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October 20, 2006

Word, it's mackin': Boston radio rap drives droves of apple pickers to Danvers orchard

By Amanda McGregor

Bob Connors doesn't listen to much rap music, but he is thrilled by a song invading local airwaves this week.

The song, "Lazy Sunday (Connors Farm Remix)" is a takeoff on a "Saturday Night Live" parody about a trip to the movies. But it took an unexpected twist last weekend when two Boston disc jockeys visited Connors Farm in Danvers. The trip inspired the pair to rewrite the lyrics about their apple-picking, cider-swilling, doughnut-munching experience on the North Shore.

With a chorus of, "Pick those apples at Connors Farm," and lyrics like, "Their apple cider doughnuts equal crazy delicious!" and "We need pumpkins, we need pie or we're gonna go insane," Bob Connors can't complain. In fact, he sold out of apple cider doughnuts this week.

"(The song) is excellent. This is good," he said with a laugh after hearing the song for the first time yesterday afternoon. "Tell them to write a song for sweet corn season, too."

The song hit the airwaves Monday and was an instant, surprise sensation. In fact, during today's Top 10 countdown at noon, the "Connors Farm Remix" will be noted because it's clocking in at No. 11.

"It is catching on like wildfire," said Adam 12, a DJ at WBCN Radio and co-author of the rap. "I have all these e-mail and phone requests."

"A song hasn't garnered this much attention in this amount of time since 'We Are the World,'" joked DJ Rob "Hardy" Poole, the other mastermind behind the hit.

Connors said he has been getting all sorts of calls about the song, too. The first was from his friend and fellow farmer Mike Marini, at Marini Farm in Ipswich, who heard the song earlier this week while he was riding his tractor.

"Mike Marini called me in the morning and said he heard 'apple picking at Connors Farm in Danvers' on the radio," Connors said.

The DJs said they wrote the song to poke fun at themselves.

"We got the idea for the song after Adam 12 and I, unbeknownst to each other, actually made separate trips to Connors Farm (over the weekend), and we were lamenting over the pathetic state of affairs of our lives," Hardy said. "Then, basically, it was a good way to provide some content for our shows on Monday."

But their creation has taken off with catchy rhymes and references to North Shore landmarks, like "Route 1 headin' north, orange T-Rex on my left," about the orange dinosaur at Route 1 Golf in Saugus.

And puns aren't lost on the would-be rappers, who sing "Apple picking! Word, it's mackin'."

Adam 12 said he is originally from the North Shore and was excited to give a shout-out to his roots. The two DJs wrote, recorded, mixed and mastered the entire song in just an hour Monday.

"We're like the One Hour Photo of radio," Adam 12 said with a laugh.

Now, Connors Farm is sold out of something in addition to their doughnuts - their pick-your-own apples.

"There's not a one. We got wiped out," said Connors, who noted there are still apples for sale in the farm store.

"I'm very pleased with this song - I thank them very much," he said. "It's like we have our own jingle now."

Easy listening

To hear "Lazy Sunday (Connors Farm Remix)," tune into WBCN 104.1, or visit the radio station's Web site, www.wbcn.com, and click on the link for "Hardy and Adam 12's Rap of 'Connors Farm.'"

For more information about the original version of "Lazy Sunday," written by "Saturday Night Live" cast members Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg, visit the NBC Web site at www.nbc.com.

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