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#593400 04/21/20 09:28 AM
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The Groundhog Day

This is my first song written completely during this year. It was inspired by birding, my latest hobby, and long unsuccesful walks during dark or rainy days. The point is that sometimes it is difficult to give up your quest, thinking that the prize lies always behind the next hill. There are many other similar situations in life - it would be better to leave than to fight nature, but you are stuck in the moment. I had difficulties to find a word to describe the situation, finally I realized the movie Groundhog Day describes it very well, I hope you notice the similarity I'm trying to express.

I made also a chord video. Vocals and video are probably bit rushed to find time for my CoVid song, hopefully I get it finished during this year, or next year wink

RealDrums: RockThrashHalfTimeEv16
Loop: gl_tomtoms 100a ev16

RealTracks:
Electric bass #1009
Electric piano #2906
Electric guitar #875, #3230, #3343
Electric guitar solo #3348
Vocal Oohs-Aahs #3552
Vocal Gospel #3627

MIDI:
Elysion, TheOrchestra

Other:
Hand Claps from a real concert, melodyned to 80BPM

Vocals by me

Mixed in Cakewalk by BandLab

Lyrics:

Birding in a drizzle,
if I turned around now, would I miss a whistle?
I've decided, no more regrets
I just know that the rain doesn't choose who it wets.
Can't see a bluethroat, a beauty, any rare
only my own shadow follows me anywhere
is there a graceful exit from this lair
I'm repeating this same long day of wait and despair.

I'll never know the right moment to admit
that I have done my best it's time to ease off my grit
when to leave my shadow, the quest for crests and jays
when to break away this groundhog day.

Climbing up devotion
in the lasting tempest, can I keep the motion?
I've been struck down, felt bursts of hell
I just know that the wind doesn't care who it fells.
am I a fool man because I still believe
the peak of my fulfillment I could achieve
the ghost on the ground won't allow me to see
I'm repeating the same long day of being naive.

I'll never know...

Life is wilderness, not a feeder in the backyard
it won't give me titbits for trying hard.
I'm persevering, I won't seek justice,
I'll swallow each loss, I'll stand up to nature
I'll carry her cross.

I'll never know...

-------
Janne


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We love birds and that made it easy to fall right into this song.

"Life is wilderness, not a feeder in the backyard
it won't give me titbits for trying hard.
I'm persevering, I won't seek justice,
I'll swallow each loss, I'll stand up to nature
I'll carry her cross."

That is a lovely sentiment!

We enjoyed it.

J&B


Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more.
If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks!
Our Videos are here on our website.
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Janne,
fun tune. Excellent and challenging arrangement! A bit dark, but I have a feeling that is partly done for fun. Birding can be tricky.
Especially when you go out trying find them. They usually "appear" in random places at random times smile

P.S. Last week there was a pair of Bold head eagles flying by my place. I was lucky to have binoculars ready, so got to watch them up close.

Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

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Janne,

I love the dark mood you set with this! Nice changes and well written lyrics as always.

Groundhog Day is one of my favorite movies BTW.

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Loved the eerie backtrack. Cool lyric and vocal. With the title I thought you were going to write about being locked in the house and doing the same thing day after day. Well done


Scott Collingwood
https://soundcloud.com/scottt709
https://soundcloud.com/spiritlevel-ca
https://www.youtube.com/@SpiritLevel-ge3hm/
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Originally Posted By: Janice & Bud
We love birds and that made it easy to fall right into this song.

"Life is wilderness, not a feeder in the backyard
it won't give me titbits for trying hard.
I'm persevering, I won't seek justice,
I'll swallow each loss, I'll stand up to nature
I'll carry her cross."

That is a lovely sentiment!
We enjoyed it.
J&B


Thanks Janice and Bud for your nice comment smile I knew you are into birds, so I'm very happy to notice that you are the first to comment laugh You probably have much more different species there to see every day, I usually manage to see slightly above 100 species in a year…

Janne


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Originally Posted By: Rustyspoon#
fun tune. Excellent and challenging arrangement! A bit dark, but I have a feeling that is partly done for fun. Birding can be tricky.
Especially when you go out trying find them. They usually "appear" in random places at random times smile
P.S. Last week there was a pair of Bold head eagles flying by my place. I was lucky to have binoculars ready, so got to watch them up close.
Thank you for sharing.
Misha.


Thanks Misha for your uplifting words smile I wouldn't say it was done for fun, although it's always fun to compose a new song. The "fun" part in the song is the solo, it's kind of a dream sequence describing the feeling of success. Yep, birding wouldn't be fun if you could just push a button and the selected bird fly to you. Or you had a map to find the next big one. So the fun (and the pain) is really in the randomness, something that has to be accepted (as I wrote "I'll swallow each loss, I'll stand up to nature").

Congratulations for seeing that eagle, I have only seen a white-tailed eagle here. Your area is probably full of big birds of prey smile

Janne

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You are the master of chord changes that completely work and yet are so uncommon!! Makes your music always very interesting to listen to, and this is no exception!! Love the sound of the band! Very imaginative and cool music!! Take care. Greg

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Hi Janne, very interesting chord changes indeed. Very good production all around.

Mike B.


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Janne

Enjoyed the song, it's development and rousing ending. Liked the chord video - some very interesting changes and chords used.

Top quality composition.

Peter

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Hi Janne,

Wonderful backing track with a fabulous solo.

Loved the lyrics which you can listen to on two levels - either
at face value, or if you consider the whole piece to be a metaphor, it
takes on a whole new and intriguing meaning.

Yes, we're longtime members of the British RSPB and spotting isn't predictable!
The only thing you can predict is that the best sightings are when you haven't
got a camera with you!

ROG.

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Your lyrics are great, Janne. I sympathized with you right from the title. I love walking through the woods, so picked up the photography hobby. Eventually I came up with a saying: When it rains, shoot rain.


Enjoy whatever happens!
marty

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Janne,
A very cool darkly Hendrix-like intro leading into those dense,introspective lyrics...I always enjoy the seeking for meaning in little things and there are some original insights in your writing here.
Catch the joy as it flies!
As your songs often bring chord sequence surprises, the subtle changes here are a hallmark of a Janne composition. The arrangement ( especially how you integrate the guitars, is very good).

Robert

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Originally Posted By: BlueAttitude
I love the dark mood you set with this! Nice changes and well written lyrics as always.
Groundhog Day is one of my favorite movies BTW.


Thanks Dave for your kind and positive feedback smile I like Groundhog Day also very much, great inspired idea and Bill Murray is a great actor.

Janne


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Originally Posted By: Scott C
Loved the eerie backtrack. Cool lyric and vocal. With the title I thought you were going to write about being locked in the house and doing the same thing day after day. Well done


Thanks Scott for your nice comment smile Well, you could apply the message also to being locked in the house nowadays, being stuck, writing new songs one after another without getting the recognition you are after - but luckily we have this forum that helps us to escape outside, virtually smile

Janne


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Terrific production, it started so ominously I wasn't sure what to expect, but eventually it settled into a Janne song, and a nice Janne song at that. When our cats died, we finally put up five bird feeders and we love them. We've had one rare sighting already. So you may want to rethink eschewing feeders. Nice work on an esoteric subject.


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Originally Posted By: Greg Johnson
You are the master of chord changes that completely work and yet are so uncommon!! Makes your music always very interesting to listen to, and this is no exception!! Love the sound of the band! Very imaginative and cool music!! Take care. Greg


Thanks Greg for your heartwarming words smile They really mean much to me, especially when they come from a super-talented songwriter like you. I usually compose the chords before the melody, so the chords including the inversions almost contain the melody. When the lyrics are finished I can just put the words in and just finetune the melodical details.

Janne


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Interesting inspiration!
Certainly an unusual song topic.

Well done.

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Janne,

Very nice song!
As always, your device for the chord progression is wonderful.
I'm always wondering how you can ship your boat to the music ocean.
It is great D note pedal point, and the chord progression after key change to Fmajor.
Excellent!
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

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The musical introduction is magnetic. Wow.

A wow on the chord structure too. I found the whole musical aspect/production of the song thrilling. I know some people associate thrilling with upbeat or virtuosic pieces but this was really appealing for me.

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