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Homesick And Blue

I finally got a break from everything - first time in quite a while. We're moving into the Assisted Living facility this coming weekend, so been getting ready for that - and preparing for a huge yard sale (going from a 6-room house to a one bedroom apartment).

Di says "Hi!" to everyone and "Thanks for all the kindness and wonderful songs."

Anyway, the idea for this song crossed my mind this afternoon. So, from no music & no lyric to this "finished" recording took about two and half hours.

Rich's comment made me listen to it again and I agreed with his opinion. So I reposted the song with the backing tracks a little more forward in the mix. The vocal was a little too loud originally. I think it's better balanced now. If you care to offer an opinion on this mix, would love to hear it.


****** Song Summary *************

File:_Homesick And Blue.SGU
Key=C , Tempo 80, Length (m:s)=4:18
Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0,
Song is saved with bar changes for Volume Changes,

Style is _HOMESIK.STY (Homesick Soft Pop Serenade)

RealTracks in style: ~2474:Bass, Acoustic, Held Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 2195:Piano, ElectricVintage, Rhythm CoolJazzPopHeld Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 3059:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm Muted16thsFintan Ev16 080
RealTracks in song: 2883:Pedal Steel, Background CountryEddy12-key Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 1947:Mandolin, Rhythm PopModernGrooveAndy Ev16 075
RealTracks in song: 626:Harmonica, Background Travis Ev 085
RealDrums in Song: BluesRockSlowEv^2-a:SideStick , b:Snare, HiHat

*******************



Homesick And Blue
© 2018 Alan D. David, BMI

(v1)
This concrete’s burning holes, in the soles of these old boots
It’s nothing like the farm back home, where I planted family roots
God knows I miss my mom and dad, and the girl who waits for me
And Kansas seems so far away, like a distant memory

(v2)
That man in the fancy business suit, said I was the next big thing
Said take my songs to Nashville, he’d make sure they’d hear me sing
But the shoulders behind those hallowed doors, can be stiff and icy cold
So many ways of saying no, with heartaches bought and sold

CHORUS
It seems there’s nothing here for me, except rejection and regret
Just the backstreet seedy bars, and the rent that’s overdue
Maybe I should pack my bags, and these dreams I should forget
I’ve never been this down and out, I’m so homesick and so blue


(v3)
I’m playing every night for tips, through the smoke and neon haze
I never knew you could go so broke, in oh so many different ways
Should I go or should I stay, chase the dream or pack it in
My star’s not shining very bright, it’s looking awfully dim


(v4)
Nothing’s easy in this town, doesn’t matter who you know
It’s more about who knows you, that’s the way it seems to go
Hang in there kid that’s what they say, one day you’ll get the word
But no one seems to know my name, not a whisper have I heard


REPEAT CHORUS

INSTRUMENTAL BREAK

REPEAT CHORUS

Hi Al

While I enjoyed it all as is, particularly the harmonica,
I think the band is a bit low compared to the vocal.
Marvelous result for such a quick job.

Cheers.

Hi Rich,

Thanks for the kind words and opinion. I have reposted the song with the backing tracks a bit more forward/louder. I think it works better now. Thanks again!

Alan

Al you are a song writer extraordinaire.
Love the FX on the track. Some tricky stuff there.
Great write.
Rob

Alan, Great lyrics and well sung. I love the Acoustic Bass and Mando along with Steel and Drums. That combination is what I Appalachian Honky-Tonk. Sounds really good and best of luck to you both while you settle in to the new lifestyle, Tom

Rob,

You flatter me with your kind words. This one came together very quickly Glad you enjoyed and the few little touches I out on the backing tracks. I appreciate the listen all those nice words!

Alan

Hi Tom,

I was very happy with the mix of instruments. My favorites are the rhythm guitar (that muted, synch beat sold me), and the drums. I worked the drums over pretty good. I largely isolated the kick drum by EQ manipulation and enhanced it quite a bit. I then blended it on top of the original drum track. I like the extra bottom the altered kick pedal gives the overall sound. I applied the BIAB plugin "Dynamics" and the 5-band EQ to the blended mix to give the drums more character. That's probably more than you wanted to know but thought I'd throw it in for what it's worth.

Thanks for the well wishes!

Alan

Great song , that harmonica just tops it off.

Alan,

A classic "tough in Nashville" song. Well done. Mix sounds good to me.

Hope y'all are getting settled. Best to you both.

fj

It amazes me that you can put out such a quality song in such a short period of time, I think you and David Snyder are pretty much the masters of being able to do that here.

Really good writing! Nice arrangement too, harp solo fit like a glove and I like the way you exited the solo and back into the chorus.

It will be good once you have settled into your new place and will have some time to take a breath, I'm assuming you will still be able to make music at the new place?

All the best to you guys, and good luck with the move!

Wow - this is stunning. It sounds so heartfelt, and reached hits close to home for me. The arrangement is top notch too. It may have a somber tonality to it, but I also found it to be quite hopeful sounding too.

Very well done - thanks so much for sharing

Great song about te real life struggling Nashville musician. This really tells a great story. The track sounds great and vocals are nicely done.

I always hear about all the Nashville Hopefuls. It's such a tough road to strike out on, but it is the hub for all things Country! I think you really captured that journey and the reality of it really well in this song. Thank you for sharing.

Awesome tune Alan. Loved the lyric. Super vocal and backtrack. Super mix as well...

Tom expressed our feelings completely (we’ve always liked his Appalachian Honky-Tonk genre!)


We enjoyed the great story of the tune and wish y’all our very best!

J&B

Al,
This would be a very good song by any standards, but done in that time frame... wow, it just shows the class of the man!
Very engaging story,sincere warmth to your vocal and skilful simplicity in the production...here`s hoping you find more breaks in your new place to continue making music like this.

Robert

Thanks a bunch for those kind words, Clifton. And yeah, when I heard the harmonica line, I was very pleased. Thanks again.

Alan

Hi Floyd,

yeah, there's a bunch of these songs about hoe nashville is a tough nut to crack. But, hell ... at my age, I'd better go with whatever the muse gives me! Thanks for the feedback on the mix. And i think life will settle down a bit in three or four weeks. Thanks for the wishes.

Alan

Hi Dave,

Thanks a bunch! David is a pretty talented guy with a ton of creativity, so being in a sentence with him is a real treat. Some of my better songs were ones that came to me and got recorded in a relatively short time frame. Sometimes it works that way.

Ands yeah, I really liked the way the harmonica instrumental came out. Thanks for noticing. And we should be able to work on our music at the new place. We just can't get too loud with it. But we both have relatively soft voices and I plug my headphones into the guitar amp and usually everything else is computer generated. So, I don't expect too many problems.

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the very nice words!

Alan

Hello Deryk!

Close to home for you, huh? So you can relate to it - it's always great when a listener can relate to a song from personal experiences. I appreciate the kind words about how it was put together. Many thanks to you and all the PG Music staff.

Alan

Hi Scott,

Sometimes a few nice words are all that's needed to put a smile on someone's face - this did it for me. I appreciate all that - thanks so much.

Alan

Hello Samuel,

Sorry about passing over you in the order of the comments. When you're my age, you'll understand! Glad all those elements you ,mentioned work for you. That's always great to hear and I appreciate it very much.

ALan

Hi Ember,

Tis always a pleasure to hear from you. yes, Nashville is a tough one to take on. I have a good friend who did well there. John Heinrich is a musician who plays pedal steel, dobro, sax, and flute. he's on quite a few cuts out of Nashville. He's currently touring with Ronnie Milsap. Oddly, we first met in Germany! He's one of the success stories - Mike Baker a lead guitarist whoi I know casually is another example. But they are the exceptions.

I'm delighted you think I captured the other side of that story in this song. I appreciate the feedback. best to you and your PG Music colleagues.

Alan

Hey Guys!

Always a treat to hear from you. I like that moniker - Appalachian Honky-Tonk! Tom outs out some really nice cuts - like you two do. I'm glad the story of the lyric works for you. I appreciate the feedback on that. best to you.

Alan

Hi Robert,

You are much too kind! Thank you so much for all your kind words. I particularly appreciate the comment on my vocal as I'm a mediocre singer, at best. but sometimes, a song seems to find that very small sweet spot in my voice. i was pleased with it - so danged happy you commented on it as you did - still smiling!

Your comment about the simplicity of the song rang a bell with me. Although there are 7 real Tracks, it doesn't sound that "full". I think I got lucky with the mix and kept is relatively simple in the big picture, in spite of the number of tracks.

Many thanks!

ALan

Alan,

Sounds really good. Very nice melody, good backing band and a nice set of lyrics.
Really nicely done.

Peter

Thanks a bunch, Peter. I'm glad you enjoyed the song. Thanks for letting me know! best to you.

Alan

Hello, Alan

This tune expresses homesick and blue very well.
Your present feeling moving into a different environment from the familiar house may reflect to this song a little.
The melody is sad somehow in spite of written in major key.
The sound is very clear and your vocal is really nice.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

If there were issues with the initial balance, I can't hear any in the remix. Everything just works.

Love the mandolin. Great lyrics.

The rhyme scheme turns around on the chorus from AABB to ABAB, which got my attention. (Heheh... I got a comment in about song structure before Noel got a chance to post! ).

I'm glad you found a break to get this out!