The Prince of Grundys

Editor's note: Archers scriptwriter Keri Davies wrote Eddie Grundy’s birthday song for Wayne to perform at the party. He explains how it came about, and how it fits into a decades-old tradition of Archers music.

With Eddie Grundy’s background in country and western, his 65th birthday party had to have a musical element.

The storyline for the episode I was to write included this line: “At the party, Eddie is thrilled to see all his mates there, including Neil and Mike. Jolene calls the line dancing. Wayne croons some old country songs, only for Eddie and Jolene to join in. It’s just like old times.”

Given that Wayne, like Jolene and Eddie, performed original material in the past, I thought it would be fun to have him write a song to celebrate the birthday boy. So, with Archers editor Sean O’Connor’s approval, I set myself the task of creating a country-style ditty.

Songwriters are often asked “which comes first, the words or the music?”, to which the joke answer is “the phone call”. In this case, they arrived pretty much simultaneously. And when I hit on the line: “He’s the Prince of Grundys, and his name is Eddie”, the whole structure of the song fell into place.

Musical tradition

I did a similar thing last year when I created a couple of “authentic” Borsetshire folk songs for Joe and Eddie to sing at Ed and Emma’s wedding. And in the 1990s, I wrote A Pint Of Shires for the album The World of Eddie Grundy by Trevor Harrison.

In this, I’m following a long-standing Archers tradition. When Eddie had hopes of making it big on the British country music scene, he wrote Clarrie’s Song – although the object of his affection was highly miffed when John Peel played the B-side, Poor Pig, instead.

Norman Painting not only played Phil Archer’s voice, but his fingers as well. Phil was the church organist, and often provided piano accompaniment for village shows. It was Norman who actually played those instruments at recordings. And he too wrote an original composition for the programme. Waiting For A Wonder is an Advent carol, music by Norman Painting, words by Bruno Milna – the pen name Norman used as an Archers scriptwriter.

Music goes way back in Archers history. Brookfield apprentice Jimmy Grange and his acoustic guitar were caught up in the skiffle craze of the 1950s. And for many years, no occasion at The Bull was complete without Tom Forrest’s stentorian rendition of The Village Pump.

I hope you enjoyed the song, and that it and the party provided a little light relief from the dark doings at Blossom Hill Cottage.

Here are the full lyrics:

1. Let me tell you ‘bout a man

You’ve seen him round in his white van

His cider makes a tough guy feel unsteady

The nicest feller ever born

He often wears a hat with horns!

He’s the Prince of Grundys and his name is Eddie

Chorus

Now you can keep your kings and queens

Your generals and your popes

Your marquises, your viscounts and your earls

They don’t hold a candle to

The man I introduce to you

Eddie is the Prince of Grundy World

2. He sometimes doesn’t smell too cute

And paperwork ain't his strong suit

But if there’s a buck to make he's ready

Turkeys, milking, patios

Where there’s money, there he goes!

He's the Prince of Grundys that's my good friend Eddie

(Chorus)

3. He’ll do the roughest sort of work

His calloused hands will never shirk

But Clarrie says he’s cuddly as a teddy

He’s the subject of my song

And if we clap, he’ll sing along!

The Prince of Grundys, that’s my good friend Eddie

(Chorus)

(Repeat last line)