittering prime. I can show you lies ‘cause I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my stuff. They said, ‘Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it’. And I did: Lights, camera, smile even when you want to die. He said he'd love me all his life, But that life was too short. Breaking down, I hit the floor, all the pieces of me shattered. I was grinning like I'm winning. I was hitting my marks 'Cause I can do it with a broken heart. I'm so depressed, I act like it's my birthday every day I'm so obsessed with him, but he avoids me like the plague. I cry a lot, but I am so productive. It's an art. You know you’re good when you can even do it with a broken heart.” I changed some of the words. In terms of our theme, many early love relationships cause broken hearts and we have to be prepared for them.
Before
her, her again, Taylor Swift, this time with a song whose meaning
according to her is about a lost romance and
why young love is often fixed so permanently within our memories, and
why it leaves such an indelible mark. It comes from 2020 from her
album “Folklore” and the name of the song “Cardigan”. “When
you are young, they assume you know nothing, but I knew you dancing
in your Levi’s, and when I felt like I was an old cardigan under
someone’s bed, you put me on and said I was your favorite. I knew
you playing hide and seek and giving me your weekends. I knew you’d
linger like a tattoo kiss. I knew you’d haunt all my what-ifs
‘cause I knew everything when I was young. I knew I’d curse you
for the longest time. I knew you’d miss me once the thrill expired,
and you’d be standing on my front porch light, and I knew you’d
come back to me.” She is singing about a beginning romance, our
theme today, and what it should mean.
Back to our
countdown now, and we have number 4 all set on these computers. It is
from Bruno Mars again.
“For just the chance to win your heart, you could set the bar
beyond the stars” he sings, “I’ll do anything, anything you ask
me to. Say you want the moon—watch me learn to fly, ain’t no
mountain you could point to I wouldn’t climb. It’s crazy, but
it’s true. There’s nothing I won’t do. I’d risk it all for
you.” In terms of our theme today, really working at a permanent
commitment of love will come after an early romantic experience, and
the better the experience is, the stronger will a permanent
commitment be. This is from his album “The Romantic” again, his
song of complete commitment to another, “Risk It All”, the name
of it from Bruno Mars on MATT.
(double) 4 RISK IT ALL / Bruno Mars
2 DRACULA / Tame Impala
Part 12
That was Tame Impala, the musical project of Australian instrumentalist Kevin Parker and he is accompanied by South Korean singer Jennie. It is from the album “Deadbeat” and the song “Dracula”, number 2 this week on MATT. The song is about a person who is wanting a love connection while at the same time not wanting to come out of his chosen hidden life. Comparing the person in the song to a vampire, they sing: “The morning light is turning blue, the feeling is bizarre,” they begin their song. “The night is almost over, I still don’t know where you are. The shadows, they keep me like a movie star, daylight makes me feel like Dracula. In the end, I hope it’s you and me in the darkness, I would never leave. Run from the sunlight, Dracula.” The man in the relationship is growing up in the process of love, and in order to begin his romantic experiences, our theme today, he will have to come out of his shell a little.
And the number 1 song is once again from London born Olivia Dean, from her album “The Art of Loving,” and her song “So Easy”, making it altogether 8 weeks at number 1. It is a song of the desire for love of one particular person. “I could be the twist, the one to make you stop,” she begins the song, “The icing on the cake, the cherry on the top. It’s heaven in my heart, and we could find you some space. I could be the world to you, the missing piece, that extra kind of chemistry. Some people make it hard; with me, that isn’t the case ‘cause I make it so easy to fall in love. So, come give me a call, and we’ll fall into us. I’m the perfect mix of Saturday night and the rest of your life. Anyone with a heart would agree: it’s so easy to fall in love with me.” So, a rather straightforward statement to someone and both of them seem to be growing up well in their relationship together which began with a successful early romantic relationship, our theme today, one would imagine.
And there you have it, the top popular songs of this area according to Mediabase 24-7 and KJLS-FM along with their meanings. Our theme today is the thought of early romantic relationships and their special situations. My prayer for you and me is that we will develop the thought of love as we grow, whether we move into romantic love or not. My thanks to our producers and sponsors, especially our sponsors at Holy Family Elementary School in Hays, Hays Car and Truck Alignment, Auto World in Hays, and Thomas More Prep-Marian Junior and Senior High School in Hays, all made up of great people. If you want to contact me by mail, I hope you do so at KJLS radio, Hays, KS, 67601 or my e-mail address is frmikescully@yahoo.com. My website is www.frmikescully.com where you will find some good meditations on the Gospels and songs and movies and a transcript of the show. You can join us on the web every Sunday morning at 10 CDT by tuning to www.hayspost.com, and choosing Mix 103.3. A final quote to lead us out of our show today from an anonymous author again: “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
That is, we have to do more to bring about good things than merely talk about it. Yes, indeed. As we close with Olivia Dean’s “So Easy”, may I remind you that you are listening to today’s best music on Mix 103, and as you do, I hope you hold a good thought. Thanks for your time today. From beautiful West Virginia to beautiful Hays, KS, and to the world, my name is Fr. Mike Scully. Stay safe, peace to you, and be good.
1 SO EASY / Olivia Dean