“Is It You?” by Lee Ritenour (1981)

The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Music by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 17 March 2024

It is the final Sunday in Lent as we enter its final week with temperatures soaring into the 30’s as we get into the heat of summer in the country. To soothe us in our Sunday feature, we have chosen Lee Ritenour’s classic smooth jazz Is It You? from his 1981 album Rit.

An American jazz-guitarist, Ritenour is considered as one of the great movers in the jazz scene since the late 1960’s until now, being a part of so many groups and individual musicians in producing great music and tunes that unknown to many of us have were surely delighted and even uplifted.

Is It You? is one of those music by Ritenour with Eric Tagg doing the vocals as well as co-writing it along with Bill Champlin.

So characteristic of Ritenour’s jazz experiments fusing it with rock and pop, Is It You? speaks of a man’s feelings of doubts amid strong convictions of being ready to love a woman he is asking if she too is ready; hence, the question, Is It You?

Someone’s just outside, knocking at my door
A stranger, somebody unknown
Someone’s in my dreams, can’t get it off my mind, yeah
I’m tired of being alone
Someone’s trying to find an easy way inside
Come on, I’m right here at home, right at home

Is it you?
Is it you?
Is it you?
Is it you, you, you?

Who’s that deep inside me, sneaking around my heart?
Are you somebody in love?
Show me what you’re doing and tell me who you are
Hey, I’m ready for love, for love

Is it you?
Is it you?
Is it you?
Is it you, you, you?

If it’s you, come out in the open
You don’t need to hide your love
If it’s you, you know I’m hoping
‘Cause it’s way too late to run away
Don’t run away from love, my love
Is it you?

Many times we felt that way too that despite the uncertainties we feel, there is that strong thrust from within to dare step forward and make the move to find out like Ritenour if is it you?

In some ways, it must have been the feeling too of those Greek converts in Jerusalem that Palm Sunday who asked Philip if they could see Jesus. They too had that strong feeling towards Jesus after hearing the many good things about himself, his teachings and his miracles. When they said they wanted to see Jesus, it was more than seeing him literally because the Lord was never in hiding. The Greeks, like us and Ritenour in his song, were seeking something more, something deeper, something about faith (https://lordmychef.com/2024/03/16/lent-is-believing-in-order-to-see-jesus/).

There lies the beauty of life, of following Jesus: while the world tells us that to see is to believe, Jesus tells us that to believe so we would see; the world tells us to enjoy life without inhibitions one’s enjoyment, Jesus tells us that it is in dying that we truly live.

Both happens when we dare to ask, when we dare to step forward and take the plunge, of giving one’s self in love. To ask of seeing Jesus, of seeing somebody special, of asking if is it you is also believing in him or the other person.

Believe. And you shall see that indeed, it is you, Jesus!

Here is Lee Ritenour with Eric Tagg.