J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
Here are the stories behind the songs on our 17th single of 2025:
WHY DO COELACANTHS EXIST?
I think I first learned about coelacanths in one or more of the many books I read about so-called prehistoric creatures as a kid. Although they were referred to as "living fossils" by then (for all I know, my own kids may be referring to me as that by now), at one time these fish were thought to have been extinct for 70 million years or so.
Looking at the fossil record, evolutionists believe they first appeared on the scene about 300 million years ago. Fossilized evidence led to speculation that coelacanths were early examples of fish that crawled out of the ocean onto land (on their unique-looking fins), leading the charge in the supposed eventual evolution of man ("my mama was a fish, my mama was a fish").
However, in 1938, a living coelacanth was caught, followed by others, between South Africa and Madagascar. Then, in 1998, more were discovered in Indonesia, where they were already familiar to local fishermen. By the way, it turns out coelacanths don't use their fins to crawl; they swim and actually live in deep (600 ft.) water. There are a number of interesting articles about them on the Answers in Genesis website.
I got the idea for this parody in August 2025 and thought, "If this isn't the first rock song ever about coelacanths, it's surely the first Christian parody about them." Then, as I was writing this journal entry, I realized that this was already the second time I'd mentioned coelacanths in a song; the first was in the second verse of "Trilobite Love" in 2019.
"Why Do Coelacanths Exist?" features J. Jackson on lead vocals and backing vocals, Rich Mannion on keyboards and bass, and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
FAILING
When I learned as a new Christian that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), I was relieved. I already knew I was a sinner; I just didn't realize everybody else was. The idea for this parody started with the phrase "failing makes me aware that we are all imperfect," which came to me on June 24, 2025.
Two and a half months later, on September 9, I went into the studio to record the lead vocals. I texted my youngest older sister, Gayle, that morning to tell her about it, because she was the first person I ever knew who liked "Sailing" by Christopher Cross. It was her favorite song on the radio in the summer of 1980 when we went on vacation to Myrtle Beach SC with my parents and The Partridge Family (Jim and Marge and their boys — sorry, no band, no bus, and no Bonaduces).
"Sailing" eventually went the whole way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 at the end of August. ApX keyboardist Rich Mannion contributed mightily to the music on our version and to the other song on this single, "Why Do Coelacanths Exist?," so I wanted to put a photo of him on the cover.
Ordinarily, I would have put "Failing" as the A-side, but I didn't want that word hanging above a photo of poor Rich, especially after we'd previously put him on the cover of singles with the A-sides "Dumb Questions" and "Dumb Decisions. None of that was deliberate, I assure you. He just did so much on those songs and their B-sides, "She's Got Cooties" and "Good Guys Rule.”
"Failing" features J. Jackson on lead vocals, Tom Tincha on guitars, Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals, Keith Haynie on bass, and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
The cover photo for this week’s single is courtesy of Chad Fenner of Concert Fotos by Chad.
