Here is my song for Russia, originally about the historical Tanya who was Che Guevara's girl
friend, and now recast as a metaphor for modern Russia.
Time of the Tiger
Using the sadness of the slow blues, here I
eulogize the Islamic outrages of 2015 for what they are, an open
wound on the hearts of everyone.
No it's definitely not PC - to write songs about revolution or politics or
disasters etc. In fact it's quite definitely PI (Politically Incorrect).
And it’s not something I particularly want to do - be 'Politically
Incorrect' - but the things I
write about often find themselves in that category. My massive hit in Europe – ‘HIROSHIMA’ – was about the place and the
terrible event of 1945.
The fact is that I often write songs just out
of a need to say something - the need to shout out, scream or throw myself under the wheels as the motorcade of another earth-shattering event sweeps
on by. I see on my shelves there is a track called 'Drive on to Moscow', written around the same
time as 'Hiroshima', with the late Carl Wayne singing. There is also a song called
'Freedom' inspired by the personal account of revolution by my Romanian
friend Miti.
In 2014, in conjunction with Phil Hatton, I co-wrote the song ’21 TODAY’, in
memory of the Birmingham Pub Bombings of 40 years before, in which 21 died.
Now in 2015 in the wake of Islamic outrages I felt led to write the song
‘TIME OF THE TIGER’ in the style of a slow blues song.
In 2015 also, Nemskov was gunned down in Moscow like so many politicians
and news reporters before him. It so happens that I had a song from way
back - written about Che Guevara’s girl friend - and when the news hit
of his murder, I remodelled ‘TANYA’ into what is for me, a
metaphor for modern Russia. I guess I am definitely not PC. Dave
