CD kindles passion through Song of Solomon

Posted: 3/06/06

CD kindles passion through Song of Solomon

By Hannah Elliott

Associated Baptist Press

DALLAS (ABP)—Guy Bickel says romance and passion come before sex, instead of the other way around. And he’s using the Bible as proof.

Bickel, a Tampa, Fla., resident, spent months studying six different Bible translations, developing music in a specific frequency, and working with various recording artists to create The Original Love Songs: Guidelines for Passion from the Song of Solomon.

The CD, which features the biblical book Song of Solomon read over a score of ambient music and nature sounds, comes as Bickel’s answer to the dearth of “godly” aids for enhancing emotional and sexual intimacy in a married relationship, he said.

“It’s not about sex, it’s about romance, passion, love and communication,” Bickel said. “It’s about when you catch your partner’s eye across the room and you just know….”

A successful sound engineer who has worked with the likes of Diana Ross and Frank Zappa, Bickel created The Original Love Song when he failed to find any similar product as a wedding anniversary present to his wife.

“I went looking for it and found nothing,” Bickel said. “Everything I found was either on the other side (non-biblical, adult material) or nothing. I couldn’t find anything else.”

Inspired, Bickel took matters into his own hands. He called longtime friend and award-winning composer Alan Howarth for musical support and then connected with musical artists he knew from church and his days in the music industry.

“I told Al, ‘I need goats, sheep, tambourines and natural sound effects,’” Bickel said. “A month later, he sent me a CD for the project.”

Psychologist, marriage counselor and author David Clarke also contributed to the project his Rules for Men and Suggestions for Women, a 12-page booklet listing suggestions for fostering intimacy between spouses.

“It is … to help a married couple revive and keep their romantic/physical passion going strong,” Clarke said. “We stand on our purpose of using the Word of God to enhance and even change the romantic and sexual part of any marriage.”

The book tells men to “tell the woman often and to her face” that she’s physically, emotionally and spiritually beautiful. For women, Clarke instructs that thanking the man for helping provide for the family, or complementing him on completed household chores, goes a long way in fostering intimacy.

Seemingly simple overtures benefit both parties, former agnostic turned Christian Bickel said.

“It’s a wonderful way to open your eyes and see your spouse in a new way,” he said. “And a happy spouse is good for everybody.”

After the soundtrack development and final production, Bickel and his financial partner distributed the CDs to anyone who would take them. Of course, with a subject matter like sex, people tended to have strong responses.

Most guest callers on the Detroit-based Bob Dutko Show supported the new product, which was recently featured in an on-air radio discussion. But Clarke addressed even the one caller who objected to the use of a Bible book for sex.

“Even though we expected these types of responses, it still genuinely saddens us,” Clarke said. “These critical type responses could cause many to miss out on the message portrayed in the Song of Solomon. We believe that listening to The Original Love Song will help married couples rekindle their real passion for each other, on all levels."

While Bickel’s product is new, using the Bible as a way to address romance and sex in a biblical way is not. Tommy Nelson, the pastor of Denton Bible Church in Denton, has used the Song of Solomon to help kindle passion at the Song of Solomon conferences he has led for nearly 10 years.

And Christian psychologist Kevin Lehman, who recently discussed sex in a For Faith and Family radio broadcast, wrote in his book Sheet Music that once people get “permission to talk about sex in a non-threatening environment, you can’t shut them up.”

"We joke about sex, degrading it through filthy stories, movies, and magazines, but we never talk about marital sex in the way the Creator designed it,” Lehman said. “Martial sex … gets ignored, and couples pay a fearful price when this sad reality happens. Once they get going, they want to talk about sex because they know that sex is a powerful force in our married lives."

Of course, a product this powerful comes with a warning. And Bickel gives it with a twinkle in his eye.

“The Original Love Song is deeply personal, and we found out that doing it (listening) in a room with too many people gets strange,” Bickel said. “We highly recommend that you not listen to it while driving in traffic, with a group of co-workers, or in any large group of people.”

Bickel serves as vice president of Book 22, Inc., the independent record label that publishes The Original Love Songs: Guidelines for Passion from the Song of Solomon. The CD is also bundled with Clarke’s new book, A Marriage After God's Own Heart.