ADAM PAVITT

It’s just the cause

‘Just Because’ has a country feel to it because it is about this country. It is a country folk song that talks about what is happening to this land. Australia is a land of constant drought. We are often on water restrictions and the great brown land with the red rock as it’s center is a harsh one. We cling to the coastal fringes and hug her mountain ranges where the rain falls more frequently.
It is water that sustains us. We can go many weeks without food. Without water….. only a matter of days. This precious life force is not given the respect it deserves! Now with global warming being recognised as a real phenomenon the panic is setting in. What happens if all the water drys up? How did it all come about? Cars, factories, land clearing and big houses are all big contributors. Can we adapt to a changing environment and take on alternative energy en masse to avert disaster? People have been warning us for years about our finite resources including water, oil and arable land. Will it be a case of the scientists saying “i told you so”, or will we change our destiny.

The song was pretty matter of fact in it’s arrival in my song book. It came to me in two sittings. I wrote the verses and chorus in the first session and then came back to the song after a few days and wrote the bridge. It is probably one of the easiest songs that i have ever written and yet speaks of some of the most pressing concerns facing humankind.
Naomi Jones and Joanna Flemming do a beautiful job on the harmonies through the bridge section of ‘Just Because’. The ‘oooohs’ to me seem really powerful and add a nice lift to this section of the song. Naomi and i met through Jo’s band (The Joelenes). The Joelenes are a groovin’ country band with hints of folk, funk and all out twang! They are always inviting friends up on stage to jam out and that is where Naomi, Jo and i first shared some music. Both talented singers and instrumentalists, it was amazing for them to help me out for free on the backing vocals. There was some real magic during the practice sessions , as we experimented with the melodies to reach the eventual harmony lines. I also invited a good friend and talented songwriter Jim Green to do harmonies on the song originally. Unfortunately Jim had a cold on the day and we didn’t end up using any of the vocals that he laid down. Jim has had a big influence on my songwriting and we have sat down quite a few times over the years and swapped new song ideas that we have been working on. Jim’s debut album ‘ Come Aboard’ is a classic and had daily high rotation in my CD player for three months when it was first released.

Another part of this song that i love is Liz Frencham’s double bass. Liz is busting out solos and solid as a rock on the groove. Liz is quite busy at times with her band ‘Dev’lish Mary’, who have a country blue grass thing going on , so again it was easy for her to tap into vibe of ‘Just Because’.
I was talking to someone the other day about the song, and it was suggested that The Greens would possibly be interested in a song like ‘Just Because’. I had a chuckle, but then again, i have done a Greens benefit gig and Bob Brown auctioned off one of my paintings once in strange circumstances….so at least we have a history…if they were to come knocking. If ‘Just Because’ was to influence, someone, anyone to think about the environment and alter their actions even slightly to bring about positive change, then my work is done. The last line of the song states “It’s just the cause”. The environment is the most ‘just’ cause that i know of. We must respect the environment…because we only get have one earth to live on. Just one.
Adz