One of the more eclectic styles of music, the “fusion movement” is a bit of a mystery to music lovers. Simply put, it’s the process of taking on style of music and “fusing it” with another to create a unique blend. Thus, it is a style of music that can’t be pegged down in one genre, and thus a jazz hip hop fusion is neither categorized as traditional jazz or hip-hop. As other music trends and styles emerge other fusion can arise, and thus it can be found in every style of music.
The results are often fun, eclectic, and engaging, and this is certainly the case for the David Crowder Band. As new worship artists and music groups emerged in the dawn of the early 2000s, the David Crowder Band emerged with a unique sound that set them apart. There’s was a fusion of folk and blue grass with the electronic and experimental sounds of the New Millennium. Thus, they could record an authentic rendition of classic blue grass/folk hymn “Leaning on the ever Lasting Arms” and then turn around and deliver a fun, up-beat almost dance worthy number with “Here is Our King” and “O Praise Him ( All This For a King)”, that would feature an electronic beep that sounded like a solo from Artoo-Detoo.
Hey, that troublemaking little droid rolled off the set of Star Wars and into Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth back in ’76. Don’t tell me he isn’t looking for something more.
With such a unique style of music, it is not surprising they were selected for the Inspired by Album for Walden Media’s The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Co-written by Crowder with Ed Cash, Jack Parker, Jason Solley and Mike Hogan, Turkish Delight was one of the other songs written from the perspective of one of the four Pevensies, in this case, Edmund. We get into his headspace, not only when he decided to lie to Peter and Susan about the existence of Narnia, but during his trek form the Beaver’s dam to the Witch’s house. We know what he wants, what he’s willing to do to get it and just how far he’ll go. He’s proud, he’s boastful, his plotting the downfall of those dear to him, all so he can get another taste, not only of the candy but of the rewards the witch offered him for his service. Edmund, thinks his actions are totally right, and David Crowder, singing as Edmund, intends to justify himself to you the listener.
Thus, in listening to it again it’s hard not thinking of classic Disney villain songs where they share their motivation. Think back to the great Disney villain songs of the 1990s starting with “Good bye so soon” by Vincent Price as Professor Ratigan in The Great Mouse Detective, Pat Caroll’s over the top camp as Ursula the Sea-Witch in The Little Mermaid for “Poor Unfortunate Souls”, Jonathan Freeman’s stellar taunts towards the Genie in “Second Rate” in the otherwise forgettable soundtrack to Return of Jafar, Gaston’s passionate rabble rousing in “Kill The Beast”, Jeremy Irons going to town to the point he burst a vocal cord as Scar in The Lion King for “Be Prepared”, or Frollo’s deplorable blame of Esmeralda for “leading him astray” in “Hellfire” in Hunchback of Notre Dame.
These songs were big, they were expressive, they were memorable and they were passionate. The villain laid all their cards on the table and shared at times not only with the audience, but the hero, their motives. Sometimes their motives were understandable, but other times we got a glimpse into their mind, what they wanted, and how they’d go about getting it. Power, revenge, outsmarting your rival, even love, we knew what made them tick.
It’s almost like Crowder figured if Disney was releasing this, he may as well lean into the narrative of the villain song. It feels big, expressive and splashy, like you’d picture dancing dwarves and floating candies behind him in the musical number. The brass section cuts loose in a song that almost feels dance worthy, and you can imagine the character, like in a Disney movie strutting about on screen like he’s the top dog. Considering how Edmund perceives himself until he hits rock bottom, it’s an excellent character description for him at that stage.
At the same time, this reveals something beneath the fun and camp of a Disney villain song. Edmund motive is just for candy, and to us it seems like a silly motive. Well, in the grand calculus of Eternity the motives of all villains look the same. So, you want power? Prestige? Revenge? A Bride? That’s nice…but in the end of you sell your soul for it it’s not worth it, and as Edmund learned it took an act of great sacrifice to save him.
Edmund remains one of the most compelling characters form the Narnia books, and David Crowder Band gave the fallen, and later redeemed Pevensies his due in what is truly a memorable villain song for the way ward boy with a unique signature style that like all great villain songs stands out.
Retro Narnia Rocks Playlist:
Side A
1-Turkish Delight ( Narnia Album version0
2-Here is Our King
Side B
3:O Praise Him ( All This Or A King)
4: Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
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