This song was inspired by a novel by Rachel Joyce called “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry”. I found this moving novel an absolute pleasure to bury myself in for a few tear filled hours.

The story is about an old man who gets a letter from a terminally ill old work colleague. She is dying and writes to say goodbye. Harold sets off to post a note of condolence and walks past the first post box, then the second, the third and just keeps walking with the idea that his walk will somehow keep the old friend alive. He walks the entire length of England dressed in yachting shoes and an old coat (that is not water proof) with a plastic bag holding his few possessions

At first he stays in Bed and Breakfasts but soon decides he is being selfish with the retirement funds and starts to sleep out doors, surviving on what ever kind people give him or he finds in the rubbish.

This song is a result of that story. I do hope you enjoy it and any comments are most welcome and much appreciated.

The lyrics are on Soundcloud.

The tracks used are
RealTracks in style: ~700:Bass, Electric, PopHalfNotesPush Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 1856:Cello, Background PopCountry Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 838:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopBalladClean Ev 085
RealTracks in style: ~703:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Spirited Ev 085
RealDrums in style: NashvilleEven16^5-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride

Along the way

Hi Josie,

I enjoyed listening to this composition. I like the calm, reflective, folk vibe that you have happening here. You're certainly getting the hang of BIAB now! Great things are starting to develop

One thing I noticed while listening was that the de-esser seemed to be a little too enthusiastic at times and had turned a number of "s" sounds to "th" sounds. Mind you, this could be my ears! It could also be a consequence of the formatting that Soundcloud employs when files are uploaded. I'm just passing the information on in case it's useful.

I must say, I really do enjoy listening to your music and your singing.

All the best,
Noel

Nice story.
I like your song and your voice.
Like Noel I got some trouble with the mix.
I think your voice needs some treble.

Guenter

Hi Jo
I just tuned in for a first listen and Soundclick can't find it.
Did you pull it?
cheers
ian

Hi Ian. Sorry …was just changing something in the mix based on what Noel and Boehm said. It should be up now

Noel and Boehm. Thanks for listening and your comments. I have changed some of the EQ settings on the vocal and replaced it with this new version. I hope it is better…it really is a bit of a learning curve but I am enjoying the learning never the less. Thanks again

Ain't Life strange, Joanne?
One goes off to someone who is at the end of it and the one left behind finds Life beginning all over again for her.
Lovely writing! Made me think - a lot.
I think you have a tendency at the end of double voiced phrases (harmony) to pull back off the mic right at the end. It may be intentional - I just noticed it - thats all.
I wonder what he did after his old friend died?
cheers
ian

Joanne, this is super. Personally I like the mix as it is now and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Great lyrics!

Two thumbs up.

Much better.
Nice harmonies.
Now my only problem is that I don't know
what 'deck shoes' are.

Guenter

Joanne,

Super job. An interesting lyric. And a very nice production. Perfect selection of tracks for the story... Keep it up...

floyd

I enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing it.

Very nice story song. Listening caused me to think of Joan Baez and Judy Collins. It has that sort of feel to me. Enjoyed it a lot.

Finally got to hear your song. It's a good song and you've done a great job with the tracks. You sure are picking this up fast. You know I love your voice!!

Val

Ian - I am glad you eventually got to listen...The end of the story is quite wonderful. The song cannot do justice to it. Harold gets to the end of his journey to find the sick friend is completely out of it and doesn’t’ know him from Adam. However, Harold and his wife (Maureen) manage to reinvent each other and their marriage and ride off into the sunset….the most wonderful uplifting novel and worth a read.

Mario, Floyd, Pariahdise, Austin and Val thanks for listening and for your very kind comments.

Noel - Thanks for the PM regarding the effects on the vocals. Noel’s suggestion was to turn off the effects, to add them back one at a time to find out which one was causing the “s to sound like “th”. I think I had too much EQ on the vocal.

Boehm – Thanks for the tip around the treble. I think it was the EQ.
Regards

Really liked this Joanne....loved the story...gonna get the book...thanks for sharing!

Hi Mountainside
Thank you for listening and the comments. Let me know what you think of the book!