Dear Reader... The following is written by me, Ben Malone. I'm a guitarist and singer/songwriter with Hopney Moffett. Just thought I'd explain that so that the sentences make more sense. So, here we go...
We were asked to write a 'message song' for a youth group. Clare asked me if I could call up a riff from the 'onboard riff library in my music soul baby'! I came up with a riff, Clare came up with the lyrics 'Long live the revolution, long live the victory of love, long live love forever more'. We ended up keeping the song and the youth group got something else.
Heaven Sent (B. Malone)This one started it's life as a slower blue/Motown styled riff, which was fused with a blue grass/folk riff. The song was there, but it wasn't 'all there' until I realized the missing element was 'fun'. The song is all about the point of realization experienced when we discover that the sense of fulfillment we spend so much of our life seeking is right under our nose: be that romance, friendship, happiness or wealth. As the lyrics say: "It's been so close, so long, it's been out of sight and I'm never ever letting go again".
River Deep (B. Malone, A. Joyce, S. Joyce)Wrote this one with Sharon and Aisling. The music was great in this one. It was straight forward with a big chorus. It's probably my favourite song on the album. Sharon had a great theme for it: going after love through thick and thin. That's why we approached the chorus with a gospel flavour: "River deep, mountain high, every little step I take to get to you".
Butterfly (B. Malone)I had the verse riff for ages and couldn't think of a decent chorus to go with it. Years later, I was sitting on my bed, playing the guitar, waiting for my wife to come home from town. As I played, the lyrics, "Oh, you're beautiful to me" came to me. 10 minutes later, I had the whole song. Andy came up with the whistle (marvellous Andy, simply marvellous) at band one night, and it made the song complete. Butterfly is about love beyond romance, looks or feelings.
Change Your Mind (B. Malone, A.Bramble, A. Joyce)Andy came up with the chorus for this song, and sang it to Aisling and I. We then proceeded to misinterpret what kind of sound he wanted for it, and that's how we ended up with the music for the chorus. The rest of the music was a couple of 'spare parts' riffs I took from an earlier, unfinished song. I changed the key to suit, and it came together. When we went into record the song, it wasn't coming together. It was missing something. We were on the verge of scrapping the song from the album when in walked drummer Brett Orr, who heard the guide track and he said, "No way, this thing's an anthem!" Brett started drumming the opening riff, and it blew my reservations out of the water. (Talk about changing your mind!) The song got to stay, and it's now one of our favourites. In a way, the theme of the song is mirrored by it's own history: "Just think, babe you're amazing, the spark to your own fuel!"
Hopney Moffett (B. Malone, C. Birchley, A. Joyce, S. Joyce)The band is involved with providing for the education of young children who struggle financially to attend a school, and this song is really written for them. It's all about oneness. Even though we may never meet in person, we are together, closer that if we were standing side by side. Love and truth can take you flying beyond the constraints of this daily existence. There is more to my/your existence that we could imagine. Hopney Moffett sings: "I saw us together. I'd choose no other but you. Take me, take me, take me, I'm flying away." It's a freedom song.
Possum (B. Malone, A. Joyce)This used to be a joke song about a possum that came to live in somebody's house. The lyrics don't mirror that original joke theme any more, and have been replaced by beautiful, empowering words written by Aisling: "I'm a warrior, a winner in every situation". I personally love the words because they're so positive. The music is funk. We're all fans of funk, and it's so much fun to play. When playing live, Paul uses his 12 string Maton to create a sound pad. It's just beautiful and so much fun.
Whittington (B. Malone)The appeal of this song always amazes me. Initially a riff recorded onto cassette back in 1991 as a practice session for playing guitar solos, this explains the opening lead lick. A year later, it was recorded as a complete (but rough) song demo. It was written about two friends I had who both thought that by leaving Dublin, things would be better for them. Life would suddenly change for the better. As I studied this experiment, I realized that any 'onboard issues' move with you, no matter how many miles you run. You have to face the glitches and problems and provide solutions. The song is about this experience: "Go now young Whittington, to your streets paved with gold, careless of the poverty, careless of the cold. The sun always shines on the other side..." The name Whittington is borrowed from the famous character developed by Shakespeare.
French Number (B. Malone, A. Joyce)This began life as an instrumental written for a screen play that never happened. I played it to Aisling at rehearsals, and after taking a break (for a nice cup of tea), Aisling came back with the lyrics. We call it the French Number, because we all know which one we're talking about, so the name stuck.
Bits of Wonder (B. Malone, C. Birchley, A. Joyce, S. Joyce)A song about oneness. It's like a reflection on the divine essence within you. You are a reflection of yourself in a way. You are a manifestation of something bigger than yourself, and yet you are everything, but very much aware of your size. Too hard to put into words, so just let the song say it.
Bush Across the Road (B. Malone)Written on the doorstep, looking at the bush across the road. It's an instrumental. I'll let the lyrics do the talking here.