The Des Cox Music Page
The latest information and brief history of his musical career, starting with the latest release
My Internet Lover
Originally I spoke to one of the major labels who liked what they heard but insisted I rewrite the lyrics as they might offend people so I decided to go it alone and release them on the independent network, but was warned by an American music company that there are many millions of new tracks released globally on the net each month, so the chances of any success are extremely remote.
I never expected to ever hear of that first release, ‘My Internet Lover’, ever again but to my shock I did what most people considered to be impossible, for regardless of the massive competition I went to number one in both the European and World top 100 charts
As a result of this amazing success, our American promoters have asked to release five new tracks from Des’ forthcoming double album, “A Little Ray of Happiness”.
They’ve now listened to every track on the double album and come up with the conclusion that every one of them is worthy of being a single in its own right, something that not even the fabulous Beatles achieved… This is even more amazing if you consider that I honestly believed I shouldn’t even release a single track let alone a whole album!
Jump forward a few months and to our next release, a track titled ‘In My Day’, a recording that will make you laugh and dance at the same time… and certainly make you feel so much happier
In My Day
Now here is the reason why I wrote the songs now being released, starting with
‘In My Day’
I wrote ‘In My Day’ primarily because I wanted to try to spread some fun and laughter in a world that is currently so full of endless doom and gloom. I was prompted by a young teenager who heard a copy of it and immediately wanted to play it to all her friends because, so she said, they had never heard anything in their lives that had actually made them really laugh. How sad is that, not knowing what real laughter is, so she played it to them and it had them all in stitches, which considering it wasn’t written with any particular age group in mind, really surprised me.
She loved it so much that she literally begged me to release it and so, in the hope that it would help bring the same happiness and laughter it had brought to these teenagers, to people all over the world and in doing so, to help make this world a really nice, happy place again…
There is another amazing story to go with this recording, for it was first ad-libbed to an audience aboard what was back in 2003, the world’s once most prestigious ocean liner, Cunard’s magnificent QE2.
It was all because I wanted to get out to New Zealand to film scenes for our video series ‘The Great Liners’ but just couldn’t afford it, but the then President of Carnival, the company that owned Cunard, called to say that he would arrange for me to join the QE2 on her world cruise, and drop me off in New Zealand on the way. I was shocked, but it was an offer I couldn’t refuse… Then I discovered he had all the DVDs in our video series, The Great Liners, and loved them, hence the invite, but there was a slight catch. He asked if whilst on the ship, I would do some lectures, so, yes, me Des, was booked to do lectures on the great QE2.
This world cruise started from New York, via Panama, LA and San Francisco and to lecture aboard her was the ultimate for any lecturer, but because of commitments I couldn’t get to the ship until her next call, which was Hawaii. I’ll never forget that moment when I first set eyes on her, knowing that I wasn’t just a spectator anymore, but someone who was just about to board her and, to be a lecturer on the greatest ocean liner in the world… It was such a magical moment and I’ll never forget my first sight of that most beautiful of ships… I just stood at the end of the quayside and enjoyed my moment of maritime beauty.
Now for any of you not familiar with cruise lecturers, they can be a funny old lot and many even consider themselves far superior to us more common mortals, and of course, the QE2 had the most famous lecturers in the world, but regardless of their fame, they would still go to great lengths to try to ensure that they would be the one to get the best time slot for their lecturers, and so the first thing they would do when boarding would be to make haste to the Cruise Director’s Office, for regardless of fame, first there had first choice, which meant the very best time slots.
Unfortunately, by the time I boarded in Hawaii all the decent time slots had been grabbed. “All we’ve got left.” Said the Cruise Director. “Is the graveyard for talks, which start as breakfast is ending.” “That’s okay.” I smiled. “He shook his head. “Well you’ll be lucky if you get twenty people there at that time.” “I’m not worried… if they don’t want to come then that’s fine by me.” The Cruise Director smiled. “I wish all the lecturers were like you… most of them will kill to get the right slot.”
Next morning at 0900 hrs, I was standing at the lectern and before me were getting on for fifty people, which wasn’t bad. I looked down at them and recognised several famous Hollywood names, and immediately felt more than a slight twinge of nervousness. Then the theatre doors closed and I started my lecture, starting with a little of my own seafaring background and then showing slides of famous ships through the ages. I pointed to the screen. “Now this is a picture of the old Queen Mary, and she had three funnels because…” I suddenly felt sorry for my audience and turned to them to say. “You know, you shouldn’t be in here listening to my lecture, for you’re on a world cruise aboard the most beautiful and famous ocean liner in the world, so you should be having lots and lots of fun, instead of being back in school with me.” I put down my bits of paper and then said… “Hold on a moment, I’ll be right back, and with that I shot off to my cabin and returned a few minutes later holding a guitar. The audience looked so confused… “I know, you’ve never seen a lecturer with a guitar before, but I really want you to enjoy your cruise and so what I’m going to do is probably one of the daftest things I’ve ever done, but instead of continuing with this lecture, I am going to make up a song all about us… yes, you and me, and if it all goes pear shaped, well at least I tried to bring you fun, so here goes, and I promise, it will be all ad-libbed, and I’ll call it…” I thought for a moment. “Yes, I’ll call it… ‘In My Day’ and remember, I’m making it up on the spot and it’s all about us…” So I took my guitar and started to play and sing…
I wish it was my day again
I wish it was my day again
With bright eyes and smiles
Instead of dandruff and piles
I wish it was my day again.
Suddenly they started to smile, and then the next verse got them laughing, which was great, and as the song continued so their laughter grew and grew… it was such a wonderful experience and so much better than a boring old lecture.. They loved it…
Next morning at 0900 hrs I thought I should go back to doing just straight lectures again, and that hopefully some of the fifty I had attend my first performance would return, but as I neared the lecture hall, instead of some returning, there was a queue of passengers all through the ship who, having been told from yesterday’s audience about the laughter and fun they’d all had, decided that they wanted some of it as well. Honestly, they just could all get inside, so waited outside to listen, and as I was about to start, yesterday’s people started shouting out in mostly American accents. “Hey Des, sing ‘em that song about, I wish it was my day again!” So I smiled and said. “Hold on, I won’t be a minute, and shot off to my cabin to get my guitar.” For the rest of that trip I turned my lectures into comedy hours, singing songs and doing jokes and impersonations and anything that made them laughed, and every bit was totally ad-libbed…
The other lecturers aboard really didn’t like me because I was performing to a full-house every breakfast morning, but we had a ball… it was all so much fun and you know something, I still get emails from those audiences telling me how they will never forget what a great time they all had and even invites to go and stay with them…
Then, during all the doom and gloom of Coronavirus, I decided that I had to try to do something to spread a little happiness, and then I remembered this story, so although I couldn’t remember the exact words I sang back on the QE2 all those years ago, I decided that I would try to just stand in front of a microphone, ad-libbed it all again and see what came out.
Well, that recording went to number seven in the Euro and World top 100s, so listen and hopefully enjoy a little, and let’s hope that as its being played on a 250,000 radio stations around the world, it will bring smiles and laughter to people everywhere.
Are You Lonesome Tonight
Now what’s next, well then I did my own version of that great Elvis Presley Classic
‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’
Actually, the first time I performed this was when doing lectures and entertainment aboard a ship, a ship not quite so famous and grand as the QE2, but nevertheless, still a very special ocean liner, the MV Discovery, which used to be one of the two famous love boats, used in the making of that classic American TV comedy series , seen here arriving at the Azores during an Atlantic crossing.
It was 2007 and the year of the great financial crash, and as I performed on stage I couldn’t help but be aware of how the audience wasn’t anywhere near as relaxed and enjoying themselves as normal, so I looked at them and said. “Okay, you don’t seem to be yourselves today, so in an effort to make you happy again, I’m going to do an Elvis Presley song, but I’m not doing the original words because to tell you truth I can’t remember them, so I’m going to just see if I can’t come up with a funny version of it, and I know Elvis won’t mind because he had a great sense of humour and were he here today, I’m sure he’d join in. So, ladies and gentlemen, here… and remember its ad-libbed so if I sing anything that upsets you then complain to Elvis and not me, for its his song… Ladies and Gentlemen, here for you is Des Cox’s version, performed for the very first time, of ‘Our You Lonesome Tonight’.
As back on the QE2, the audience smiled and then as the song progressed so they started to laugh and laugh, and soon all their worries and cares were far behind them.
After the chart successes of ‘My Internet Lover’ and ‘In My Day’, the American’s asked if we could release another track from my double album and so we released this, which still has the original guitar and vocal track on it, but which we manged to improve, so for you all, here is. ‘Our You Lonesome Tonight’.
This went to number 10 in the Euro and World top 100 charts, and even as I write this, it is still being played all over the world and once again, we are spreading happiness everywhere.
Summer Rain
What’s next now…well this is another track from the double album, but a little more poetically and emotionally serious than the three released so far. It’s about to be released on an EP, so fingers crossed.
‘Summer Rain’
And here’s the reason I wrote it!
‘Summer Rain’ is a strange, earthy folk ballad, prompted by the worrying thought that so many, many people spend fortunes in search of happiness, searches that take them fighting their way through overcrowded airports to go to the ends of the world in a vain search of an almost elusive happiness, and yet strangely enough that happiness they have gone to such costly lengths to seek is right there in front of them all the time, just waiting for them to find it, right there in their own backyard all the time, just a step or two from their own door, a step or two that could take them into another world, a world where the soft magical feel of gentle summer rain welcomes you inside its cloak of real, real happiness and what’s more, there aren’t any journeys, queues or battling crowds to contend with, and furthermore….this wonderful happiness is there for you for free… It’s another recording completely ad-libbed, in the belief that so often it’s the simple, almost everyday things in life that are so important and can be so, so enjoyable.
Critic’s review Kim Muncie • August 26, 2020:
‘Summer Rain’ is an impressive folk ballad that probably wins me over the most, but only by an edge, as they all offer something substantial, something funny and something for just about every adult music lover. The blend is a proper one of seriousness and playfulness put to music.
Silence
Every song is so different on the double album, and the next one of the new releases is titled simply…
‘Slience’
And here’s the reason I wrote it.
As I wander through the pathways of life I try hard to be positive, and I hope that comes across in my songs, for like so many, many people these days, I am so tired of the endless parade of gloom that bombards us wherever we go… it’s even extended into entertainment, with the lyrics of so many songs written and recorded as if to purposely bring us down even further, songs for ever telling of broken hearts and dark, dark misery instead of good things and happiness. So that’s why I wrote ‘Silence’ which was influenced by a strange, stillfull night I once found myself in when sitting alone in the frozen wilderness of the Arctic Circle in winter. It was so cold and bitter, yet its stillness was completely without sound and in its place I experienced in that frozen darkness a completely magical world where a large silvery moon cast its silent light across the snowy whiteness of the night …I sat within that amazing silence and felt life and myself become as one within its almost sacred peacefulness, a dreamy feeling I had never known before, and I wished that all the thronging hordes of greed and the endless worldly noise of want could stop even if just for a moment, so to give a moment for everyone to be able to step back and relax within a similar magical calm, and let their minds feel the beauty of this so distant, peaceful and healing still… That’s why I wrote this song.
Critic’s review Gwen Wagoner • August 26, 2020:
‘Silence’ is about being all alone out there in the wilderness with nothing but your thoughts to hear, and it’s another timeless piece of music with more excellent lyrics about being deep in the forest and letting it all hang out. The idea is to drift away and let the silence surround you and the visions and more sounds of nature take you away instead. And there’s more here than it seems at first, so with every spin it just manages to get better and better as this song sinks in with proper time to allow it to do the business.
This track will be on the forthcoming EP and hopefully will be played all over the world, for although laughter and fun are so crucial to life, it is also important to try to understand and know the world around us, a world that is just so special and one we should treat with love and car.
Here I Am
Again a different song and this time a love one titled…
‘Here I Am’
I’m really not a fan of all those down, down records telling of failed relationships, for true love is out there for everyone, if only they would take the trouble to really look for it, for to find a real true love is one of the most wonderful things any life could ever be given, and believe me, true love is out there for everyone no matter who or what you are, and that’s why I wrote ‘Here I Am’, which hopefully will help to bring the importance and beauty of a true and lasting love to everyone… If it were possible I would give everyone regardless of their race, creed, gender or anything, the gift of true love, which for everyone no matter who or what you are, is out there somewhere and just waiting to be found, and if everyone could find their true, lasting love, then just think what a truly wonderful world it would be for us all… That’s why I wrote and recorded this song.
Critic’s review Gwen Wagoner • August 26, 2020:
‘Here I Am’ shows yet another side to the musical approach of Cox, with another love song but this one more personalized to the listener, backed by some stunning strings. The female vocalists name escapes me, but her voice never will, so it should also be said that Des Cox is not alone here, and he is backed by a great female voice and they sound perfect together
At The End of The Day
Another very different song that was originally written way back in the 15th Century…
‘At The End of The Day’
This is a very, very old song that some say dates back to the 15th century, and it’s a song that we as children used to sing at school. It was and is a song that has something very special about it and even back then when WW2 had left us without anything other than darkness and austerity, as we sang this in school it made us all feel so much better and confident that one day the tides of darkness would disappear and the light of happiness would once again find us all, regardless of who or what we were.
But perhaps the best use of this song came in the 1950s when there was only one radio station people in Europe listened to and that was Radio Luxembourg, a station that irrespective of the hardships we all faced and dealt with after World War Two , managed to penetrate the darkness and austerity that was ours, and did so by being different, by smiling and playing all the latest hit records including Little Richard and Elvis, which started that rock ‘n’ roll revolution in the UK, but for all of us that was the beacon of light and hope we all needed. And when late at night the radio station closed down, the last things they always did was to play this song.
It was written a long, long time ago and in an ‘olde English language difficult to understand let alone remember, but I have done my own arrangement and hopefully some of those original words, which I hope will bring back wonderful memories to millions of people of all ages and backgrounds, so thank you to a song and a radio station that managed to bring us all together as one. That’s why I have recorded it in the hope that in this age of Corona virus, it will mean so much to so many.
Critic’s review Bethany Page • August 26, 2020:
Much more can be said about Des Cox, his musical careers are not without prolific achievement, so it’s a pleasure to hear his music and give a solid recommendation. ‘At The End Of The Day’ sums everything up here very nicely and finds me wanting more songs by the time it’s over. It does just the right thing in making me long for this double album and hear what else it has to offer, because these five songs would make anyone want to hear more. My hat goes off to the song writing and production to the last but-not least.
And Coming Very Shortly
not only the relaunch of the whole of our 52 part Children’s TV series, ‘The Bubblies’, but also what we’re sure will be… A Great Hit Record to go with it… so…Watch this space!
I could write a book about the creation and production of ‘The Bubblies’, but that will have to wait for another, very long day. Right now I just want you to know that after so much work we have managed to restore ‘The Bubblies’ back to their former glory both in English and in several foreign language version as well, and now after so many years, following so many thousands of requests from people all over the world, we’re going to bring the whole series back to our screens, and to help launch it with a great musical BANG! we’ve managed to get several of the original musicians and singers back to record what we all believe will be, another great big hit all over the world.
The song is titled ‘Darlin’ ‘ and just has that magic that enables it to fit in with ‘The Bubblies’ own music, for in the series of 52 x five minute episodes, each episode has its own specially written and recorded songs, for ‘The Bubblies’ were the very first Children’s TV band, and this brilliantly animated series just all goes together in such a special way that adults love it almost as much as the children… In fact, and not many people know this, when we were filming it all, guess who we had as a regular visitor to our studios? None other than the great Jim Henson, the creator and producer of both the Muppets and Sesame Street.
This came about because he had heard that we had found a new way to animate the puppet models, so instead of by strings from an overhead gantry, I just turned it all upside down and then operated the models by the country’s best puppeteers, from beneath the stages instead, where, with the help of our great film crew then, to operate them using wires, which for the first time ever, enabled us to film sequences lasting several minutes at a time, instead of the overhead strings as used even in the making of such great series as Thunderbirds!
So, if it was good enough for Jim Henson to go to so much trouble to come and see, then it might just be good enough for you, or your kids or even grandkids to watch, and as for the music, well it was written especially for this production and recorded by the best musicians and at the very best studios such as Morgan and Abbey Road, where famous stars recording in different parts of the studios would wander by and often ask if they could sit in and play and sing… I can’t make those names public because of their own exclusive contracts, but when you listen to that piano, or great guitar, or drums, you will probably be able to guess… We took this so seriously because we wanted to give children a series that would be colourful, great stories and characters, and music that everyone in their family would enjoy, making them proud that their older brothers and sisters liked their very own music and band.
Keep a watch out and this series should be with us, probably on our own internet site, rather than via a TV broadcasters, because the first they’d do is to want to change everything to make it politically and woke correct, and make changes for the sake of making changes whereas in truth, it is the most unbiased production in the whole world and all so totally natural.
Double Album
And now a few words about the Double Album, which I never intended to record but just got carried away… No Abbey Road or top studio for this, but just a tiny flat and one microphone and basic computer programme, so what you hear is completely unadulterated, compared to the recordings made today, where one top producer told me recently – “I could take just anyone off the street and with the use of this high tech equipment, I could make them sound great.” But… isn’t that cheating!
This forthcoming Double Album, ‘A Little Ray of Happiness’ is based on live shows of mine, and is 95% ad-libbed and lasts for just over two happy hours… Being Ad-libbed brings with it a real live experience, but also, being live it brings, well, anything! Original stand up jokes and impersonations for which I will probably get arrested by the thought police and snowflakes, and the key thrown away… But at the end of the day, I really am so tired of all the hate, anger and protests that have so taken over our world by the small majority and so I say… Be whatever you want, believe whatever you want for that is your right within reason, but please remember that in the whole of this world there aren’t two people who are anywhere near identical in body or in mind; even identical twins are different… we are all different and yet in so many way we’re all the same, so please, let all of us just accept each other for what we are, and be friends…
I hope that when it comes out shortly, all of you will give this album a spin… and that it will bring you a Little Ray of Happiness as its title suggests, and that in turn it will bring you smiles and even laughter, and before anyone leaps up to complain, all the laughter and jokes here are at my expense and aimed at me and you know something, I couldn’t care less, for if it makes you happy and allows you to enjoy yourselves, then that’s all I could ever possibly wish for.
So now you have read a lot about the records and why I wrote and recorded then… now you can download the singles and for all of you who want two hours of fun, the Double album, ‘A Little Ray of Happiness’ can now be bought in CD form and if you like, even signed!
Many thanks
Des.
P.S. I hope these recording make you smile and even laugh and if they do, then they’ve done their job.