It only takes a spark

It only takes a spark. Kurt Kaiser* (1934- ). The complete first line is ‘It only takes a spark to get a fire going’, but the song is usually referred to by its short title. It is from the musical Tell It Like It Is (1969), written and composed by Kaiser and Ralph Carmichael* as a Christian alternative to ‘the life-style of drug and sexual permissiveness’ (Young, 1993, p. 552). Speaking about the composition of the musical, Kaiser has said that he felt that there was a need for ‘an invitation type number’. Each of the three stanzas ends ‘Pass it on’, by which the song is sometimes known, and after which the tune is named. Young’s verdict on the result is devastating: ‘the song is a series...