KJLS-FM 103.3 10am Sundays
July 13, 2025
“Some Thoughts on Hurting”
Part 1
Hello, Central Kansas and around the world! Thank you for joining us as we continue to celebrate our July summer. I hope your day so far is a happy one and we welcome you to MATT on today’s best music Mix 103. It’s great to have you with us today as we look at the top 10 songs of yesterday and today, as we say. I’m Fr. Mike, your host for MATT and it’s my pleasure to serve us up some great songs and some great messages. We take the most popular songs of the past 45 years concentrating on the last couple years and talk about their messages and exactly what they should mean for us. The guiding thought of our show is to enjoy the music, and listen to the message! Last week we talked about igniting the spark within us and our number 1 song was from Alex Warren.
This week, let’s talk about “Hurting” with the concentration on overcoming “Hurting” within us. Our lead song is a new one named “A Lot More Free.” It is a song that is almost thankful for the pain of leaving someone. In fact, he sings “Is it crazy that I'm grateful for all the pain?” “Leaves start falling, my cold wind blows,” he begins his song, “Birds start singin’ when the spring rolls ‘round, flowers blooming through the thawing ground. When you love somebody and the love grows cold, the sun starts shining when you let it all go. There’s a certain kind of hurting only time can heal. I’m a little bit hurt but a lot more free. I ain’t saying that you never took a toll on me. For what it’s worth, I can finally see that I’m a little bit hurt but a lot more free.” The person is understanding that some things hurt, but it is for the overall good.
It is not an easy concept to make part of our lives because in general, we simply don’t like the hurting that happens. What we have to do, it seems, is to analyze that hurting a little bit and almost always we will find that the hurting gives way to something good. Let’s think about that a little this morning with our show.
There are three songs in our playlist since 1980 that have “free” in their titles. We’ll get to them at the start of our show today as we talk about the “hurting” that happens in our lives. This is newcomer Oregon born Max McNown and his song at number 6 this week from his album “Wandering” and his song “A Lot More Free” on MATT.
(double) 6 A LOT MORE FREE / Max McNown
BREAK FREE / Ariana Grande f/ Zedd
Part 2
The second of the three top 10 songs that have “free” in their titles since 1980, a song that is initiating a break-up and the lady in the song feels good about it. It is from Ariana Grande with producer Zedd and their song from 2014, “Break Free” on MATT. “I should’ve said it before,” the person sings, “I can’t pretend anymore. I only wanna die alive, never by the hands of a broken heart. Don’t wanna hear you lie tonight, now that I’ve become who I really am. This is the part when I say I don’t want ya. I’m stronger than I’ve been before. This is the part when I break free ‘cause I can’t resist it no more.” The video is very interesting but goes another direction. In the song, she is determining the way to go after a bad relationship, and it is pretty much the same as our lead song this morning—get out of the relationship and realize that the hurting which happened in that relationship has actually made her stronger, and therefore she is better because of it. We’ll hear from Zedd a little later as well.
The third song with the word “free” in its title will begin our first triple play of the day right here. It is a song from 74 year old Gordon Matthew Sumner better known as Sting. In my mind, he is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. The song is a great love song of meaning because it is exactly what should happen in a love relationship. “If you need somebody, call my name,” he sings. “If you want someone, you can do the same. If you want to keep something precious, you got to lock it up and throw away the key. If you want to hold onto your possession, don’t even think about me. If you love somebody, set them free.” Great advice and exactly what should be done in a true love situation. The way to truly love and the solution to any “hurting” in a love relationship, it will “hurt” to set the other free so that the other can choose whether or not to pursue the relationship, but it is the way to love. Good song here. From the year 1985 , from his album “Dream of the Blue Turtles”, and the song “If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free” on MATT. Listen to the words!
(triple) IF YOU LOVE SOMEBODY, SET THEM FREE / Sting
HIGH ENOUGH / Damn Yankees
5 STARGAZING / Myles Smith
Part 3
A former number 1, British singer Myles Smith and number 5 this morning, his song “Stargazing”on MATT. It is a song about a love commitment which has worked. “Time stood still,” he begins his song, “just like a photograph; you made me feel like this would last forever. Lookin' in your eyes, I see my whole life. They say you know it when you know it and I know. Promise that you'll hold me close, don't let me go. Take my heart, don't break it; love me to my bones. All this time I've wasted; you were right there all along, you and I stargazin', intertwinin' souls. We were never strangers; I lose my mind when I'm around you; how I come alive. When I'm without you I can't help but feel so lost. I wanna give you all I've got.” He says that when you know that you are in love, then you know, and / he knows. That is, he is thinking that his love is a mature committed love, and such a thought will mean he and his fiancee have worked out the problems that naturally come when you put two together forever, and therefore in terms of our theme, both have discovered that any hurting can be put aside as they pursue a truly wonderful relationship.
Before him, we heard from the group Damn Yankees, and their song from their album named after them, “High Enough” from 1990. The group Damn Yankees was a group formed in 1989 and continued singing together until 2001. “I don’t wanna hear about it anymore,” they began their song, singing the thoughts of the man in the relationship, “It’s a shame I’ve got to live without you anymore. There’s a fire in my heart, a pounding in my brain. It’s driving me crazy. Don’t say goodnight, say you’re gonna stay forever. Can you take me high enough, to fly me over yesterday. Can you take me high enough? It’s never over, yesterday’s just a memory.” Apparently something happened to their relationship, and the song is sort of an apology and begging her to come back. In terms of our theme today, there was a mistake, and he is learning from it, and hoping that she may take him back which may or may not happen. But the good thing from the hurting is that he is learning from his mistake.
We have another uninterrupted 30 minutes of song and message in just a few minutes. During that next segment, we will be able to hear top 10 music from in order of appearance: The Kid Laroi, Lola Young, the latest from Shaboozey, Selena Gomez and Chappell Roan. Before we go to break, here is a thought from author Phillip Bernstein, and a really good thought: “We have no right to ask when a sorrow comes, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ unless we ask the same question for every joy that comes our way.” One of the ways to control our hurting is to count our blessings. You bet. Our show is “Message at the Top”, I am Fr. Mike, and I hope your Sunday morning is a good one. Don’t go way; we’ll be right back.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Part 4
It is great to have you back with us. Thank you for joining us; we welcome you back to the top 10 songs of our area as of the week ending today, July 13, 2025, the second Sunday of the very hot month of July. Hang in there—there is more hot weather to come, but we will cool off, eventually. I’m Fr. Mike, your host for the only top 10 show of its kind in this area, and maybe the whole world. The show takes the top 10 songs of the present and past and explains their messages, and then we call the show “Message at the Top.” The topic of our show this morning was given to us by Max McNown and his song “A Lot More Free” and we are exploring some thoughts on “hurting.”
Let’s begin this second half hour with a song about not being able to say the word “sorry.” “You cut out a piece of me” he sings, “and now I’m bleeding internally, left here without you. And it hurts for me to think about what life could possibly be like without you. I can’t believe that you wouldn’t believe me. The heck with all of your reasons, I lost my cool, you know I didn’t mean it. Now I see it, you run and repeat. And I can’t take it back, so in the past is where we’ll leave it. So there you go, I’ll never find the words to say I’m sorry, but I’m scared to be alone.” And that leaves the person in a horrible way. He’ll never be able to get over the hurt, our theme today, and will only feel it when he is able to say the words, “I’m sorry.” This is Australian singer Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard, that is, The Kid Laroi, and his song “Without You”, from the top 10 of all of the songs of meaning of 2021 on MATT.
(double) WITHOUT YOU / The Kid Laroi
7 MESSY / Lola Young
Part 5
Ms. Lola Young there, a British singer/songwriter from her album “This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway,” her song “Messy” at number 7 this morning on MATT. It is a song about the struggle the author had of finding a balance in herself, she says. The words of the song addresses a person who is trying to explain how the a person should act: “'Cause I'm too messy, and then I'm too clean. You told me get a job, then you ask where I've been. And I'm too perfect till I open my big mouth. I want to be me, is that not allowed? And I'm too clever, and then I'm too dumb. And I'm too perfect till I show you that I'm not. A thousand people I could be for you, and you hate the lot.” I left out a word in the song. As I have mentioned, it sounds to me like she should be looking for a different friend who will accept her as she is. In terms of our theme this week, the rather negative criticism that she is being given would easily be part of the “hurting” that is going on in her life, but the good thing about it is that there is a lot of positive in the song as well.
Let’s continue our top 10 with a song about something that the person wishes he has, but it’s a long way from him. “Man, what a hell of a year it’s been, keep on bluffin’, but I just can’t win, drowned my sorrows, but they learned to swim. Head in a bottle for my heart in a case. Yeah, it’s getting’ harder to act my age. Play a sad song on a tiny violin for the man at the bar confessin’ his sins. I need some good news; sittin here, sippin’ on cold truth. Nobody knows what I’m going through; bet the devil wouldn’t walk in my shoes; wish someone told me. Still stuck singin’ these blues. All I really need is a little good news. Love keeps knockin’, but I just stay home.” There is nothing but bad news for him, and in terms of our theme this morning, he is “hurting,” there is no doubt about it. He needs a solution to his feelings, and the solution probably has something to do with understanding that the hurt will give way sometime, and he will be able to find some hope. We’ll use it as our theme next week--this is Collins Obinna Chibueze better known as Shaboozey, on both country and pop charts, from his album “Where I’ve Been Isn’t Where I’m Going: Deluxe edition,” and his latest song in the top 10 at number 9 this morning, “Good News” on MATT.
(triple) 9 GOOD NEWS / Shaboozey
COME AND GET IT / Selena Gomez
4 PINK PONY CLUB / Chappell Roan
Part 6
The best new artist of the year according to the Grammys, Ms Kayleigh Rose Amstutz better known as Chappell Roan, and her song at number 4 this week “Pink Pony Club” on MATT. Her song speaks of a place, Los Angeles, and a special little place in LA, and her mother is not happy about it. “I know you wanted me to stay, “she sings to her mother, “But I can't ignore the crazy visions of me in LA. I heard that there's a special place. I'm having wicked dreams of leaving Tennessee. Oh, Santa Monica, I swear it's calling me. Won't make my mama proud. It's gonna cause a scene. She sees her baby girl, I know she's gonna scream--what have you done. You're a pink pony girl and you dance at the club. Oh mama, I'm just having fun on the stage in my heels. It's where I belong down at the Pink Pony Club.” I’ve mentioned with the song that it sounds as though she really isn’t interested in too many serious things yet in her life—she is having too much fun. And it terms of our theme, as she matures, if she doesn’t turn to more serious things, she will be “hurting” as she should see the need to do some serious thinking in her life, what her mother wanted no doubt.
Before her, we heard a song that suggests a strong commitment to another. It was from Selena Gomez’ album “Stars Dance”, her song “Come & Get It”, from the year 2013, on MATT. “When you’re ready, come and get it,” she sings, “you ain’t gotta worry, it’s an open invitation. I’ll be sittin’ right here, real patient, all day, all night, I’ll be waitin’ standby. Can’t stop because I love it, all day all night, maybe I’m addicted for life, no lie. This love ain’t finished yet. I’m gonna love you for life, I ain’t leaving your side. Even if you knock it, ain't no way to stop it. Forever you're mine, I'm addicted, no lie.” The lady in her song makes a permanent commitment to another in the words: "I'm addicted for life, no lie." As we consider our theme of finding some answers to the fact that we are hurting from something, certainly a person who has made a peremanent commitment to another, and it is returned in kind, that person will be able to withstand the things that hurt her/him.
Some interesting thoughts there about the lives we live. The title of MATT this morning is “Some Thoughts about Hurting”, a thought generated by our lead song from Max McNown and his song “A Lot More Free.” Our second hour of music and message will explore that theme with two triple plays to begin with. A thought to close out this segment from one of my favorite authors, Mr. Will Rogers: “People talk peace, but men give their life’s work to war. It won’t stop until there is as much brains and scientific study put to aid peace as there is to promote war.” Great words, and if you and I could truly be interested in peace, this world wouldn’t be hurting so much. I’m Fr. Mike for “Message at the Top” on Mix 103. Don’t even think about touching that dial!
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Part 7
This is “Message at the Top” on Mix 103. I am Fr. Mike, ready to lead you through the second hour of our show this morning, giving you songs during this half-hour about topics ranging from strong feelings of love to how to die well, among other topics. Our task, as always, is to play music that you will enjoy, and to study that music in such a way that its message can help make your world—and mine—be better. We are pursuing a theme that is discovering what the songs of our show say about how we are hurt in life and love.
And we have number 10 in our top 10 for us right now. It is a song about being a true lover as expressed with a Persian thought. I’ve quoted before that Ed Sheeran the songwriter and singer said of the song: "Even though it’s completely different to anything that I’ve ever done before, "Azizam" feels familiar to me. I wanted to create a party atmosphere in a song” and a Persian friend of his worked with him helping bring that to life. “He was so inspiring to work with,” Sheeran said. “I wrote ‘Azizam’ after he suggested trying out making music inspired by his Persian heritage and culture. It was like opening a door to a completely new and exciting world. It was showing to me music connects us all, and really is a universal language". The word "azizam" (عزیزم) originates from the Persian language and literally translates to "my dear" or "my beloved". And so he sings, “Azizam, meet me on the floor tonight. Show me how to move like the water in between the dancing lights. Be mine, Azizam.” In terms of our theme today, the person in the song may be hurting somewhat, but he is able to overcome it with true love. This is British singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran from his eighth album “Play” and his latest song “Azizam”, number 10 on MATT.
(triple) 10 AZIZAM / Ed Sheeran
CONNECTION / OneRepublic
HAVE IT ALL/ Jason Mraz
Part 8
48 year old Jason Mraz, and his song “Have It All” from 2018 from his album “Know” on MATT. It has a catchy melody I think, and a pretty good message. The song is a wish to a friend, wishing that the person will have it all, and then goes into the specifics of what having it all means. I will be selective of the verses as I relay them to you—the whole song is pretty good, and you may want to look up the words. “May you have auspiciousness and causes of success. May you have the confidence to always do your best. May it take no effort in you being generous, sharing what you can. May you know the meaning of the word happiness. May the best of your todays be the worst of your tomorrows, and may the road less paved be the road that you follow. Well, here’s to the hearts that you gonna break, here’s to the lives that you gonna change. Here’s to the good times we gonna have. Here’s to the fact that I’ll be sad without you. I want you to have it all.” A great positive song, I think, wishing good things for a friend. In terms of our theme, being positive will take away some of the hurt when we are hurting. Interesting video, by the way.
Before him, we heard from the band OneRepublic and their song “Connection”, from 2018. It is a song that comes from loneliness, a topic that is common to these songs. And what the person in the song needs is a connection with people. “These days my waves get lost in the ocean,” they sing, “seven billion swimmers, I’m going through the motions, sent up a flare, I need love and devotion, take me to the places and the people that know me, trying to just connect, thinking maybe you could show me. If there’s so many people here, then why am I so lonely? Can I get a connection?” And he’s trying to do something about it: “Right now, I’m switching to a new lane, foot on the floor, man searching for the real thing.” That which can take away the hurting in life can often be nothing other than connecting with someone we love.
Let’s begin this next triple play with a song from Demetria Devonne Lovato, that is Demi Lovato. It is a love song with high emotions, both in sound and in the words of the music. She sings the thoughts of a lady in the relationship: "You make me wanna act like a girl, paint my nails and wear high heels. Yes, you make me so nervous, and I just can't hold your hand. You make me glow, but I cover up, won't let it show, so I'm putting my defenses up 'cause I don't wanna fall in love. If I ever did that, I think I'd have a heart attack." The lady knows the emotions of love will hurt her, and she's not ready to feel that pain yet. In terms of our theme, one of the ways to control the hurt a little more is to stay away from those situations that cause the hurt. This is from her album "Demi," and her song from 2012, "Heart Attack" on MATT.
(triple) HEART ATTACK/ Demi Lovato
HIGH / James Blunt
8 DIE WITH A SMILE / Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
Part 9
MATT presenting there a former number 1, Lady Gaga along with Bruno Mars this time, the best pop duo song of the year according to the Grammys and their song “Die With a Smile” at number 8. It is another song of sincere commitment. “I just woke up from a dream,” they sing, “Where you and I had to say goodbye; and I don't know what it all means, but since I survived, I realized wherever you go, that's where I'll follow. Nobody's promised tomorrow, so I'ma love you every night like it's the last night. If the world was ending, I'd wanna be next to you. If the party was over and our time on earth was through, I'd wanna hold you just for a while and die with a smile.” So, as I say, words of strong commitment, but there had been struggles, it seems. They sing, “Lost in the words that we scream, I don't even wanna do this anymore 'cause you already know what you mean to me. And our love's the only war worth fighting for.” Fitting into our theme this week, their strong commitment will be able to overcome any hurting in their lives.
Before them, we heard from his album “Back to Bedlam”, Mr. James Blunt and his song “High” from 2004. It is a good song of meaning because it could be sung to nature—beautiful dawn, or to a girl that has made him so happy. “Beautiful dawn—lights up the shore for me. Thought I would die a lonely man,” he sings, “in endless night. But now I’m high, running wild among all the stars above, sometimes it’s hard to believe you remember me.” The person in the song was ready for despair and loneliness, but he feels the love of someone else, or something else if he is talking about nature, and he is fine again. In terms of our theme, one of the ways to heal our hurting is to realize the beauty around us either in people or in nature.
Our subject this morning is that thought of the hurting that goes on in our lives and what we can do about it. The thought came from newcomer Max McNown and his song “A Lot More Free”. We will have some more thoughts along that line after this break. Let me take you to that break with this thought from author Patricia Fehr: "Judge each day not by the harvest, but by the seeds you plant." And my comment—if we can do that, we may see that our hurting will be a little less. My name is Fr. Mike, this show is MATT, this radio station is Mix 103, and we’ll be right back.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Part 10
We welcome you back to the only show of its kind in this area and maybe the whole world, because it gives you the music and meanings of the top 10 of today and yesterday. We call it MATT. My name is Fr. Mike, and we are studying all of our songs today from the point of view offered us by Max McNown and his song “A Lot More Free.” The theme that we are using throughout the show is the thought of how to look at the hurting that happens in our lives.
Let’s dedicate our segment 10 presentation—which is right now—to Mr. Zedd or his real name Anton Zaslavski. He was born in Germany, the son of two musicians and grew up as a classical trained musician. He has grown to be an excellent producer of music. The first song in our presentation of his music is sung by Selena Gomez. “I want you to know that it’s our time,” Selena Gomez sings, “You and me bleed the same light. I want you to know that I’m all yours. You and me run the same course. I’m slippin down a chain reaction, and here I go. And once again I’m yours in fractions. It takes me down, pulls me down low. It’s raining tonight, but storms always have an eye. Tell me you’re covered tonight, or tell me lies. I want you to know that it’s our time. You and me we’re the same force, I want you to know that it’s our time.” So, a song of wanting the presence of another, and the lady’s reasoning why. For her, it is a way of overcoming the hurt in her life, our theme today. And in general, experiencing love is a way to overcome the hurting in our lives. From Zedd’s album “True Colors”, this is “I Want You to Know” sung by Selena Gomez from 2014, Zedd as producer on MATT.
(triple) I WANT YOU TO KNOW / Zedd f/ Selena Gomez
CLARITY/ Zedd f/ Foxes
STAY / Zedd f/ Alessia Cara
Part 11
Closing off a triple play from Anton Zaslavski better known as Zedd and Alessia Cara and their song, “Stay” from 2017 from Zedd’s album “Stay +”. It is a song of the lady in the relationship urging the man to stay, even though she knows that she has to make it on her own. “You’ve got to make it on your own,” the lady sings, “but we don’t have to grow up. We can stay forever young, living on my sofa, drinking rum and cola underneath the rising sun. All you have to do is stay a minute.” She knows that she needs to grow up, but she is not willing to do that because she would have to let him go. In terms of our theme today, one of the causes of hurting in our society is holding on to love when it has gone.
Before him, him again producing the song, Zedd, and sung by English singer Louise Rose Allen better known as Foxes and their song “Clarity,” the name of Zedd’s album as well, a former number 1 from 2013. The song is a poetic statement of a lady giving into a love relationship that hurt her in the past. “I give into frozen waves where the past comes back to life, fight fear for the selfish pain, it was worth it every time. Hold still right before we crash ‘cause we both know how this ends, a clock ticks ‘til it breaks your glass and I drown in you again. If your love is tragedy why are you my remedy? If our love’s insanity, why are you my clarity.” Moving back into a love relationship is a very dangerous situation, and it is one that must be approached with extreme caution. As we think of hurt today, if one does not show extreme caution about going back to a love situation, it will definitely cause a bunch of hurt.
From that song which came from 2013, let’s go to the top 3 songs of July 13, 2025—today--and give us at number 3 a song whose refrain is: “Anxiety, keep on trying me. I feel it quietly tryna silence me. My anxiety, Can't shake it off of me, somebody's watching me and my anxiety.” And then the verses speak of the anxieties in her life, and very close to the anxieties that all of us feel. She is singing about the mess of modern life. In modern living, things will not always go the way that we want, and when you worry about them, you suffer anxiety. And that negative experience could very well lead to anxiety and therefore the person will be hurting, our theme today. The good thing about anxiety is that it can make one understand that anxiety is really only temporary, and eventually we’ll find a solution. This is rapper/singer/songwriter Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon better known as Doechii from her album “Alligator Bites Never Heal” and her song “Anxiety”, number 3 in our top 10 on MATT.
(double) 3 ANXIETY / Doechii
2 SORRY I’M HERE FOR SOMEONE ELSE / Benson Boone
Part 12
A song of a breakup, and the man in the relationship doesn’t seem to be going about it in a very good way at all. It comes from his album “American Heart,” and the song, “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else”, Benson Boone on MATT, number 2 on our top 10 this week. I’ve said before that it is a song whose story is told for all practical purposes by its title. He’s waiting for his current fiancee, meets an old flame, realizes that she, the old flame, is the one that he currently likes, and promptly breaks up with the one he is waiting for. In terms of our theme this week, he is causing the hurting in someone else, and one of the things that he must learn is that in breaking up with someone, we have to be a little gentle.
And our number 1 song for four weeks in a row is one that makes a distinction between an ordinary love and a special ordinary love. He talks of an “ordinary” love relationship and says that what he has for a friend of his is not part of “the ordinary.” It comes from 25 year old Alexander Warren Hughes better known as Alex Warren from his album “You’ll Be Alright, Kid (Chapter 1)” and his song “Ordinary”. He begins with the thought that everything is pretty much ordinary: “They say ‘The holy water’s watered down and this town’s lost its faith. Our colors will fade eventually.” But he has a solution; he continues: So, if our time is runnin’ out day after day, we’ll make the mundane our masterpiece.” So, there is hurting in the relationship, our theme today, but he is overcoming it as he realizes that is his “significant other” is pretty extraordinary.
A special thanks to the sponsors of our show and Jeff Leiker our producer, and, of course, to all of you for being here. I hope this second Sunday of July is good for you, and that your celebration of summer is a happy one, as we continue to put up with the heat. Thank you for the privilege of your time and ear this Sunday. And thinking about our theme, when we have any hurting in our lives, we have to realize that there are many things that can make us feel better. If you want to contact me, please do so right here at KJLS-FM in Hays, KS 67601 or my e-mail address is frmikescully@yahoo.com. My website is www.frmikescully.com where you will find meditations on the Gospels, these songs and some great movies and a transcript of the show. The meditation today is on the beginning of the excellent movie “The Adjustment Bureau”. You can catch us on the web every Sunday at this time as well, that is 10 am CDT Sundays as we live stream Mix 103. Just go to www.hayspost.com and click on Mix 103. Before we go, a final thought from a man by the name of Jacopo Sannazaro: “Man is only miserable so far as he thinks himself so.” Now, that is one great thought. And my commentary: if we think we are going to be miserable, we probably will be / unless we do something about it. As you listen to the number 1 song from Alex Warren and his song “Ordinary”, may I remind you that you are listening to today’s best music Mix 103 and among the other important thoughts that we have given you, we say as we usually do—hold a good thought. From downtown Lawrence, KS, my name is Fr. Mike Scully. Stay safe; peace to you, and be good.
1 ORDINARY / Alex Warren
July 6, 2025
“Igniting the Spark Within Us”
Part 1
Good morning, everyone and thank you for joining us this Independence Day weekend 2025. I hope your weekend has been a good one so far; welcome to “Message at the Top” on today’s best music, Mix 103. Get set for the top 10 songs of our area right now as determined by our research and the national research of Mediabase 24-7. We’ll add to them some songs of past top 10’s as well, including two of the top 6 songs of the most meaning that I have studied since 1980. I am Fr. Mike, and you have your dial set to Mix 103, the number one popular music station of Central Kansas. Our plea to you during our show is that you enjoy the music that we play, but at the same time that you listen to the message, and allow that message to shape our lives for the better.
It is only fitting that we use Katy Perry’s song “Firework” on our Independence weekend show. The song is a 10+ category of meaning song for me, the highest I get and one of the 6 songs of the most meaning since 1980. She is singing about the potential that we all have in life, no matter how bad the circumstances are. It has a great video also that says the same thing. Listen to these great words: “Do you ever feel like a plastic bag drifting through the wind,” she begins her song, “wanting to start again? Do you know that there’s still a chance for you, ‘cause there’s a spark in you. You just gotta ignite the light, let it shine, just own the night like the 4th of July, ‘cause you’re a firework: come on, show ‘em what you’re worth. You’re original, cannot be replaced. It’s always been inside of you, and now it’s time to let it through.”
She is singing that we can be so much more than we are now, and we shouldn’t be discouraged with who we are. In fact, she sings, “maybe you’re the reason why all the doors are closed: so, you could open one that leads you to the perfect road.” Her point is: discover your potential, and don’t let the problems keep you away from everything you can be. The video gives us pictures of kids being hurt by fighting parents, a young man with cancer, a young lady who is ashamed of her body, a young man who happens to be a magician being attacked by robbers—all negatives, and they turn into positive statements because the people in question overcome all of the negatives and change the situation into something positive.
What a great message. No matter how old, how handicapped, how put down, how negative life treats us, no matter what we have suffered, no matter what is happening at the present time, there is a spark within us that can ignite, if we want it to. In the video, it is actually a spark that comes out of everyone to make the situation better. Both the song and the video says to us that we all can be a firework if we want to be. All we have to do is ignite.
The thought occurs to me that every song says in some way that there is a spark within every one of us, and all we have to do is find it, and then ignite it so that we can feel the wonderful feeling of a good life in one way or another. So, let’s entitle our Independence weekend show, “Igniting the Spark Within Us.” The first two songs are two of what I call the songs with the most meaning that I have studied since 1980, and starting us off, this one is the song with the most meaning of the early 2000’s, this is Ms. Katy Perry, from her album “Teenage Dream”, and her song from 2010, “Firework” on MATT.
(double) FIREWORK / Katy Perry
SCARS TO YOUR BEAUTIFUL / Alessia Cara
Part 2
The second of two songs with the most meaning since 1980 according to MATT, and happy birthday to her, Canadian singer/songwriter Ms. Alessia Carraciolo better known as Alessia Cara. She will be 29 this Friday. Her song there was from her album “Know-It-All,” and her song “Scars to Your Beautiful” from 2017 on MATT. It is an excellent leadership song. On the video, the song closes with her personal statement about the song which reads: “Oftentimes the world both directly and indirectly tells us that we shouldn’t be happy with ourselves if we don’t fit certain beauty standards. “
‘Scars to Your Beautiful’ is a reminder that beauty isn’t only one look, shape, size or color. It isn’t even always tangible. It comes in an endless amount of forms, and we need to recognize that.” Indeed we should. And so she sings her refrain: “But there's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark. You should know you're beautiful just the way you are. And you don't have to change a thing. No scars to your beautiful; we're stars and we're beautiful.” The person who understands that he/she is beautiful no matter what / will always be the spark we need, our theme today, to really enjoy life. Great song.
Our first triple play of the day is up next for us, and it begins with a song new to our top 10 this week. It is a song that is almost thankful for the pain of leaving someone because it makes him more free. “Leaves start falling, my cold wind blows,” he begins his song, “Birds start singin’ when the spring rolls ‘round, flowers blooming through the thawing ground. When you love somebody and the love grows cold, the sun starts shining when you let it all go. There’s a certain kind of hurting only time can heal. I’m a little bit hurt but a lot more free. I ain’t saying that you never took a toll on me. For what it’s worth, I can finally see that I’m a little bit hurt but a lot more free.” It is exactly what our theme is all about: take the negatives and make them a positive because you are igniting the spark within you, and doing smart things with your life. We’ll make his song our theme next week. This is newcomer Oregon born Max McNown and his song at number 10 this week from his album “Wandering” and his song “A Lot More Free” on MATT.
(triple) 10 A LOT MORE FREE / Max McNown
BEAUTIFUL MISTAKES / Maroon 5 f/ Megan Thee Stallion
I BELIEVE / Blessed Union of Souls
Part 3
Another super song there, another 10+ category of meaning, “I Believe” from the group Blessid Union of Souls from 1995. They are still on the music scene on MATT. It was the number 1 song of meaning of 1995. As I thought of it when the song came out, I thought of a litany of hope to accompany it. The refrain of the song is: “I believe that love is the answer; I believe love will find a way.” And the litany of hope comes from the thoughts of the song. ---Many of us are searching and trying to understand: may we open up our minds and hearts to see that none of us are very far apart from each other. ---Many of us are overwhelmed with tragedy and violence, from terrorist attacks and car bombs that destroy buildings to land mines that maim bodies: may we close our eyes and silently address our God for help. ---Many parents do not agree with their older children's decisions: may we help all recognize the importance of not abandoning the young, even if we do not agree with them. ---In particular, we think of Lisa in the song and a very difficult situation: may we allow her to inspire us to courage and make her example lead us as we try to find the spark within us, our theme today, that will make us great.
Before them, we heard from Maroon 5’s song concerning a mistake. They are singing, along with Megan Jovon Ruth Pete better known as Megan Thee Stallion and their song “Beautiful Mistakes” number 5 of all the songs of 2021 from Maroon 5’s album “Jordi”. The mistake that they sing about is living in the past and remembering a relationship that the man wants back again. “It’s beautiful, it’s bittersweet. You’re like a broken home to me, I take a shot of memories and black out like an empty street. I fill my days with the way you walk, and fill my nights with broken dreams. I make up lies inside my head like one day you’ll come back to me. Now I’m not holding on. I’m just depressed that you’re gone. Beautiful mistakes, I wouldn’t take them back. I’m in love with the past.” And there’s the mistake, I believe. One of the ways to ignite the spark within us, our theme today, is to learn from the past, but live in the present.
A theme that helps us discover some sparks that help us ignite a true life is our theme today. During our next segment, we will continue to explore our songs with that thought. We will listen to current top 10 songs from numbers 9, 8 and 7 in our countdown along other great music as well. May I lead you to break with a sarcastic thought from George Bernard Shaw: “I don't know if there are men on the moon, but if there are, they must be using the earth as their lunatic asylum.” I’d say he had run into some people that he didn’t agree with when he wrote that, and that is not the way to ignite any spark within us. “Message at the Top” will continue right after these important messages. I’m Fr. Mike inviting you to keep your radio dial set at Mix 103.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Part 4
It is so good to have you back with us. Thank you for joining us and we welcome you back to the top 10 songs of our area as of the week ending today, July 6, 2025, the close of the Independence weekend celebration. I hope your celebration of the 4th was and is a good one. I am Fr. Mike, your host for the only top 10 show of its kind, maybe in the world, “Message at the Top.” During this segment, we have top 10 music from the present and the past and they are ingeniously fitting into a theme that we have named “Igniting the Spark Within Us”, a theme that we took from Katy Perry’s excellent song “Firework.”
As promised, let’s continue our countdown with number 9 and another song new to our countdown. It comes from Tate McRae and is a rather explicit song that I have a rough time with because I don’t think that something so important should be presented so casually. Hopefully she is describing a relationship that has grown into something that is a commitment, and they are expressing it as he drives his sports car with her. As she said in an interview, the “sports car” reminded her of the feeling of love. In terms of our theme, the spark of love is within all of us, and can be ignited to show love to all. From her album “So Close to What,” this is Tate McRae and her song at number 9 “Sports Car” on MATT.
(double) 9 SPORTS CAR / Tate McRae
YOU LEARN / Alanis Morissette
Part 5
MATT presenting there from Alanis Morissette from her album “Jagged Little Pill”, from the year 1996 and her song “You Learn” and a great song to study on MATT. It is the message that you live, then you learn. In her song, she recommends that we be placed in a situation that is not easy, or one we have never experienced before. As she puts it, “I recommend getting your heart trampled on, I recommend biting off more than you can chew.” Why? She explains, “You live, you learn; you love, you learn; you cry, you learn; you lose, you learn; you bleed, you learn; you scream, you learn.” People learn by doing things that are difficult, even doing things that they would normally shun. People even learn by choosing something other than what simply pleases them. As we tie it into our theme today, this type of attitude will ignite the spark within us to understand life a little better.
Let’s continue our countdown now and go to number 8 and a song about the struggle the author had of finding a balance in herself, she says. The words of the song addresses a person who is trying to explain how the a person should act: “'Cause I'm too messy, and then I'm too clean. You told me get a job, then you ask where I've been. And I'm too perfect till I open my big mouth. I want to be me, is that not allowed? And I'm too clever, and then I'm too dumb. And I'm too perfect till I show you that I'm not. A thousand people I could be for you, and you hate the lot.” I left out a word in the song. As I have mentioned, it sounds to me like she should be looking for a different friend who will accept her as she is. In terms of our theme this week, the rather negative criticism that she is being given just might be the spark needed for her to ignite the good behavior that she should have. Ms. Lola Young here, a British singer/songwriter from her album “This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway,” her song “Messy” at number 8 this morning on MATT.
(triple) 8 MESSY / Lola Young
A CHANGE WOULD DO YOU GOOD/ Sheryl Crow
7 AZIZAM / Ed Sheeran
Part 6
British singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran and his latest song “Azizam” from his eighth album “Play”, number 7 on MATT. It is a song about being a true lover as expressed with a Persian thought. I’ve quoted before that Ed Sheeran the songwriter and singer said of the song: "Even though it’s completely different to anything that I’ve ever done before, "Azizam" feels familiar to me. I wanted to create a party atmosphere in a song” and a Persian friend of his worked with him helping bring that to life. “He was so inspiring to work with,” Sheeran said. “I wrote ‘Azizam’ after he suggested trying out making music inspired by his Persian heritage and culture. It was like opening a door to a completely new and exciting world. It was showing to me music connects us all, and really is a universal language". The word "azizam" (عزیزم) originates from the Persian language and literally translates to "my dear" or "my beloved". And so he sings, “Azizam, meet me on the floor tonight. Show me how to move like the water in between the dancing lights. Be mine, Azizam.” In terms of our theme today, what Ed Sheeran did was to allow the spark of a new thought to ignite a song expressing true love.
Before him, we heard from Sheryl Suzanne Crow or simply Sheryl Crow from her album “The Very Best of Sheryl Crow,” and her song “A Change Would Do You Good” from the year 1997. Sheryl Crow is a graduate of the University of Missouri, and holding an honorary doctorate from Southwest Missouri State University, not far from us. And you talk about interesting lyrics. This lady seems to generate them when she writes a song. See if the opening verse makes sense to you: “Ten years living in a paper bag. Feedback, baby, he’s a flipped out cat. He’s a platinum canary, drinking Falstaff beer. Mercedes rule, and a rented lear. Bottom feeder insincere. Prophet lo-fi pioneer. Sell the house and go to school. Get a young girlfriend, daddy’s jewel. A change would do you good.” Tough to understand, but no doubt about the refrain. There are things in life that must change, and when we look deep within ourselves, we can discover that change. And when we manage to do that, that can be the spark we need to make good things happen in our lives, our theme today.
Ah, isn’t it interesting what these songs of popular music lead us to. “Igniting the Spark With Us” is our theme today, that thought coming from Katy Perry’s excellent song and video “Firework.” Our next set of music and message will explore that theme with musicians that will come in this order of appearance: Myles Smith, Robert Palmer, Lady Gaga, Chappell Roan, James Arthur and the band Coldplay. Let me take you to break with a quote from author James Robinson: “Most of our so-called reasoning consists in finding arguments for going on believing as we already do.” Now, that is one true statement, and what we need is more people who are willing to do some thinking that will bring about real change. I’m Fr. Mike, listen to these words of wisdom, and then I hope you come back here for more… wisdom.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Part 7
This is “Message at the Top”, on today’s best music Mix 103. Thank you for joining us today, and welcome to our second hour of music and message. I am Fr. Mike, and our show gives you the top 10 songs of our area, as well as some great top 10 songs of the past. What is amazing about all of our songs is that with a little bit of help, they can actually teach us something about ourselves and about our behavior. We are closing off the Independence weekend and looking at ways to ignite the spark that is within us to make us better people.
Our second hour together begins as promised with Myles Smith, our number 6 song and a song about a love commitment which has worked. “Time stood still,” he begins his song, “just like a photograph; you made me feel like this would last forever. Lookin' in your eyes, I see my whole life. They say you know it when you know it and I know. Promise that you'll hold me close, don't let me go. Take my heart, don't break it; love me to my bones. All this time I've wasted; you were right there all along, you and I stargazin', intertwinin' souls. We were never strangers; I lose my mind when I'm around you; how I come alive. When I'm without you I can't help but feel so lost. I wanna give you all I've got.” He says that when you know that you are in love, then you know, and / he knows. That is, he is thinking that his love is a mature committed love, and such a thought will mean he and his fiancee have worked out the problems that naturally come when you put two together forever, and therefore in terms of our theme, both of them have ignited the spark of love between them, and are living it out. This is former number 1, British singer Myles Smith and number 6 this morning, his song “Stargazing”on MATT.
(triple) 6 STARGAZING / Myles Smith
ADDICTED TO LOVE / Robert Palmer
5 ABRACADABRA / Lady Gaga
Part 8
From her new album “Mayhem,” and her song “Abracadabra” in the top 5 at number 5 on our countdown, Stefani Joanne Angeline Germanotta, that is Lady Gaga on MATT. And her comment: “In many ways,” she writes, “the song is about how to deal with the challenge to yourself. I wanted to explore the question ‘What does it feel like to thrive rather than just survive all the time. Life presents obstacles everyone must overcome. But sometimes the barriers are self-imposed.” And so, she sings: “Pay the toll to the angels, drawing circles in the clouds, keep your mind on the distance when the devil turns around. Hold me in your heart tonight in the magic of the dark moonlight; save me from this empty fight, like a poem said by the lady in red. Now you’re both in a dance. It’s time to cast your spell on the night.” She describes the lady in red as the opposition one feels within, the internal pressure. Often the external world mirrors the cynical demands of one’s internal dialogue. But she wants more than endurance. She wants to thrive. Exactly our theme today—she is igniting the spark of life within her, and truly living the life. The video which everyone should watch on You-tube in my opinion, features two Gagas: one in white and another in red with really good dancing—two sides battle, pitting the good against the bad, the innocent vs. the wicked. Great song and video.
Before her, we went back to the archives of the year 1986 and a song from Robert Palmer, “Addicted to Love” from his album “Riptide” on MATT. He sings about someone who is truly addicted to love.. “You can’t sleep, you can’t eat,” he sings about someone that he wants very much to have a relationship with, “There’s no doubt you’re in deep; another kiss is all you need. You like to think that you’re immune to the stuff; it’s closer to the truth to say: can’t get enough. You’re gonna have to face it: you’re addicted to love.” Now, being addicted to love is not such a bad thing at all, / if both of the parties want that to happen. It happens too often in a so-called love relationship that one of the parties wants to be addicted to the love of another, and the other doesn’t want it. Then, there is a problem. In terms of our theme, the fact that there is love in our lives is a spark that can be ignited in such a way as to include everyone which is a pretty good thing.
We continue our countdown again, and move to number 4 right now from a lady who in the song speaks of a place, Los Angeles, and a special little place in LA, and her mother is not happy about it. “I know you wanted me to stay, “she sings to her mother, “But I can't ignore the crazy visions of me in LA. I heard that there's a special place. I'm having wicked dreams of leaving Tennessee. Oh, Santa Monica, I swear it's calling me. Won't make my mama proud. It's gonna cause a scene. She sees her baby girl, I know she's gonna scream--what have you done. You're a pink pony girl and you dance at the club. Oh mama, I'm just having fun on the stage in my heels. It's where I belong down at the Pink Pony Club.” I’ve mentioned with the song that it sounds as though she really isn’t interested in too many serious things yet in her life—she is having too much fun. But in terms of our theme, there will come a time in her young life when she will realize that she has a spark within her that will not only lead her to be a good dancer, but can be ignited to bring about a good life. The best new artist of the year according to the Grammys, Ms Kayleigh Rose Amstutz better known as Chappell Roan, and her song at number 4 this week “Pink Pony Club” on MATT.
(triple) 4 PINK PONY CLUB / Chappell Roan
SAY YOU WON’T LET GO/ James Arthur
CLOCKS / Coldplay
Part 9
Top 10 of all the songs of meaning of 2003 according to MATT from their album “A Rush of Blood to the Head”, the group Coldplay and their song “Clocks”. “Confusion never stops,” they sing, “closing walls and ticking clocks. Gonna come back and take you home. Come out upon my seas. Am I part of the cure or am I part of the disease?” Now, that is a great question. The song itself is a love song of someone who wants his girlfriend back. He seems to realize that he has not really done a good job in the past, and now he wants to because, as he sings, nothing else compares to her. A thought from the song is this: we have to look at what we have done in the past, and if we have not done well, the chances are that we were playing games with love, and that can be the spark that inspires us to change for the better, our theme today.
Before them, we heard the song featured on my website today www.frmikescully.com from James Arthur, a British singer/ songwriter and his soft love song from his album “Back from the Edge”, “Say You Won’t Let Go”, number 3 of our songs of meaning of 2017. “I knew I loved you,” the man in the relationship sings, “But you’d never know ‘cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go. I knew I needed you but I never showed. But I wanna stay with you until we’re grey and old. Just say you won’t let go. So I wrote this song for you. Now everybody knows that it’s just you and me. Just say you won’t let go.” So a song of very strong commitment promising a life forever. The thought of that love song is just that—if the love is real, it will be forever. And that in itself is the spark that can be ignited so that love will be part of everything that happens, our theme today.
We are studying the top songs of this week ending today, the first Sunday of July, 2025. And we have our last segment to go yet, when we’ll hear the top 3 right now as well as some songs especially remembering the US of A. The song that has supplied our theme of igniting the spark within us came from Katy Perry. We close this segment with a quote from one of the inspirers of our nation’s original thinking, a man by the name of Francois de la Rochefoucauld, and he had this excellent statement about virtue. “Perfect virtue is to do unwitnessed / that which we should be capable of doing in front of all the world.” Isn’t that a great statement. I’m Fr. Mike, and you’re listening to “Message at the Top” on Mix 103.
Every song has a message, and our belief on this show is that the message of the song will always help us in one way or another if you really think about it. Welcome back for our final segment of the top 10 popular songs of our area. I’m your host, Fr. Mike on “Message at the Top” on Mix 103. Thank you for joining us again this first Sunday of the summer month of July—the summer has begun hot indeed. I hope your morning has gone well for you, and I hope we have added to it just a little bit. Our theme today has come from Katy Perry’s song “Firework” and that theme has to do with igniting the spark within us to lead us to good things.
And let’s go to three songs that especially honor America as we close off this Independence weekend. Two of them mention the US of A and the other one mentions our national symbol. First to the story of someone who has had a very rough life, and the good old US of A has not helped him out very much. He had a rough time growing up, and went off to war before he got thrown into jail, came back from Viet-Nam, was rejected, and he now is in the “shadow of the penitentiary”, he sings. His overall message probably revolves around the fact that life is not totally fair. That thought in itself can ignite a spark within us to move on with the life we have right now and do the best we can. We called him the Boss in the 80’s, Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen, a 75 year old American singer-songwriter from his album named after the song “and his song from 1982 “Born in the USA” on MATT.
(triple) BORN IN THE USA / Bruce Springsteen
ROCK IN THE USA / John Mellencamp
FLY LIKE AN EAGLE / Seal
Part 11
Speaking of one of the most iconic symbols of freedom and strength in the United States, our national bird, a song that MATT made the number 5 song of meaning of the year 1996, Seal, “Fly Like An Eagle” from the movie “Space Jam” on MATT. “I wanna fly like an eagle;” he sings, “let their spirit carry me. I wanna feed the babies who can’t get enough to eat. I want to shoe the children: no shoes on their feet. I want to house the people, living in the streets.” He calls the spirit of the eagle “a solution” to the problems he addresses. / What a great thought for us in America. The answer to the world’s problems is to accept into our lives a real desire to strengthen and protect everyone. You talk about positive songs. If we want to ignite the spark within us, we can study our world and how to do something about the problems.
Before them, we heard a former number 1 song of the 80’s from John Mellencamp, “R.O.C.K in the U.S.A.” from his album “Scarecrow”. It is a happy song that extols the days of early rock and roll, one would presume. “They come from the cities, and they come from the smaller towns,” he sings, “Beat up cars with guitars and drummers, going crack, boom, bam, said goodbye to their families, to their friends. With pipe dreams in their heads and very little money in their hands.” And he mentions some early greats—Mitch Ryder, Jackie Wilson, the Young Rascals, James Brown. His message? They established the music which we call rock and it got us singing and dancing and feeling good about ourselves. Music does have a way of touching our souls and often speaks of our hopes and dreams. And listening to that music and letting it inspire us can ignite the spark within us to help us in our lives, our theme today.
And let’s go to our top 3 right now on this Independence weekend and begin it with number 3. Her refrain is: “Anxiety, keep on trying me. I feel it quietly tryna silence me. My anxiety, Can't shake it off of me, somebody's watching me and my anxiety.” And then the verses speak of the anxieties in her life, and very close to the anxieties that all of us feel. She is singing about the mess of modern life. In modern living, things will not always go the way that we want, and when you worry about them, you suffer anxiety. And that negative experience could very well be the catalyst that a person needs in order to light the spark within us that can lead us to be a better person, our theme today. This is rapper/singer/songwriter Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon better known as Doechii from her album “Alligator Bites Never Heal” and her song “Anxiety”, number 3 in our countdown on MATT.
(double) 3 ANXIETY / Docheii
2 SORRY I’M HERE FOR SOMEONE ELSE / Benson Boone
Part 12
A song of a breakup, and the man in the relationship doesn’t seem to be going about it in a very good way at all. It comes from his album “American Heart,” and the song, “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else”, Benson Boone on MATT. I’ve said that it is a song whose story is told for all practical purposes by its title. He’s waiting for his current fiancee, meets an old flame, realizes that she, the old flame, is the one that he currently likes, and promptly breaks up with the one he is waiting for. In terms of our theme this week, if he would ignite the spark within him, he would see that he needs to keep searching for a partner, but at the same time be a bit more kind as he does it.
And our number 1 song for three weeks in a row is one that makes a distinction between an ordinary love and a special ordinary love. He talks of an “ordinary” love relationship and says that what he has for a friend of his is not part of “the ordinary.” It comes from 25 year old Alexander Warren Hughes better known as Alex Warren from his album “You’ll Be Alright, Kid (Chapter 1)” and his song “Ordinary”. He begins with the thought that everything is pretty much ordinary: “They say ‘The holy water’s watered down and this town’s lost its faith. Our colors will fade eventually.” But he has a solution; he continues: So, if our time is runnin’ out day after day, we’ll make the mundane our masterpiece.” That’s his way of saying that he has to ignite the spark of life, our theme today, and let the idea of making everything extraordinary take over his way of thinking.
Today we have used the idea of igniting the spark within us and make us better people. We kooked at it as a theme for our Independence weekend. Katy Perry gave us the thought from her excellent song “Firework”. My prayer for you and for me is that everyone of us will ignite the spark of love within us and spread it throughout the world. We would then have a different world. If you would like to contact me, my e-mail address is: frmikescully@yahoo.com or the address at the radio station: KJLS-FM, Hays, America, KS 67601. My website is www.frmikescully.com where you will find the transcript of our show and some meditations on Gospels, these songs and some great movies. As I mentioned with the song a little earlier, our meditation today is on the song “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur as we talk about a permanent commitment. If you want to catch us on the web, we are part of the live stream of Mix 103—go to www.hayspost.com and click on Mix 103 every Sunday morning at 10 central daylight time. Thank you for your time today. My thanks to Jeff Leiker the producer of our show, and to our sponsors, especially Holy Family Elementary School in Hays, Hays Car and Truck Alignment, and Thomas More Prep-Marian Junior and Senior High School in Hays. My closing thought for you comes from Aldous Huxley: “To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.” Think about that. Our number one song is “Ordinary” again from Alex Warren and as we lead into it, may I remind you that you are listening to today’s best music Mix 103 and among other things, we remind you to hold a good thought. From the beauty of downtown Lawrence, KS, my name is Fr. Mike Scully. Stay safe, peace to you, and be good!
1 ORDINARY / Alex Warren
June 29, 2025
“What Should Be Done?”
Part 1
Good morning, Central Kansas and around the world. Thank you for joining us this weekend. I hope your Sunday is a good one so far, and that it will be a happy one for you; and especially today and the next couple days, that it will be a safe one for you. Welcome to “Message at the Top.” Get set for the top 10 songs of our area right now as determined by our research and the national research of Mediabase 24-7. We’ll add to them some songs of past top 10’s as well, including songs from the 2000’s and 1990’s and even some from the 80’s. I am Fr. Mike, and you have your dial set to Mix 103, the number one popular music station of Central Kansas. Our plea to you during our show is that you enjoy the music that we play, but at the same time listen to the message, and allow that message to shape our lives for the better.
We have three birthdays to celebrate today, and I thought I would choose one of them to lead us off this morning. Her song is a song about a breakup that left a lot to be desired, and that being the case, we can easily talk about what should have been done. Tate McRae sings about that breakup, and it’s a little vindictive. “You broke me first,” she sings, “Maybe you don’t like talking too much about yourself, but you shoulda told me that you were thinking ‘bout someone else. You’re drunk at a party or maybe it’s just that your car broke down. Your phone’s been off for a couple months, so you’re calling me now. I know you, you’re like this, when things don’t go your way, you needed me to fix it and like me, I did, but I ran out of every reason. Now suddenly, you’re asking for it back. But I don’t really care how bad it hurts. When you broke me first, you broke me first. Where’d you get the nerve.”
The thing that bothers me as a counselor is her statement that she doesn’t care how bad it hurts. I know that the original breakup of the man to the woman had to hurt. That’s in the make-up of any breakup. But that which causes the real problem is when it goes the other way after the first breakup, the woman to the man. To my mind, she should have just called it off, and let it go at that. But her comment is as she said, “I don’t really care how bad it hurts.” I am of the firm belief that such an attitude is only going to add more problems to her pain. Not only is her attitude non-Christian; I think it is non-human in the sense that in order to live well, every human being should treat another human being with a sense of decency. So, answering the question, “What should be done?”, the human way to behave would be to just realize what is happening, and move on in life without being too vindictive. My opinion, anyway.
And that’s a pretty good way to look at our songs this morning. Study the situation and then ask “What should be done?” or “What is the human way of acting.” Starting us off is Tate Rosner McRae, or simply Tate McRae from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She will be 22 years old on Tuesday and her song from 2020, “You Broke Me First” on MATT.
(double) YOU BROKE ME FIRST / Tate McRea
GREEDY / Tate McRae
Part 2
Double birthday person Tate McRae there, that last song called “Greedy” a song that MATT made number 3 of all the songs of meaning of 2024 from her album “Think Later,” on MATT. She is singing about a boyfriend who doesn’t understand her at all, but she does understand herself. “He says, ‘Are you serious,’” she begins her song speaking of the boyfriend in the relationship; “I’ve tried,” he continues, “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. She said of the song that it is about confidence and about female empowerment. In terms of our theme, what should be done? In order to have a good relationship, she should probably tell him exactly how she feels.
Let’s go back to the year 2006 and a great song in my opinion. He sings: "I said, son, for all I've told you, when you get right down to the reason for the world, who am I? There are secrets that we still have left to find, there have been mysteries from the beginning of time, there are answers we're not wise enough to see. He said, You looking for a clue: I love you free. I guess we're big and I guess we're small. If you think about it, man, you know we got it all, 'cause we're all we got on this bouncing ball. And I love you free, I love you freely. Here's a riddle for you: find the answer. There's a reason for the world, you and I.” The message of the song is the idea of love, and what should be done, our theme today? Well, to love everyone is a pretty good answer. From his album “Playlist: The Very Best of Five for Fighting,” this is Vladimir John Ondrasik III better known as Five for Fighting, his song “The Riddle” on MATT.
(triple) THE RIDDLE / Five for Fighting
TOO SWEET/ Hozier
10 STARGAZING / Myles Smith
Part 3
Beginning our countdown today at number 10, a former number 1, British singer Myles Smith and his song “Stargazing” on MATT. It is a song about a love commitment which has worked, it seems. “Time stood still,” he begins his song, “just like a photograph; you made me feel like this would last forever. Lookin' in your eyes, I see my whole life. They say you know it when you know it and I know. Promise that you'll hold me close, don't let me go. Take my heart, don't break it; love me to my bones. All this time I've wasted; you were right there all along, you and I stargazin', intertwinin' souls. We were never strangers; I lose my mind when I'm around you; how I come alive. When I'm without you I can't help but feel so lost. I wanna give you all I've got.” He says that when you know that you are in love, then you know, and / he knows. That is, he is thinking that his love is a mature committed love, and such a thought will mean he and his fiancee have worked out the problems that naturally come when you put two together forever, and therefore in terms of our theme, what should be done is that they keep it that way—forever.
Before him, we heard from Irish singer/songwriter Andrew John Hozier-Byrne, better known simply as Hozier, and his song “Too Sweet”. It is a song about a man in a relationship talking of the lifestyle of each of the partners. His own is a late-night one along with a little too much relaxation / and the partner is an early bird with a cautious lifestyle. “It can’t be said I’m an early bird, it’s ten o’clock before I say a word. I can never tell how you sleep so well. You keep telling me to live right, to go to bed before the daylight, but then you wake up for the sunrise. But while in this world, I think I’ll take my whiskey neat, my coffee black and my bed at three. You’re too sweet for me.” We have mentioned before that opposites sometimes attract when people are discovering love, but not often, and what should be done in this instance? Well, the two had better do some compromising and if they don’t, they should move on in life.
We are asking that question of what should be done with the situation of the song today, that thought having come from Tate McRae’s song “You Broke Me First.” Here is a thought to close out this portion of our show from Mr. or Mrs. Cynical Anonymous, “Without freedom of speech, we would never know who the idiots are.” Indeed, and there are a bunch of people that probably come to your mind as well as mine. Don’t judge them—just say a prayer for them. You’ve got today’s best music Mix 103 on your radio dial, and we implore you to keep it right there.
+++COMMERCIAL BREAK+++
Part 4
It is so good to have you back with us.- Thank you for joining us and we welcome you back to the top 10 songs of our area as of the week ending today, the last Sunday of June 2025, the beginning of our Independence Day week and the second Sunday in this great season of summer—happy birthday, America. I am Fr. Mike, your host for the only top 10 show of its kind, “Message at the Top.” During this segment, as usual, we have top 10 music from the present and the past. They are ingeniously fitting into the theme of asking and answering the question “What Should Be Done?” as we study the song.
And this next song needs no introduction because just about everyone in America recognizes it. I’m using it because it is Hugh Anthony Cregg III better known as Huey Lewis’s birthday on Saturday when he will be 75 years old. By way of introduction, let me just say this—1985, the movie Back to the Future I, love and power, what everyone of us should do. Listen to the words!
(double) THE POWER OF LOVE / Huey Lewis & the News bd
9 ESPRESSO / Sabrina Carpenter
Part 5
MATT presenting from her album “Short n’ Sweet,” Sabrina Carpenter and her song “Espresso” at number 9 this week. I’ve mentioned that she said of her song: “The song is kind of about seeing femininity as your superpower, and embracing the confidence of being that lady.” I changed a word in that statement, and her song goes: “Now, he’s thinking ‘bout me every night, is it that sweet? I guess so. Say you can’t sleep; I know that’s me, espresso. I can’t relate to desperation. My ‘give a cares’ are on vacation, and I got this one boy and he won’t stop calling. When they act this way, I know I got ‘em. Too bad your ex don’t do it for ya. Walked in and dream came trued it for ya. Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya. I know I Mountain Dew it for ya. That morning coffee brewed it for ya. One touch and I brand newed it for ya. That’s me, espresso.” I changed some of the words. I think the song means that the lady in the relationship is the “Espresso” and she is totally in charge of the relationship, and therefore is speaking of her self-confidence. In terms of our theme, what should be done in our lives is learn self-confidence, but not hurting others in the process.
Next, another triple play to close out our first hour together. It begins with a song with an inspiring video, “Picture perfect,” they sing, “you don’t need no filter, gorgeous, make ‘em drop dead, you a killer. Shower you with all my attention--these are my only intentions. Shout out to your Mom and Dad for making you, standing ovation, they did a great job raising you. When I create, you’re my muse, that kind of smile that makes the news. Can’t nobody throw shade on your name in these streets. You make it easy to choose, you got a mean touch I can’t refuse.” Giving compliments to our love friends is such a great idea and it is one of those things that everyone of us should do, our theme today. MATT presenting here Canadian singer Justin Bieber and rapper Quavious Keyate Marshall better known as Quavo from Justin Bieber’s album “Changes” and their song from 2020 “Intentions” on MATT.
(triple) INTENTIONS / Justin Bieber f/ Quavo
EX’S AND OH’S / Elle King
8 ABRACADABRA / Lady Gaga
Part 6
Our theme last week when we spoke about what can make us thrive in life, coming from Lady Gaga, and her comment on the song. The song is from her new album “Mayhem,” and “Abracadabra” the name of it, number 8 on our countdown on MATT. And her comment: “In many ways,” she writes, “the song is about how to deal with the challenge to yourself. I wanted to explore the question ‘What does it feel like to thrive rather than just survive all the time. Life presents obstacles everyone must overcome. But sometimes the barriers are self-imposed.” And so, she sings: “Pay the toll to the angels, drawing circles in the clouds, keep your mind on the distance when the devil turns around. Hold me in your heart tonight in the magic of the dark moonlight; save me from this empty fight, like a poem said by the lady in red. Now you’re both in a dance. It’s time to cast your spell on the night.” She describes the lady in red as the opposition one feels within, the internal pressure. Often the external world mirrors the cynical demands of one’s internal dialogue. But she wants more than endurance. She wants to thrive. Great thoughts, centering in on working on our inner selves to make them better than they are. The video which everyone should watch on You-tube in my opinion, features two Gagas: one in white and another in red with really good dancing—two sides battle, pitting the good against the bad, the innocent vs. the wicked. Great song and video.
Before her, we heard from Tanner Elle Schneider better known as Elle King, American singer/songwriter/actress and a song from her album “Love Stuff,” and the name of the song “Ex’s and Oh’s” from 2016. It is a song about self-confidence. Self-confidence is necessary, but being over-confident can have the opposite effect, especially if you speak about it to others. Such is the case here. The lady in the song sings of strong confidence in her own abilities to have lovers. “Well, I had me a boy, turned him into a man,” she sings. “I showed him all the things that he didn't understand. And then I let him go. Now, there's one in California who's been cursing my name ‘cause I found me a better lover in the UK until I made my getaway. One, two, three, they gonna run back to me 'cause I'm the best baby that they never gotta keep. They always wanna come, but they never wanna leave. Ex's and the Oh’s, they haunt me like ghosts; they want me to love 'em all. They won't let go.” In terms of our theme this week, this type of over self-confidence is not part of love, and therefore one of those virtues that we should not have. But I’m very quick to say that self-confidence is a virtue that we should develop without the “over” part.
Our theme today is that idea of what should we do in the circumstances of the songs we are playing. As always, the songs of our show can take that theme and work with it—with a little bit of help. Songs always seem to say a lot if we are looking for the messages. Up next, we will explore the artistry and meanings of songs by in order of appearance: Lady Gaga again with Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Chappell Roan, Post Malone, the band Green Day and Docheii—another great line-up. As we head to break, here is a thought from author Rita Mae Brown: “One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory.” You bet. I’m Fr. Mike, and this is “Message at the Top” on Mix 103. We’ll be right back.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
Part 7
Welcome back. I am Fr. Mike, your host for “Message at the Top” which is the top 10 show of Mix 103 that gives you the songs of today along with their meanings and some great songs from the past with their meanings as well. We are featuring the top 10 songs of our area as we always do, and as always, we are playing other songs from past top 10’s. We play the music, hope you enjoy it, and we advise you to listen to the messages so that our lives may be able to take on a better quality. It’s great to have you with us again as we play the songs that make up the popular music of today and yesterday. We have taken our theme on this second Sunday of summer from Tate McRae and her song “You Broke Me First,” and theme is “What Should We do” as we study the circumstances of the songs.
Let’s begin our second hour this morning with three top 10 songs on our countdown, numbers 7, 6, and 5. At number 7 is a song of sincere commitment again. “I just woke up from a dream,” they sing, “Where you and I had to say goodbye; and I don't know what it all means, but since I survived, I realized wherever you go, that's where I'll follow. Nobody's promised tomorrow, so I'ma love you every night like it's the last night. If the world was ending, I'd wanna be next to you. If the party was over and our time on earth was through, I'd wanna hold you just for a while and die with a smile.” So, as I say, words of strong commitment, but there had been struggles, it seems. They sing, “Lost in the words that we scream, I don't even wanna do this anymore 'cause you already know what you mean to me. And our love's the only war worth fighting for.” Fitting into our theme this week, what should be done is that they continue this attitude since their love is forever. This is a former number 1, Lady Gaga again along with Bruno Mars this time, the best pop duo song of the year according to the Grammys and their song “Die With a Smile” at number 7 on MATT.
(triple) 7 DIE WITH A SMILE / Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
6 AZIZAM / Ed Sheeran
5 PINK PONY CLUB / Chappell Roan
Part 8
The best new artist of the year according to the Grammys, Ms Kayleigh Rose Amstutz better known as Chappell Roan, and her song at number 5 this week “Pink Pony Club” on MATT. It speaks of a place, Los Angeles, and a special little place in LA, and an added nuance that her mother is not happy about it. “I know you wanted me to stay, “she sings to her mother, “But I can't ignore the crazy visions of me in LA. I heard that there's a special place. I'm having wicked dreams of leaving Tennessee. Oh, Santa Monica, I swear it's calling me. Won't make my mama proud. It's gonna cause a scene. She sees her baby girl, I know she's gonna scream--what have you done. You're a pink pony girl and you dance at the club. Oh mama, I'm just having fun on the stage in my heels. It's where I belong down at the Pink Pony Club.” I’ve mentioned with the song that it sounds as though she really isn’t interested in too many serious things yet in her life—she is having too much fun. And in terms of our theme, what should be done is that she should enjoy this little endeavor—nothing wrong with having fun, but she definitely should listen to her mother, and work on some serious behavior as well.
Let’s wish happy birthday to Post Malone. He will be 30 years old on Friday. He sings with Doja Cat here in the song. The words signify some type of friendship, a song of feeling good about someone else. “I like you, I do,” they begin the song, “I wanna be your friend, go shoppin’ in the Benz, I like you, I do. I’ll hit you when I land, can you fit me in your plans? I need a good girl, I need someone to ground me, so please be true, don’t mess around with me. I need someone to share this heart with me.” I cleaned up the words a little; it is a statement of feeling love toward another. In terms of our theme today, one of the things that we should do in life is to be as loving as we can to everyone even as we choose someone special for ourselves. Happy birthday, Post Malone; from Post Malone’s album, “Twelve Carat Toothache” singing along with Doja Cat, “I Like You” and in parenthesis (“A Happier Song”) on MATT.
(triple) I LIKE YOU / Post Malone & Doja Cat bd
TIME OF YOUR LIFE/ Green Day
4 ANXIETY / Docheii
Part 9
Using one my favorite sounds as a sample, that was Rapper/singer/songwriter Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon better known as Doechii from her album “Alligator Bites Never Heal” and her song “Anxiety”, number 4 in our countdown on MATT. Her refrain is: “Anxiety, keep on trying me. I feel it quietly tryna silence me. My anxiety, Can't shake it off of me, somebody's watching me and my anxiety.” And then the verses speak of the anxieties in her life, and very close to the anxieties that all of us feel. You easily see what is driving her. It is the mess of modern life. In modern living, things will not always go the way that we want, and when you worry about them, you suffer anxiety. And what should be done about it? Do your best to control it, perhaps with some counseling, or some talk with a good friend.
Before her, we heard from the band Green Day from their album “Nimrod”, and their song “Time of Your Life”. In the song, the group speaks of time helping to decide what direction a person is about to make. He/she is at a turning point, and no one can predict what the correct way is, but in the end, they sing, “It’s right. I hope you had the time of your life.” That is to say, I believe, that you are in the process of moving from one portion of your life to another. You don’t know what to expect, because the future is always unpredictable, but it’s right to make the decision. At least, that’s the way I would interpret it. In terms of our theme, we indeed should be looking for a good future, and we will often need some help as we pursue it.
Our topic this morning is revolving around that idea of what should we do in life. Before we leave this half-hour, here is a thought from an anonymous cynical author again: “I love my country / aside from most of the people in it.” Yes, indeed. Don’t even think of touching that dial—it is set for Mix 103 and MATT, and we implore you to keep it there.
Part 10
Welcome back to the show that gives you the top 10 of today and yesterday along with their messages. We call it MATT, and I remind you all the time that the messages contained in the songs can be understood in such a way as to help our lives. I’m your host, Fr. Mike, and we have taken off from an idea inspired by birthday person Tate McRae and that theme is “What Should We Do?” as we study the circumstances of the songs.
As we do from time to time, let’s go to the top 3 songs of an individual year. Today let’s choose 2014, and give us 3 songs of really good meaning. At number 3 is the group Bastille, and their clever song “Pompeii.” Bastille is an English rock group and their song takes its name from the early Roman empire. In the year 79 AD, the volcano Mt. Vesuvius erupted and buried the city of Pompeii. Calling that destruction to mind, Bastille cleverly sings about the destruction of something good: “And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love. Great clouds roll over the hills, bringing darkness from above. But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all? How am I gonna be an optimist about this?” And that which caused the destruction? They sing it: “We were caught up and lost in all of our vices,” and they want to do something about it: “Oh, where do we begin?” they sing, “the rubble or our sins?” What an interesting song, telling the story of what the evil that we have caused has done to our world. With our theme of “What Should Be Done”, maybe we should identify some evil that we have allowed to creep into our lives, and get rid of it. MATT presenting here from their album “Bad Blood,” the group Bastille and their song, “Pompeii” number 3 of the songs of meaning of 2014 on MATT.
(double) POMPEII / Bastille
HAPPY / Pharrell Williams
DARK HORSE / Katy Perry f/ Juicy J
Part 11
A super song at number 1 in 2014, 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”. The song spent a long time at number 1 and is 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. “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.” One of the ways to overcome the darkness of life is to be totally sincere and honest in every relationship and if you say something, to do it. That is exactly what we should do, our theme today. Great song.
And before her, the number 2 song of 2014 was also a great song. It was from the soundtrack of the movie “Despicable Me, 2”. The only way to describe it is with its title “Happy,” and sung by Pharrell Williams better known simply as Pharrell. “Because I’m happy, clap along if you feel like a room without a roof. Because I’m happy, clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth. Because I’m happy, clap along if you know what happiness is to you. Because I’m happy, clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do. Can’t nothing bring me down.” One of the ways to work out a good plan in life is to adopt a basically happy attitude toward that life, and that is exactly what should be done in our lives, our theme today.
From 2014, we advance 11 years to June 29, 2025 and the top 3 right now. At number 3 is a song about the struggle the author had of finding a balance in herself, she says. The words of the song addresses a person who is trying to explain how the singer should act: “'Cause I'm too messy, and then I'm too clean. You told me get a job, then you ask where I've been. And I'm too perfect till I open my big mouth. I want to be me, is that not allowed? And I'm too clever, and then I'm too dumb. And I'm too perfect till I show you that I'm not. A thousand people I could be for you, and you hate the lot.” I left out a word in the song. As I have mentioned, it sounds to me like she should be looking for a different friend who will accept her as she is. In terms of our theme this week, what should she do in this instance? Well, in my opinion, she should find someone who will accept her as she is, but who is willing to discuss with her some things that may need changing. Ms. Lola Young here, a British singer/songwriter from her album “This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway,” her song “Messy” at number 3 on MATT.
(double) 3 MESSY / Lola Young
2 SORRY I’M HERE FOR SOMEONE ELSE
Part 12
A song of a breakup, and the man in the relationship doesn’t seem to be going about it in a very good way at all. It comes from his album “American Heart,” and the song, “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else”, Benson Boone on MATT. I’ve said that it is a song whose story is told for all practical purposes by its title. He’s waiting for his current fiancee, meets an old flame, realizes that she, the old flame is the one that he currently likes, and promptly breaks up with the one he is waiting for. In terms of our theme this week, what he should do in this particular circumstance is to search around for a good partner, as he is, but not be so hateful to former people that he once liked.
And our number 1 song for two weeks in a row is one that makes a distinction between an ordinary love and a special ordinary love. He talks of an “ordinary” love relationship and says that what he has for a friend of his is not part of “the ordinary.” It comes from 25 year old Alexander Warren Hughes better known as Alex Warren from his album “You’ll Be Alright, Kid (Chapter 1)” and his song “Ordinary”. He begins with the thought that everything is pretty much ordinary: “They say ‘The holy water’s watered down and this town’s lost its faith. Our colors will fade eventually.” But he has a solution; he continues: So, if our time is runnin’ out day after day, we’ll make the mundane our masterpiece.” There is the answer to today’s theme “What Should He Do.” We should do our best with the ordinary that we have. And in particular, with regard to his present love relationship. “I take one look at you” he says, “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.” So, it may be an ordinary existence, but with his friend, it’s a pretty special ordinary existence.
Today we have looked at the moral question of what should be done as we study the circumstances of the song. My prayer for you and for me is that we will take the time to study ourselves and choose to do what is right and what should be done. My thanks to the producers of “Message at the Top,” who put the show together, to the staff here at Mix 103, and to our sponsors, my friends at TMP-Marian Junior and Senior High School in Hays, Holy Family Elementary School in Hays, and Hays Car and Truck Alignment. If you have some song suggestions, or if you want to comment on anything I have said, feel free to write me here at KJLS-FM, Hays, KS 67601 or e-mail me at frmikescully@yahoo.com. My website is www.frmikescully.com where you will find meditations on the Gospels, these songs and some great movies and a transcript of the show. Our meditation today is on the beginning part of the movie “Jumanji: The Next Level” and some thoughts on friendship. Remember that you can join us on the web every Sunday morning at 10 central daylight time by going to www.hayspost.com and choosing Mix 103. Let me close by quoting my dear friend Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous: “When I have a problem, I sing, then I realize that my voice is a lot worse than my problem.” No wonder I like to sing. Alex Warren leads us out with our number 1 song “Ordinary”, and as you listen, may I remind you that you are listening to today’s best music Mix 103, and among other things we remind you to hold a good thought. My name is Fr. Mike Scully. Get ready for the fourth, stay safe, peace to you, and be good!
1 ORDINARY / Alex Warren