Murphy's original music
The stories behind the songs
Murphy started performing at the age of three to cheer up his mother. At six he was in the primary school choir as a soprano and later became a tenor in his high school choir.
He was only taught to play guitar after leaving school. Mere months after starting guitar he was thrown into the deep end and put on stage in a two-man outfit.
Songwriting became a passion. At the same time he was working in a nightclub and was taught how to DJ. He started opening for bigger names and also began playing as a DJ. He bought sound equipment and started doing functions and weddings.
The live gigs were not strong enough to stand on their own so he started doing karaoke events up to four times a week and even more often in pubs. After 17 years of playing pub karaoke he stopped the regular pub karaoke because of the high cost of equipment.
After a carpal tunnel scare and an operation he also learned to play electric guitar. In 2016 he started recording with Darryl de Lange from Musicology Studio.
Until her recent retirement the legendary Lydia Winchester was his publicist. He took part in over 150 radio interviews about many of his Afrikaans songs and even received Afri Indie nominations. Some of his songs reached number one on internet radio hit parades and stayed there for a long time.
His sound-hire and wedding and function business continues and provides good support for his music journey. More recently he has incorporated AI into his work and writes software for a family business. He may even be called a developer on the side.
Music does not have a retirement age and he will continue for as long as there are listeners.
Every song starts somewhere. These are the personal memories, people and moments behind Murphy's original recordings.
Mother by Murphy
I wrote this song sitting on a bench in Cape Town, waiting for a train. I lived in Stellenbosch at the time and saw an old lady and her granddaughter boarding a train. She seemed very happy, and then I missed my mother and started remembering home and how she always pushed us to be better.
I had a coffee in my hand, so that went into the song. I added music to the song that very same night on my acoustic guitar.
What struck me later was how a mother will do everything for her children, even if it means she has less for herself.
My producer, Darryl de Lange of Mean Mr Mustard fame, helped me later, when I finally started recording, to get some of the structure right. As he sometimes does, he changed some wording, such as "the smell of toffee" instead of overmentioning coffee. Even that brought back more memories of the toffee apples made by Mom.
It was released as part of my album, Murphy by Murphy.
Gone by Murphy
This song was actually the first song I ever wrote. It started out as a heartbreak story when a girlfriend of seven years moved away and then only told me she was not coming back. She had enough of me, and I got replaced. To be honest, I deserved it. I was young and still had a lot to learn.
I wrote it, and it turned out to be one of those songs that teaches you to write. I was a novice at life and at writing.
Years later, after the loss of my grandmother and my mother-in-law, it changed drastically into a tribute and goodbye. It was not aimed at any person at that time, but after it was recorded, I realised that it was about the loss of loved ones.
Darryl once again inspired me to rewrite it from the point of view of a person so struck with grief that their own mental health is at stake. If I hit the target with that, some say I did, and it helped them work through loss.
When We Were Young by Murphy
Three months after this girl moved away I saw a girl walking down the road one day and I had to turn around. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen at that stage of my life and I could not just stop and talk to her.
But fate brought us together and we were married and had a daughter. After the divorce I wrote When We Were Young. It was my best song at that stage. It was a song of loss turning into a kind of defiant hope.
I had another DJ, producer and singer interested in doing something with it but it did not happen. It was later produced and recorded by Darryl de Lange at Musicology Studio.
Darryl used up both verses and the chorus by speeding up certain phrases while we produced it. This meant I had to write a second verse. He tends to make me work at it sometimes to improve the songs I write.
It also ended up on my debut album Murphy.
Ek Sing by Murphy
This was my first attempt at writing in Afrikaans. That is strange because Afrikaans is my mother tongue. At the time I was living in Bela-Bela in the northern part of South Africa.
I grew up with everything from the Beatles and the pop culture my mom liked to my dad's favourites such as Demis Roussos. The music of the 1980s shaped my teenage years. My exposure to Afrikaans music was limited to what I heard on the radio.
After battling with addiction and losing all faith in my job as an insurance broker, my first wife and I relocated to the Bushveld with our daughter. I was working in printing at the time.
One night after working overtime printing newspapers, while she was on holiday with our two-year-old daughter, I sat on the pavement in front of the house after a couple of lonely beers. In the early hours of the morning I wrote Ek Sing.
It became the first Afrikaans song I recorded. My friend Darryl is English, so he did not have any insight into the wording. I did change some words that were interfering with the rhythm.
Darryl added a short but impressive guitar solo that will be hard to replicate. He said he was cross at the time.
I later changed the opening phrase to "Ek sit op die strand" because it was more appropriate at the time of recording. I also thought it sounded better than "op die straat", which was the original opening phrase.
It also found its way onto my debut album Murphy.
A Girl Like You by Murphy
After my first wife and I split I spent five years virtually single and saw my daughter almost every weekend. I then had an on-and-off relationship that lasted a year and nine months. This lady got me singing more in Afrikaans.
She was however another music casualty. Relationships do not last when you work full-time in music, which I was doing.
Then came my second marriage. When she was pregnant I wrote A Girl Like You. I found snippets from old songs for some of the lines. I used to keep a whole list of lines that I found interesting in books and most of them eventually found homes in songs.
This was the fastest song to record and finalise. Darryl sent me the final mix within days. Maybe he was scared the baby boy in the song would be born before its release.
The song was used in a video about a newborn baby before it was available on Spotify. The video received more than 15,000 views in a short time. The videographer paid me a standard fee and I was delighted.
It also went onto my debut album Murphy.
Voor op die Wa by Murphy
Then came the baby boy. He was a normal busy little boy with his own language and his own ways of saying things. All the lines in the song were inspired by things he did.
The first sound he made was that of a hadeda, which is a very noisy big bird that lives in flocks all over the country. That is where the line "Hy maak die voëlklanke na" came from.
With all his little ways he was and still is a very loving child. The song also reflects this. It was written just after his first birthday.
As he got older he was very impressed that his dad had written and recorded a song about him. It was also included on the nine-song debut album Murphy.
He also joined me on stage at the tender age of three.
Long Nights by Murphy
I was at home one Friday night with no gig and feeling frustrated in the lounge. I could hear one of my mentors singing at a venue about two blocks away. He was one of the musicians I looked up to.
I recognised one of the songs. I looked at an old poster advertising one of my gigs and saw the words "8 till late."
I grabbed my guitar and instantly had a tune. I started telling the story of a musician and possibly many other shift or night workers.
This song came with a twist. Each line refers to a golden oldie that we all play every night.
It starts:
"I sing in blue jeans forever, no matter what the weather."
That refers to Forever in Blue Jeans. The next line is "The road to hell is steep", referencing Chris Rea.
It continues by comparing a band to a car through the Beatles and the Beetle. The song basically describes singing and presenting karaoke.
That being said, it does have a hopeful message in the chorus.
This is also one of the songs my son started singing with me and it is one of the songs I perform live most often.
Dans Soos ’n Kind by Murphy
A big thank you for the remixes by Darryl de Lange (DAZ Remix) and Afrikaans Wil Dans Remix.
On one of our holidays, we went to the Langebaan area over the December holidays. One day, we were walking on the main beach. The wind was howling, and the sky was full of kite surfers.
That evening, my then-toddler son danced with joy as he opened and played with some toys we had bought him while shopping. I thought to myself, that is how we should be. That is how a person should live.
I remembered the phrase, “Dance like no one is watching and live life to the full.” I started writing with the words, “Wees vry soos ’n Weskuswind, jy moet dans soos ’n kind.”
Dans Soos ’n Kind is the only song that I recorded a semitone lower than the key in which I normally perform it. My voice was overworked on the day we went to record, so Darryl dropped the key by a semitone to make it easier for me to sing.
It is also one of the few songs for which I wrote the lyrics first and only composed the music afterwards.
It is an inspirational song that tells you to live and let live and to look after one another. It has done very well on radio and was the first song that the Afrikaans Wil Dans group requested to remix. It is still my best-performing single to date.
I was even invited to play and sing it at my old high school’s centenary festivities opening ceremony in front of over 1,200 students and all the teachers. Chosen from all the talented people who emerged from Outeniqua High School over 100 years, I was one of only three singers who performed that day.
I still feel deeply honoured to have been there. It was definitely one of the most memorable moments of my music career and my life.
I have to thank Mr Chris Hattingh for nominating me. He is a legendary teacher who taught me and only retired one year after this event.
The message of the song was the reason it was chosen, and the story was even published in that year’s journal.
My Afrikaans Wil Dans Journey
At this point I was contacted by Afrikaans Wil Dans and the remixes were born. They have big playlists with lots of followers and my songs do well on them.
I could now alternate between releasing an original and releasing a remix just a month later. It works well for getting algorithms to notice your music when you are on a platform and consistently release new music.
I have slowed down on production and recently did an English song, so my Spotify listeners have decreased dramatically. I do, however, have more to give and more Afrikaans music is on the way.
More stories are also to follow.
I Feel Fine
“I Feel Fine” was written in lockdown during the COVID pandemic. I recorded it on my phone and sent it to the studio. My producer, Darryl De Lange, built the track, got Mark Belling to do the funky guitar riffs and I simply had to go do the vocals when lockdown lifted. It did not do well, even though it is a very good song technically.
Ek Ontou
Ek Ontou, a wedding song.
It was written after a photographer gave me the idea to write songs for video footage. It was also written during the COVID lockdown and produced and recorded much later. I used photos from my own wedding to make a picture music video for YouTube. It became a wedding anniversary tribute and never got sold to anyone. I almost deleted it after our divorce, but I decided not to. It is memories and it deserves to be heard.
Fake It (Till You Make It)
I wrote this song because I always used to feel as if I would never be good enough. It took a lot for me to stand on a stage and sing in the beginning. I sometimes still feel a bit “silly or stupid” when I get up to do the first song, even at karaoke. I don’t show it as far as I know and it lasts for about five seconds these days, but way back it was a real “am I good enough?” type of story for me.
This song is to motivate others who feel this way and to tell them to just do it. Fake it, because you will be good enough soon when you get on that stage and you may even be good enough already. So faking it will turn into making it.
I’ve always wanted to do a rock song and when Darryl, my producer, suggested a rock song on this occasion I jumped right in. My son also loved it at the time and was singing the chorus before the song was even released.
You are enough. Fake it till you make it and enjoy the journey.
Ek soek nog steeds vir jou
I wrote this song with the two kids who meet on holiday on the beach in that old Volkswagen ad in mind. It’s a story about the one who got away because of shyness and inexperience in seizing the moment. It’s an illustration of what could happen if you don’t go for the girl or guy you like. Just do it. The chances are good that the feeling is mutual. If you get rejected you know you can move on. Just do it. Tell him or her that you have feelings for them and ask if the feeling is mutual. That being said, I was a shy kid and I do understand the fear of rejection.
Vellies en Sokkie by Murphy
A friend of mine always used to say, kom sê gou hello, when calling me.. so I wrote this song about playing away and missing a loved one.
The vellies en sokkie idea I got from seeing an ad for one of those big dance places on social media. The guy dancing very well and fast with the girl had short pants, "veldskoene", and socks on.
I used to dance a lot at and after school and was quite good at it. It fell away as a performing musician.
I attended quite a few farewells because of the fact that the ladies just needed a friend who could "sokkie". So blended it all together and this song popped out.
In My Drome by Murphy
After my divorce and not having a girlfriend, I had a dream of walking with someone and not knowing her, but feeling in love and having a great time in a romantic environment. I woke up, grabbed the laptop and wrote the song about this dream girl.
The first verse I actually rewrote just before going to the studio after remembering how I felt after my first divorce many years ago. Yes, I've had two.
It ends with getting over it because healing is a process, one does get better.
Ons sal jou nie vergeet
I have friends who had son who fought courageous, but lost his fight against a terminal illness. I followed him and his recovery on social media and really thought he would make it. I decided to write a song.
As I started writing, I got news that my cousin's only young son, who lived a good and vibrant life, was in a collision on his way home from work with his boss. He unfortunately passed away and she was devastated.
This guy I also never met but he had a smile on his face in every photo and this reflected the person he was. His gran and my grandmother was always great friends when alive, so had to mention them.
So this song is for the courageous young Duhan who inspired me to live better and not give up easily in anything I do and DG who just got pulled from life and made me realize I must cherish my loved ones while they are still here. To love is a blessing and your loved ones is your wealth.
Feels So Right by Murphy
Once again or as usual Darryl, my producer had the idea to do Vellies en Sokkie in English because I told him I was thinking of doing English again.
Since he is English speaking, I had to quickly write as the recording was happening.
We did however do more takes on this song than any of the others. Both of us were just not satisfied and we kept honing and polishing it.
I love working with this guy and pushing and improving in studio and as an artist. We are recording soon again.