34. Hagen and the Griffins (Chewing Dead Frogs)

 

Listen here: https://www.soundclick.com/music/songInfo.cfm?songID=14180887

As a young person it always vexed me that humanity saw a need to inflict suffering upon one another. 'Why we can't just live in peace?' is a dilemma that has vexed greater minds than mine.

I recall as a child being upset by legends that involved conquest and death. Always seemed they involved such a waste of life. The stuff of nightmares. Those childish thoughts of ancient... but violent... tales, were behind the strange title of this adolescent anti-war song, "Hagen and the Griffins (Chewing dead frogs)." I think I was  around 13-14 years old when I first wrote the words. The music came a little later as I was attempting to teach myself guitar. (Older friends may remember my first guitar "Eric"... that's another story! lol)

Recorded on my trusty Teac A3340 tape deck, by a much younger me, many moons ago it sadly still resonates with the warring madness that continues in the 21st century.

I still hate the fact we need guns. I hate that we need weapons to fight against each other. I hate the fact that we have not evolved as a species into rational beings who can reason their way out of conflict. It is hard to understand how, when the simple prescription, 'Love thy neighbor' is continually being offered to us, for generation after generation, we manage to evade it and ignore it.

The planet has enough for us all.  But we don't care. We won't share. We have to be right and we have to be in charge. So we inflict suffering upon each other. And upon creation. And we put up with it and say nothing can change.

So here's to all who are doing the little things that make a big difference. Here's to the peacemakers. Here's to the helpers and those who pay it forward. Here's to those who refuse to be molded by values that are destroying us all. You tip the scales by adding one little weight at a time.

Hagen and the Griffins (Chewing Dead Frogs)
Adrian J Pratt 1973ish

Hey, What's going on?
Why all the bombs?
Why all the pain and agony?

Who started it?
Who'll finish it?
Will it finish?
Strange isn't it?

Doesn't it make you sick?
Doesn't it make you sick?

Politicians become senseless.
The people become restless.
Everyone sits by and lets it happen.

What can they do?
Who'll do it?
And when will it be done?
Strange isn't it?

Doesn't it make you sick?
Doesn't it make you sick?

Hey, What's going on?
    

33. As It Was (Harry Styles cover)

 

 As it Was (Harry Styles Cover) https://www.soundclick.com/music/songInfo.cfm?songID=14499109

As it Was (Harry Styles Cover... acoustic-ish version)
https://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/33585451?utm_campaign=a_public_songs&utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=page_object_news_item

A fairly recent adventure in music making for myself has been creating cover versions of current popular hits. This was a practice encouraged at some of the song writing retreats I have attended. The idea is that if you get inside the way other songs are created, it will help with your own creations. It may also cause people to give your own tunes a listen.

It is a fact that people really like listening to things they already know. Sounding like someone else appears to grant a validity to your work that sounding like yourself is unable to achieve.

Maybe there is a tipping point where you become treated seriously as a songwriter. Or maybe you have to prove you can master other peoples songs first. Or maybe folk need the validation of commercial sales to accept the value of what you are doing. I'm getting to old to worry about such things. I just like making music because I can. Some paint. Some sculpt. Some write. Some play Scrabble. I musically doodle.

And ... despite my reservations... figuring out how other folks songs work is a whole lot of fun. It is the way almost every songwriter on the planet began to write.

Harry Styles song 'As it Was' has turned out to be one of the most popular ditties of 2022. A global hit no less.  Even featured in an episode of one of my favourite TV programs "Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing." So it seemed like a good one to fool around with.

It is of course ludicrous for an old guy like me to take on a young pop legends creation, but it's all done very tongue in cheek, and provides me a wonderful opportunity to explore all my newest music software. lol.

It is kind of frustrating that more folk will listen to this than my own creations, but if it causes them to give some other of my songs a listen... then that is just fine by me.

And for more information about the song than is ever needed, it has its own wikipedia page. Weirdly, it is does not mention my cover version. Wonder why? A serious omission to my mind.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_It_Was
   
As It Was -  Harry Styles

(Written by Kid Harpoon, Tyler Johnson & Harry Styles)

"Come on, Adrian, (Harry) we wanna say goodnight to you"

Holdin' me back
Gravity's holdin' me back
I want you to hold out the palm of your hand
Why don't we leave it at that?
Nothin' to say
When everything gets in the way
Seems you cannot be replaced
And I'm the one who will stay, oh-oh-oh

In this world, it's just us
You know it's not the same as it was
In this world, it's just us
You know it's not the same as it was
As it was, as it was
You know it's not the same

Answer the phone
"Adrian (Harry) you're no good alone
Why are you sitting at home on the floor?
What kind of pills are you on?"
Ringin' the bell
And nobody's coming to help
Your daddy lives by himself
He just wants to know that you're well, oh-oh-oh

In this world, it's just us
You know it's not the same as it was
In this world, it's just us
You know it's not the same as it was
As it was, as it was
You know it's not the same

Go home, get ahead, light-speed internet
I don't wanna talk about the way that it was
Leave America, two kids follow her
I don't wanna talk about who's doin' it first

(Hey)
As it was
You know it's not the same as it was
As it was, as it was