Meaning:
The view that music, especially popular music, is predominantly secular
rather than religious.
Background:
This proverbial saying is best understood by looking at the context it was
first used.
In the late 18th century Methodists began setting hymns to popular tunes.
This gave rise to criticism from more mainstream religious believers who
thought that popular music shouldn't be heard in church.
The notion that dance music was `the Devil's music' was widely held in the UK
in the 1700s. This view was of very long-standing and was expressed as early
as the 5th century by Saint John Chrysostom, circa 349 - 407, the Christian
theologian and archbishop of Constantinople:
"Where dance is, there is the devil."
The response to the criticism used by English Methodists was `why should the
Devil have all the best tunes?'.
- www.phrases.org.uk [edited]
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The Methodists took a brave step by either admitting that the devil's good at
something (and we are tempted) or claiming a few good tunes for God. 300 years
later, many cheered with Leonard Cohen who sounded like a Taoist when he said that
even something "cold and broken" invokes hallelujah.
