Five songwriter finalists, one from as far as New Zealand, compete for the city song contest crown.
By Michael Aushenker / Special to The Malibu Times
Arguably the most famous song about Malibu came courtesy of Courtney Love, infamous lead singer of Hole, who in 1998 sang, “Hey, hey! You know what to do! Oh, baby drive away to Malibu…”
Come Sept. 24, five more original tunes will compete to immortalize Malibu as the winning entry of a municipal song contest. The top homage will be crowned during the annual Malibu Music Awards on Sept. 24 at Malibu Country Mart. The five finalists will perform their songs at the annual Malibu Kiwanis Chili Cook-Off and Carnival this coming Labor Day weekend.
Two of the five musicians behind the city song entries shared some insight into what informed their work.
Singer/songwriter Holly Christina, who wrote the entry, “Hey Malibu,” is a guitar teacher and tennis coach from St. Heliers Bay in Auckland City, New Zealand.
“It was very exciting to find out that ‘Hey Malibu’ was selected as one of the finalists in the City Song Contest,” Christina said. “And yes, I’m coming all the way from New Zealand for the 30th Annual Malibu Kiwanis Chili Cook-Off.”
Christina has recorded two albums, “One Road” (2008) and “Interchange” (2009). “Hey Malibu” came together not in Auckland, but in Tennessee, Christina said.
“In May, I came to the United States for some exciting music opportunities,” she said. “While in Nashville, I was forwarded an e-mail by a producer I had met up with in Los Angeles [regarding] the Malibu City Song Contest. I was excited that I would be eligible to enter, even though I wasn’t a local.”
Christina recalled how the lyrics for the song wafted into her consciousness: “On a sunny Nashville day, I suddenly had an idea for a chorus, so I went outside with a little notebook and jotted down my dreams of being by the ocean in Malibu. ‘Hey Malibu, how do you do? I think I’d like to have a chat with you …’ I thought it might be fun to use some personification: imagining introducing myself and having a little conversation with Malibu.”
The next morning she sat down with a guitar and her MacBook after researching Google images, Wikipedia and the [City] Council Web site. “And I used my imagination to create the song,” Christina said. “I recorded ‘Hey Malibu’ in one take.
“Nashville seems a rather strange place to be writing a song about coastal Malibu, especially as we were battling electrical storms and a massive cicada invasion in Tennessee,” Christina, who had visited Malibu at age 9, added.
John Zambetti, on the other hand, knows Malibu intimately. The founding member of The Malibooz is a longtime resident, so the detail in “My Beloved Malibu” comes from rich, firsthand experience.
“I have lived in Malibu for almost 20 years with my wife Joan and children Kathryn and Johnny,” Zambetti said.
Written before the contest, “My Beloved Malibu” is a track off of The Malibooz’ “Beach Access” CD, which also features music from the surf film “Step Into Liquid.”
Zambetti said the lyrics are derived from the Chumash word for Malibu, which roughly translates to, “Where the mountain meets the sea and the surf sounds loudly (“My Beloved’s” opening line).”
“I tried to combine the traditional Chumash spiritual appreciation for Malibu with all my favorite local spots [Third Point, Paradise Cove, Serra Retreat, etc.],” Zambetti said.
Technically, all five musicians competently and professionally capture the Malibu vibe one way or another. Subjectively, the “best” song will be decided at the awards presentation.
To the five song entries can be downloaded from the Web site www.malibucity.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/nav/navid/518/
Malibu’s Official City Song contest finalists
All five songs will be performed Sept. 4, 5 p.m. at the Chili-Cook-Off.
“Hey Malibu,” music and lyrics by Holly Christina
Distinctive sound/elements: Shades of singer Feist. A soft, melodic song with a catchy chorus (“Mali! Mali, Mali, Mali, Mali, Mali-bu!”).
Beach Boy harmonies: None
Local references: Pacific Coast Highway, “27 miles of scenic beauty,” Malibu Lagoon
Key lyrics: “Hey Malibu! How do you do? I think I’d like to have a chat with you.”
“Home, Malibu,” music and lyrics by Andy Harper
Distinctive sound/elements: Guitar fuzz; Harper’s double-tracked vocals set against a mid-tempo, dirge-like tune with some Wilco-ish country twangs.
Beach Boy harmonies: Some vague ones.
Key lyrics: “If you come to California, and I hope some day you do, Whoa-oa, Malibuuuuu!”
“Malibu, We Love You,” written by Shaunna L. Zeidler
Distinctive sound/elements: A twist on ‘Hey Malibu’s’ soft pop, except with Malibu-bolstering handclaps that evoke a cheerleading rally.
Beach Boy harmonies: None
Local references: Overall generic
Key lyrics: “Malibuuuuu We Love You!”
“My Beloved Malibu,” written by John Zambetti and The Malibooz
Distinctive elements: Guitar riff build-up on bridge into end chorus.
Key lyrics: “When I see the sunset at Point Dume, I know that I am home;” “Wild coyotes roam.”
Beach Boy harmonies: Check!
Local references: 27 miles, Surfrider Beach, Zuma Beach, Malibu Canyon, Dog Beach, County Line
“Malibu, I Love You,” performed by the Henn Family Band, with music and lyrics by Kathy and Rick Henn
Distinctive elements: Aside from less people loving Malibu than in Zeidler’s “Malibu We Love You,” this one starts out on a Jimmy Buffet “Margaritaville” vibe and slips into calypso replete with “Kokomo”-ish harmonies and steel drum.
Key lyrics: “When the sun arises in the East and your life begins anew…;” “Never wanna leave it!”
Beach Boy harmonies: Triple-check!
Local references: Couples walking hand in hand; shining stars