Secular Holiday Song Contest ($500 prize)

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Hello to , here is one of those "atheist-oriented news" items that I said I might be posting here. This one is cute and might appeal to any songwriters here.

An anonymous atheist, unaffiliated with any group, is hosting a songwriting contest. See his site: Reason 4 The Season Contest - Home

$500 Prize Awarded for Best New Song Lyrics

Each year just after Thanksgiving, we will select a Christmas or other winter holiday song, and challenge the world’s atheists, agnostics, humanists and other rational lyricists to write new non-religious lyrics for the song. Our prize this year is $500.

This year’s inaugural challenge song is “Joy to the World.” Here are the traditional lyrics.

According to the rules, the submissions must be positive and poetic.

I emailed the contest organizer and he seems legit, so if interested, visit the site to learn more about the contest.

[Sock Puppet]

That rules me out. I couldn't come up with a version of "Joy to the World" that isn't sardonic & caustic to save my life.

Positive? Hmmmmm, unlikely...

Poetic? Does extreme swearing count as poetry? I mean, I think what Jim Morrison wrote is a steaming pile of uninspired donkey shit, but a lot of people disagree.

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I myself haven't yet found the inspiration to rewrite "Joy to the World" for a secular audience, although I was just musing on RnR about whether or not the Unitarians have already made their own secular version of this song, as they have with many other religious hymns.

The contest site's owner contacted me to thank me for spreading the word about the contest. I was glad to have a nice little project to talk about! The guy said he has already gotten some submissions. I appreciate that you FFers are looking it over, even if you aren't sure if you'll participate.

[Ensign Steve]

I've got it!

Joy to the World.
All the Boys and Girls.
Joy to the Fishies in the Deep Blue Sea.
Joy to You and Me.

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haha ES, I think that one is taken!

[Brimshack]

Oi to the World had a few good tunes.

Amazon.com: Christmas with the Vandals: Oi to the World!: Music: The Vandals

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Originally Posted by Brimshack

Oi to the World had a few good tunes.

Amazon.com: Christmas with the Vandals: Oi to the World!: Music: The Vandals

Haha, maybe I should write to them and tell them to enter the contest?

[Caligulette]

Joy to the world- we're all star stuff!
Let atoms dance and spin!
Let ev'ry mind expand and bloom!
And knowledge is a good thing!
And knowledge is a good thing!
And knowledge -and knowledge is a good thing!
May we rule the world and explore space!
and let the people treat
each other with compassion
and expand our reach of love
and expand our reach of love
and expand our reach of love to all!
-----
Keep your fingers cro...ah...flexible!

[Ensign Steve]

[SharonDee]

That's good, Caligulette! Did you submit it?

[Caligulette]

I did. Then I realised that it has no winter-specific bit. But O, well. I like it- it makes me think of Father Sagan, who brings knowledge and understanding to all the willingly smart kids and a kindly shaking of the head to all the willingly dumb ones.