Alistair Griffin and Leddra Chapman - The One

Alistair Griffin’s single The One with Leddra Chapman and a striking sleep aid

3 September 2013 by heardaghost 1 Comment

It’s a bit noisy in here as since the incident with the ironing there have been 26 striking sheep with little placards blocking up the landing, bleating about overtime rates.

The last thing I need is grumpy, uncooperative sheep when I’m trying to get to sleep. One has broken ranks and is pogo-ing up and down trying his best to get me to count him.

Tip: Ask your sheep to do the ironing. Warning: Never do this (Image courtesy of Simon Howden/FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

I try.

“One…” I count, before having to start over.

This isn’t working.

Not understanding, he asks me why the others aren’t helping.

I’m not entirely sure either.

“All I know is that right now, you are the one I can count on”, I tell him.

“OK,” he says, and trots off to use my straighteners.

Guessing he’ll be gone a while, I give up on sleeping and decide to trick the others into joining in, by writing a special song for the helpful sheep.

I call it The One.

Then what happens damn it! Alistair Griffin Tweets that he’s pinched my idea for The One and got it onto iTunes before I’ve even started the lyrics.

Not wanting to drag the sheep into a copyright dispute, I give up, and get the triple-pack of Griffin’s mixes, as they’re on three for the price of (the) one.

Griffin’s The One is a duet with Leddra Chapman, a savvy move if you’re trying to chart or be noticed, as you get an extra fan-base thrown in for free.

Leddra is certainly a big talent, with a beautifully pure-toned voice, although her brand of pretty pop is never going to make me feel quite the same as the Griffin’s music does.

Fact: The One is about a sheep you can count on (this is not a fact)

At first listen, I’m not sure I like it. The opening doesn’t grab me, and recycling lines from best-forgotten songs like You and Me (Tonight) isn’t a great move, (and isn’t a great line either).

But it’s got a very catchy tune that is now irreversibly imprinted in my mind after listening to it twice! It’s a pretty song with a folky-pop sound to it, that kicks into something more.

And it obviously has the right formula as the song’s been on the BBC Radio 2 B-list for a couple of weeks now.

Griffin also got The One played at the end of the BBC’s coverage of The Open golf. His strategy for world domination of the TV sports-music market is really starting to pay off. I expect it’ll be squeezed onto his forthcoming ‘Maniacal Montage Mayhem’ EP, but get the single version now, just in case.

Puzzlingly, Alistair appear’s to have written the sheep out – so no doubt that one will be striking too, once he hears.

To be honest though, I think it’s an improvement.

“I would take you anywhere, all this land is ours
From the gutter you can see, up to the stars
We are hopeless, we are young. We are dreamers on the run
All I know is that right now you are the one”

Hope that helps if you thought they were singing about a girder…

The Mixes

There are three versions. The Radio and the Alt Mixes have the most intensity and character, and work the best of the three. The Alt Mix has less violin which is always a good thing. It also has more oomph and clarity and it brings out the lovely, deeper tones in Alistair’s voice well. This is definitely the most listenable version.

The third one is a Grimethorpe Colliery Band Mix. If this puzzles you, it seems to be part of a quirky Griffin master plan to save this historic Yorkshire brass band, (and get some PR). There’s too much gubbings in the track of this one in a more is less sort of way. Cornet players may disagree.

The Video*

The video is a cheery little smiler that’s got the déjà vu filter on it from Griffin’s previous ones. Alistair and Leddra stop off for a bit of skipping on their coastal wanderings as they randomly ping between South Gare, Whitby and Staithes. Hope it was at least a sixer! Can’t beat a bit of North East scenery though.

*Big up to all the North York Moors’ resident sheep for refusing to appear in the video in support of The One being written out