For New Zealand Music Month - Te Marama O Puoro, Music 101 have asked a bunch of local musicians to pick one New Zealand song they wish they'd written.
NZMM 2023 'The Song I Wish I'd Written' Part three artists Photo: Supplied
Stephanie Brown from the band Lips wishes she wrote 'Tears', by The Crocodiles, released in 1980.
"It has a super-strong melody in both the verse and the chorus and I also love it because it takes all these unexpected twists and turns.
"But my very favourite part is coming out of the third verse into the final chorus, Jenny Morris the lead singer reaches for her opening note - tears - but surprise, the band have shifted the rug from underneath her by playing a new chord and now she's on the flat 7th of the scale - tears - an unstable note full of tension, perfectly reflecting the uncertainty and tumult of the romance she's singing about, and the backing vocalist is stepping down through the glorious upper extensions of the 9th, 8th, major 7th, 6th, and then repeat - tears - the tension is building like a stretched rubber band, and then just when you can barely take any more, Jenny ascends one more time -tears - she climbs one more step up to land triumphantly back on the tonic of the chord.
"And with that note, we've been released, safe in the knowledge that Jenny will prevail, she is strong and resolute," Brown says.
Liz Stokes from The Beths wishes she had written Bic Runga's 'Listening for the Weather'.
She listened to it as a child and apologetically says she remembers it being the first song she tried to illegally download: "Sorry, Bic, about that!"
"I just love the way it makes me feel, the imagery and the lyrics are so vivid and the song just makes me feel really warm and fuzzy - I just really love it."
Clark Mathews from Wellington band DARTZ says the band wishes they'd written the 'seminal classic' 1979 anthem 'Be Mine Tonight,' by Th' Dudes, written by Sir Dave Dobbyn.
DARTZ 'absolutely thrashed' this song in the car when they started touring, and it felt fitting as they passed through so many towns and regions, Matthews said.
It is the perfect song for ..."one of those nights when you've got a lot of skin in the game, and you don't know what's coming your way. This song is the song for that moment, whether it's pre-party, during the party, post-party, it's always hitting.
"Honestly, there's something about the outtro of this song that's just so special too, the way it slowly slowly builds up to that guitar song by Sir Dave."
Kiwi reggae musician Muroki says he wished he had written 'Bad Meditation' by Māori-Scottish artist Mara TK.
He said the song was a great tone and mood setter and held fond memories from his days in Raglan.
"It was 11 of us living in two houses, next door to each other, and we were all best mates, you know, right on the waterfront in Raglan. So, you know I have a lot of fond memories. One of the best times in my life, and we had this playing on repeat, or at least I did. We put it on at potlucks, fresh after a surf, in the summer time. "
He said the song "It's not so much about what he's saying, it's just how he says it. And with the amazing production behind it... the chords are amazing, real organic sounds in there, and then he's just got this beautiful soulful voice singing over it, and yeah, it's just, I love it, it's great."
Minnie Robberds from the indie dream-pop band There's a Tuesday says the song she wished she had written was Nadia Reid's self-reflection ode 'Preservation'.
A favourite of her mum, Robberds said the song evoked memories of her and her mother "just sitting in the car, listening to it and feeling really inspired by the power of the words and her voice.
"There's so much I love about this song and it's hard to narrow down, but I think my favourite part would have to be the words.
"I really loved the words, there was a real warmth about the musicality... it just enjoyed it very much immediately," she said.
Kiwi artist Tom Lark said he wished he had written 'Black Mould' by the NZ indie band the Phoenix Foundation.
He recalled hearing the song for the first time, when he was on his way to soundcheck. He said it stopped him and the band in their tracks, so much so that they did not step out of the car, till the song had finished.
"I remember someone said 'that's a really cool baseline', which is a compliment usually reserved for quite good song."
Lark said he loved the lyrics in Black Mold, "I think it's like a masterclass in witty, cool song writing."
NZ singer-songwriter Andrew Fagan from the band Fagan and the People said he wished he had written the song 'Can of Worms' by Phil Judd.
He said the song was a proper work of art, as Judd not only hit the mark with its lyric but also with his guitar work and singing.
"This song... it's the lyrics, that menacing lyrics, and the dark, dark sentiment. It's brutal, whoever he's talking about, his verbal antagonism certainly hits the mark," Fagan said.
