A favourite of mine as its not about love, romance or loss. Nature by The Fourmyula (pronounced formula) was written by the band’s leader Wayne Mason and was recorded for their third album Creation. Their producer was convinced it would be a great single, and despite Mason’s doubt, it was released as a single in December 1969. The producer was correct and Nature reached number one on the NZ singles chart in January 1970 where it remained for four weeks.
Perhaps to Mason’s surprise, he won the presrigious APRA Silver Scroll Award for excellence in New Zealand songwriting in 1970. In 2001 Nature was voted the best New Zealand song of the 20th century by NZ members of the Australasian Performing Right Association. Personally I don’t think it deserves that honour, although I might rank it in the top twenty.
The Fourmyula never played Nature live during the 1970s mainly because sound equipment of that era could not adequately reproduce the rather unusual percussion instruments used in the original studio recording. Instead of using a drum kit, they used a wooden organ lid as the kick drum, a box of matches for the snare drum, and the sole of a leather shoe as the hi-hat.
The Mutton Birds released a cover of Nature in 1992 which climbed to reach number four on the NZ singles chart, and winning single of the year at the 1993 New Zealand music awards.
I’ve included both the original Nature by the fourmyula and the later Mutton Bird cover. I much prefer the original, but if you’re into something with a bit more “rock”, you may prefer the latter.
Nature – The Fourmyula (1969)
Nature – The Mutton Birds (1992)
Nature
Through falling leaves
I pick my way slowly
Talking aloud
Eases my my mind
Sunlight filters through
I fell my head is drifting
So full of thoughts
I've thought of
What am I gonna do
I need some thoughts that are new
Do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do
Di di di di di di di di di di di
Nature enter me
Up in a tree
A bird sings so sweetly
Nature's own voice
I hear
Rustling whistling leaves
Turning breeze to speech
Call to me now
Ease my mind
I'll turn something new
Minds layed with dew
Do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do
Di di di di di di di di di di di
Nature enter me
I'll turn something new
Minds layed with dew
Do do do do do do do do
Do do do do do do
Di di di di di di di di di di di
Nature enter me
This week’s music track is a little different as there’s no lyrics to accompany the video clip. The reason being that it’s an instrumental, unless you consider the occasional growling of “Mouldy old dough” worthy of being called lyrics. Mouldy Old Dough was originally released in the UK in early 1972 but it seems to have been somewhat of a flop. After reaching number one in Belgium, it was re-released in the UK and spent four weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart in October 1972.
It did somewhat better in Aotearoa New Zealand, where it reached the top spot on the 15th of December 1972 and remained there until it was overtaken by Lobo’s “I’d Love You to Want Me” in early February 1973. If I was to hazard a guess as to why it was so popular, I’d say it was an ideal track to accompany a relaxed family barbecue or picnic over the summer.
In the early 1990s, there was a revival of the popularity of Mouldy Old Dough when it was adapted as the theme music for a series of television commercials by LOTTO NZ for its Instant Kiwi scratchcards.
Mouldy Old Dough was written by Nigel Fletcher and Rob Woodward who were part of the novelty music group Lieutenant Pigeon. Woodward’s mother, Hilda, features on the piano in the YouTube clip below. I’ve also included a couple of the Instant Kiwi TV commercials which might help non-Kiwis understand why the instrumental had a resurgence of popularity in the 1990s.
I’m not much into love songs, particularly those that depict “young love”. However every now and again I do come across a song that depicts love in a very raw and deeply emotional way. This is one such song. I can do no better than to quote from the NZ On Screen regarding this song:
Chris Knox has described this love song as being “about as naked as I get” and “utterly heartfelt in a way that ‘Not Given Lightly’ only hints at”. So it’s no surprise the video is perhaps his most personal, with striking images of his long-time partner Barbara Ward’s face, sometimes projected on and merged with Knox’s own image. Mix in some classic low-tech Knox animation and the simple big red heart image of the Beat album cover – and it’s a poignant little gem.
My Only Friend was awarded the 2000 APRA Silver Scroll Award (Australasian Performing Right Association) For Best NZ Songwriting. I’m surprised that this is the only Chris Knox song I have presented on Musical Mondays, as I like the “rawness” of his music. He’s also something of an icon here as he has had a huge influence on the development of a distinctive Kiwi sound.
Chris Knox – My Only Friend
My Only Friend
If I want you it's purely that There's nothing else
No one in this world I know like you
If I lost you I would be as if bereft
Of every single thing that makes us more than two
When I touch you it means so much to me
There is a sensual mystery to every move
When I'm inside you, I know it is the only place
To be completely free, completely true
So you can trust me
You can open every window, every door
And let the light come flooding in
And let the swollen rivers run
For there is more of what you love inside of me
Than even I can comprehend
There is no end
My only friend
If I hurt you it's only that I'm trying
To get deeper into everything you are
When I enrage you, I know that you will understand
How much we learn from venturing too far
So you can trust me
You can open every window, every door
And let the light come flooding in
And let the swollen rivers run
For there is more of what you love inside of me
Than even I can comprehend
There is no end
My only friend
I know how hard it is to be
Completely open, strong and free
To say what's truly on your mind
It's memories to unload
The very essence of your soul
That holds the key to your desire
Just know I love you
Yes, I think I know exactly
What that old eluded cliche truly means
I love you, it must be true
I finally put it in a song instead of singing in my dreams
Being autistic, I’m unlikely to venture into places where this song usually heard. Pubs and loud people are a form of torture for me. Bliss has become something of an iconic cult song in Aotearoa – our unofficial national drinking song. Performed by the Kiwi band Th’ Dudes, it’s kind of ironic as it was written as a satirical comment about the many drunken audiences they played to while performing on the Sydney pub circuit in Australia. Any evening when large quantities of alcohol is consumed in this nation, you can guarantee the song will the night’s anthem.
Originally this song originally referred to piss, which is slang for alcohol, especially beer, but their recording company balked at its use, hence the word piss being replaced by bliss, including as the title. The music video was recorded in a well known Wellington watering hole – The Cricketer’s Arms. The song was released in May 1980 and climbed to a ranking of 25 on the New Zealand Music Charts. It has since been voted 50th best New Zealand song of the 20th century.
While I’ll never be able to participate in rendering this song in alcohol induced revelry, I find it somewhat liberating when I hear it played at a moderate volume level. Enjoy.
Bliss – Th’ Dudes (1980)
Bliss
Yah ya ya ya ya
Ya ya ya ya
Yah ya ya ya ya
Ya ya ya ya
Drink yourself more bliss
Forget about the last one
Get yourself another
Drink yourself more bliss
Forget about the last one
Get yourself another
Drink yourself more bliss
Have a stiff one all night
Everything is alright
Try and reach the bar
Coppers took the car
Offers from the sidewalk
Drink yourself more bliss
Forget about the last one
Get yourself another
Drink yourself more bliss
Forget about the last one
Get yourself another
Yah ya ya ya ya
Ya ya ya ya
Yah ya ya ya ya
Ya ya ya ya
Think I'm at full speed
Get it up the Coogee
Hello Sailor cruising
Buy some Spanish shoes
Think I need a refill
Get it at the Cross
Drink yourself more bliss
Forget about the last one
Get yourself another
Drink yourself more bliss
Forget about the last one
Get yourself another
Drink yourself more bliss
Forget about the last one
Get yourself another
Drink yourself more bliss
Forget about the last one
Get yourself another
Drink yourself more bliss
Forget about the last one
Get yourself another
Most of the music I choose for Musical Mondays is from the 60s, 70s and 80s as these are the decades where I was most exposed to music and where I developed my preferences. But I’m not so set in my ways that I don’t don’t enjoy some music from more recent decades. This is one such song. In Māori mythology, Tangaroa is one of the deities present when the earth mother, Papatūānuku, and the sky father, Ranginui, were forced apart to let in the light and bring about the beginning of the world. He became the guardian of the oceans.
I don’t know what it is, but there’s something almost spiritual in many modern songs in te Reo Māori, and Tangaroa Whakamautai is no exception. I find it exquisitely beautiful. I hope you do too. This song by Kiwi singer songwriter Maisey Rika was released in September 2012.
Some of the music video was shot on Whakaari (White Island), which is an active volcano that lies about 50Km (30 miles) off the coast of Aotearoa. It erupted explosively in 2019 killing 22 people and seriously burning and injuring 25 others. Access to the island is now prohibited to tourists.
Tangaroa Whakamautai – Maisey Rika
Tangaroa Whakamautai
Te ararau o Tangaroa
E rere ki te papaurunui
Te ararau o Tangaroa
E rere ki te papaurunui
Te ararau o Tangaroa
E rere ki te papaurunui
Tahora nui ātea
Te manawa o te moana
Te mauri o Tangaroa
Tangaroa whakamautai
Tangaroa whakamautai
Tūtara Kauika
He poutiriao
Te wai o Tangaroa
Te wai o Tangaroa
Te tangi a te tohorā
He tohu nō aituā
Te mau a Tangaroa
Te mau a Tangaroa
He kaitiaki
He taonga
He tipua
He ariki
He taniwha
He tipua
He kaitiaki
He taonga
He tipua
Tangaroa whakamautai
An English translation by Maisey Rika:
The various waterways of Tangaroa Flow back into its voluminous source (x3)
The vast expanse The heart of the ocean The life-force of Tangaroa Tangaroa commander of the tides
A pod of whales (or in reference to Tūtara Kauika the historical whale guardian ancestor) A supernatural phenomenon Evolving from the waters of Tangaroa The waters of Tangaroa
The cry of the whale Signals a warning The power of Tangaroa The power of Tangaroa Tangaroa commander of the tides
A guardian A precious treasure A strange / supernatural being A god Of the ancient prehistoric realm A guardian A precious treasure A strange / supernatural being Tangaroa commander of the tides.
One of my all time favourite songs and ranks at number 8 in New Zealand’s Top 100 songs of all time. The song tells of a real life person known as vicky who used heavy makeup to hide the bruises inflicted by her then boyfriend and pimp. Often she used makeup and unusual clothing to hide the bruises on her body, arms and legs as well. It tells of the life of many caught in the sex trade before it was decriminalised in Aotearoa in 2003.
Victoria was the debut song of the Dance Exponents when they first appeared live at the Hillsborough Tavern on 15th October 1982, making this song 40 years old at time of writing. It was written by band member Jordan Luck, who as a naive eighteen year old didn’t at first realise why Vicky wore such heavy makeup. The song is just as valid today for many people (mostly, but not always women) who find themselves in an abusive relationship but unable (or unwilling) to escape from it.
Victoria – Dance Exponents. Song writer: Jordan William Hunter Luck
Victoria
She gets glances since they first greeted
Sent salutations that can't be repeated
She's become a social institution
Prepares her prey like an execution
Victoria
What do you want from him, want from him?
Victoria
What do see in him, see in him?
She's up in time to watch the soap opera
Reads cosmopolitan and Alvin Toffler
Meeting in the places that she's never been to
She's got a mind but it's the clothes they see through
Victoria
What do you want from him, want from him?
Victoria
What do see in him, see in him?
She lives with a man who sees her as money
Laughs at his lines that aren't even funny
She's in bed but she's not sleeping
is he a customer that's really worth keeping?
Victoria
What do you want from him, want from him?
Victoria
What do see in him, see in him?
There's no such thing as romance blooming
Sundays are for washing and doing the hoovering
Talking to her friends on the telephone
Another jerk rings up who won't leave her alone
Victoria
What do you want from him, want from him?
Victoria
What do see in him, see in him?
Victoria
What do you want from him, want from him?
Victoria
What do see in him, see in him?
Victoria
What do you want from him, want from him?
Victoria
What do see in him, see in him?
My hearing is not the best, so when I first heard this song, I assumed it was “just another love lost” song, although one with a hauntingly beautiful melody. However once I learnt the background to the song and saw the lyrics, it became a powerful and moving narrative and it has became a favourite of mine. It’s the theme song from the film The Stolen. It is still a love song, but not one involving lovers but one of a parent towards their child – in this case a mother searching for her kidnapped baby. The film was relatively low budget ($4 million) and is set in the era of the New Zealand gold rush in the 1860s.
In an interview in 2016, the film’s producer Emily Corcoran, is reported as saying “New Zealand was the first place to give women the vote and when you look at this period you can see why. They were really very liberated.” She then went on to add “The prostitutes were kind of running the show. They were so sought after and could pretty much do what they liked.” I’ll leave it up to you as to whether to think that was a good or bad thing.
The song was written for the film by Stan walker and Inoke Paletua Finau. Stan walker’s voice perfectly conveys the loss (and hope) expressed in the lyrics. There are a number of versions of this song on YouTube, and for me it was a toss up between the clip included below and one with Stan Walker featuring Maisey Rika singing in te reo Māori. The latter includes the haunting melody of the Kōauau (Māori flute), but simply displays the album cover. So instead, I decided to use this version with scenes clipped from the film. Enjoy!
Find You – Stan Walker (The Stolen)
Find You (The Stolen)
Can't see you in the dark
I'm trying to find your light
I can't move through the dust
Getting lost in the night
The storm may come and the rain will fall
Fire and pain go hand in hand, what more
The sun will rise and I may fall
The earth will shake, but I will not be moved
Don't you worry, I'm running, I'm searching
I'm trying to find you, to hold you, I need you
Won't give up 'til I can't breathe no longer
I believe and I can't stop, won't stop
'Cause I'm gonna find you
I'll find you
I'm gonna find you
No, I can't give up
'Cause I'm gonna find you
I can't feel you anymore
Can't hear through all the noise
I'm waiting for your call
I'm searching for your voice
The storm may come and the rain will fall
Fire and pain go hand in hand, what more
The sun will rise and I may fall
The earth will shake, but I will not be moved
Don't you worry, I'm running, I'm searching
I'm trying to find you, to hold you, I need you
Won't give up 'til I can't breathe no longer
I believe and I can't stop, won't stop
'Cause I'm gonna find you
I'll find you
I'm gonna find you
No, I can't give up
'Cause I'm gonna find you
I'm closer (Come closer)
I'm nearer (You're nearer)
Feels stronger (I'm stronger)
It's better (I'm better)
Not falling (I'm coming)
Just moving (I'm running)
Can breathe now (I'm trying)
I feel now (I'm here now)
'Cause I'm gonna find you
I'll find you
I'm gonna find you
No, I can't give up
'Cause I'm gonna find you
'Cause I'm gonna find you
I'll find you
I'm gonna find you
No, I can't give up
'Cause I'm gonna find you
Shona Laing was inspired to write this song after watching Edward Kennedy on television. It was first released as a single in 1985 under the title “Not A Kennedy“, but received very little airplay. It was remixed and released again in 1987, this time peaking at number two on the NZ charts.
Shona Laing first came to prominence in 1973 when, at the age of sixteen, she won TVNZ’s talent show New Faces with her own composition “1905“.
I found this song hauntingly beautiful the first time I heard it, and still do – it remains in my head for days after each time I hear it. Enjoy!
(I’m Glad) I’m Not A Kennedy – Shona Laing
(I'm Glad) I'm Not A Kennedy
Living on through politics
Body-guarded, heart in bits
A blue-eyed honesty
Indigo injury
The family tree is felled
Bereavement worn so well
Giving up on certainty
Wilderness society
Wearing the fame like a loaded gun
Tied up with a rosary
Ooh, I'm glad I'm not a Kennedy
Imagine being a Kennedy
Rule without remedy
To watch your family die
The world loves a sacrifice
Prophets longing for the three
Honoring the tragedy
They hunger for the crime
The privilege to take a life
Wearing the fame like a loaded gun
Tied up with a rosary
Ooh, I'm glad I'm not a Kennedy
Glad I'm not a Kennedy
[JFK]
And is not peace basically
A matter of human rights?
The right to live out our lives
Without fear of devastation?
The right to breathe air
As nature provided it?
The right of future generations
To a healthy existence?
Let us, if we can step back from
The shadows of war and seek out
The way of peace
I love the look in your eyes
I can see your soul sometimes, and we laugh
When we try too hard we stop and start
Oh, imagine being a Kennedy
I'm glad I'm not a Kennedy
Wearing the fame like a loaded gun
Tied up with a rosary
I'm glad I'm not a Kennedy
Imagine being a Kennedy
Ooh, I'm glad I'm not a Kennedy
[JFK]
The cost of freedom is always high
Yet one path we shall never choose
That is the path of surrender or submission
When a man's way please the lord
The scriptures tell us
"He maketh even his enemies
To be at peace with him"
We will not prematurely or unnecessarily
Risk the course of worldwide nuclear war
In which even the fruits of victory
Would be ashes in our mouths
Ashes in our mouths
Ashes in our mouths
Ashes in our mouths
Most of the music I choose for Musical Mondays are oldies – those that have been my favourites for decades, but I’m not so old (yet) that I can’t become fond of new music. Here’s one such song from the New Zealand band SIX60.
The band was formed in 2008 by four Otago University students sharing a flat (house) at 660 Castle Street in the city of Dunedin. The name of the band is derived from that address. Their first album (SIX60) was released under their own label of Massive Entertainment in 2011 and debuted at number one in the NZ album charts and achieved gold within its first week. They have become one of the most popular (if not the most popular) band in the country, playing to crowds of fans exceeding 50,000, which, when you consider the population of this country is around 5 million, spread over 2,000 Km (1,300 miles) north to south, isn’t half bad, especially when such crowds were achieved in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic.
In July 2021 the band purchased 660 Castle Street and established four $10,000 performing arts scholarships at the University of Otago. Winners of the scholarships reside, of course, at that address.
I’m not sure how you would describe their music genre. Audioculture describes it as “a soul and rock informed sound”, but whatever it is, it appeals to a wide audience from preteens to their parents and grandparents, and this is reflected in the mix of fans seen at their concerts. A level of their popularity can be measured by the fact that at time of writing the band had achieved 19 platinum and 5 gold singles, 3 platinum albums and one platinum EP.
Don’t Forget Your Roots single was released in July 2011. It peaked at number two in the Recorded Music NZ charts and number one on the RIANZ charts. At time of writing the song has certified sales of 8 x platinum. In 2019 the song was re-recorded in te Reo Māori for te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) and was retitled Kia Mau Ki Tō Ūkaipō / Don’t Forget Your Roots. I have included two versions. The first is taken from a 2020 live performance and is a mix of English and Māori lyrics. The second is the original from 2011. Enjoy!
SIX60 – Kia Mau Ki Tō Ūkaipō / Don’t Forget Your Roots (Live at Western Springs 2020)
SIX60 – Don’t Forget Your Roots (2011)
Don't Forget Your Roots
Whoa, whoa, yeah
Don't forget your roots, my friend
Don't forget your family, yeah
Don't forget your roots, my friend
The ones who made you
The ones who brought you here
Don't forget your roots, my friend, yeah
Don't forget your family, yeah
Don't forget your roots, my friend, yeah
Whoa, yeah
So Johnny was a good man
Armed with the power of his homeland
And with his boots laced tight and a ticket in his hand
Never to return home again
So he lost what he knows and what all is right
For a broken world and a world of lies
But the days were numbered, relationships suffered
He lost the faith of all those who mattered so
Don't forget your roots, my friend
Don't forget your family, yeah
Don't forget your roots, my friend
The ones who made you
The ones who brought you here
Don't forget your roots, my friend
Don't forget your family, yeah
Don't forget your roots, my friend, yeah
Whoa
So Jessie thought that she was all that
Thought she was heading on the right track
Left her mates at the gate as she walked away
Ooh, never to look back again
So she lost what she knows and what all is right
For a brand new image and a world of lies
But the days were numbered, relationships suffered
She lost the faith of all those who mattered so
Don't forget your roots, my friend, yeah
Don't forget your family, yeah
Don't forget your roots, my friend
The ones who made you
The ones who brought you here
Don't forget your roots, my friend, yeah
Don't forget your family, yeah
Don't forget your roots, my friend, yeah
Whoa, yeah
Whoa, whoa, yeah
Don't forget your roots, my friend
Don't forget your family, yeah
Don't forget your roots, my friend
The ones who made you
The ones who brought you here
Don't forget your roots, my friend, yeah
Don't forget your family, yeah
Don't forget your roots, my friend, yeah
Whoa, yeah
Kia Mau Ki Tō Ūkaipō
Oooohhhh
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipō
Kia mau hoki ki tō whānau
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipō
Ki tangata ai koe
I hari mai a koe
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipō
Kia mau hoki ki tō whānau
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipō āe
Tangata pai a Hone
Pakari ana te tū mai
Tū ana tariana te ao
Te hoki mai te auraki mai
Ngaro ana i a ia i te mana
He ao hurihuri he ao horihori
Tāweko ana te taura tangata
Motu ana te taura ka rawa āe
Kia Mau Ki Tō Ūkaipō
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipō
Kia mau hoki ki to whānau
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipo
Ki tangata ai koe
I hari mai a koe
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipō
Kia mau hoki ki to whānau
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipō
Pōhehe ana a Heni (Heni)
I te huarahi tika ia (ia)
Mahue ngā hoa haere atu ana (e huri mai anō)
Ngaro ana i a ia te mana
Kimi tikanga hou i te ao horihori
Tāweko ana te taura tangata
Motu ana te taura ka rawa āe
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipō
Kia mau hoki ki tō whānau
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipo
Ki tangata ai koe
I hari mai a koe
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipō
Kia mau hoki ki tō whānau
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipō
Ringa pakia
Waewae takahia
Kia kino nei hoki
Ka mate, Ka mate! Ka ora, Ka ora!
Ka mate, Ka mate! Ka ora, Ka ora!
Tenei te tangata puhuruhuru
Nana i tiki mai whakawhiti te ra!
A hupane, a hupane
A hupane, kaupane whiti te ra!
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipō
Kia mau hoki ki tō whānau
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipo
Ki tangata ai koe
I hari mai a koe
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipō
Kia mau hoki ki tō whānau
Kia mau ki tō ūkaipō
The tune for this song is possibly familiar to many of my readers. It’s Il Silenzio, an instrumental composed by the Italian jazz trumpeter Nini Rosso, which is itself an adaptation of the opening to Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien. The Bridge is the first song in te reo Māori (the Māori language) to gain a number 1 spot on the NZ hit parade. This it achieved in April 1981, knocking John Lenon’s Woman from the top ranking. The Bridge ranked number 1 on April 5, 19 & 26.
The Bridge was sung by Deane Waretini and the lyrics were written Waretini’s cousin, George Tait. The bridge in question represents two ideas. One is the Māngere Bridge which was under construction at the time (completed in 1983), linking opposite sides of the Manukau Harbour and two distinctly different urban settings. The other refers to the linking together of Māori and Pākekā cultures.
Unusual for the period, the single was self-financed by Waretini and he was so cash strapped that he paid the backing group in KFC. He then used guerrilla marketing to get the record on air and into the hands of the public, even recruiting a newspaper boy to sell copies to passers by. The techniques succeeded in getting the attention of CBS, and as they say, the rest is history.
I’m not usually a fan of the trumpet as it often sounds harsh to my ears. But I find they are beautiful in this melody, perhaps because it was composed by a trumpet player? And they balance the rich voice of Deane Waretini perfectly. Enjoy!
The Bridge – Deane Waretini
Taku aroha – i aue, i aue
Ki nga pou1 o te piriti
Āki, pakia mai rau
E nga tai kaha ra e
Pukepuke, i aue
Nga roimata e aku kamo
I rite ki te ngaru
Whati mai, whati mai
I waho e, whati mai.
My concern is for the piles of the bridge,
Constantly pounded by the strong tides.
The tears well up in my eyes
They are like the waves that break without
…e nga tai kaha ra e
Pukepuke, i aue
Nga roimata e aku kamo
I rite ki te ngaru
Whati mai, whati mai
I waho e, whati mai.
Another Spectrum 
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