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https://www.johnwalradt.com/music/songs/equal-master_sept26.mp3This was one of the hardest songs for me to write. Everyone thinks it's a feminist theme and it probably could be. Actually it is my personal theme song because I have autism. I can type my thoughts well, but I'm awkward when it comes to any face to face social interactions. It took me a year of several rewrites so that it would be universal. Jenny McGregor, a Scottish songwriter and musician now in Pottsville, New South Wales, Australia, did the vocals. Style is _MLKYWAY.STY (Milky Way Fast Campfire Guitar) RealTracks in song: 3489:Bass, Electric, SkaPunkPopAB Ev 180 RealTracks in song: 2491:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm RockabillyRockNRollKevin Ev 165 (Soft LH) RealTracks in style: ~407:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 165 RealTracks in style: 3172:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm CampfireEven Ev 165 RealTracks in song: 1171:Guitar, Electric, Soloist RockUpbeatBrent Ev 140 RealDrums in Song:Rock8ths^03-a:OpenHat, Snare , b:Ride, Snare EQUAL! Words and music by John Walradt Equal! That's all I wanted to be Like the sun and sea Like the sun and sea, Ah, ah, ah, That's all I want to be Like the sun and sea Like the sun and sea. Ah, ah, ah, ah. I see you fit into the scheme of things The quest for power, the fight to seize. Now tell me, do you walk in harmony Or do you rule over all you see? Yeah. What does it take so you can be the best To get the most love and respect Is there room for me to chase my dreams To find my joy, to just be free. Equal! That's all I want to be Like the sun and sea Like the sun and sea, Ah, ah, ah, That's all I want to be Like the sun and sea Like the sun and sea. Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. It's not too much to ask to feel alive And not be kicked or cast aside To be part of life just as myself Instead of trying to be something else. Equal! That's all I want to be Like the sun and sea Like the sun and sea, Ah, ah, ah, That's all I want to be Like the sun and sea Like the sun and sea. Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
Last edited by John Walradt; 02/06/26 08:44 AM.
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Not Found
The requested URL was not found on this server.
Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.] Did you delete the song?
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Hi John!
It took me a verse and a chorus to get into the song, but once I was into it, I was there! Jenny’s vocal and her sung melody - and the band as well - gave me 70s musical vibes like ‘Hair’ or ‘Godspell’. I love the piano and guitar solos, and so glad the guitar came back for an encore in the outro. Unique chord progression (good) and a good band choice. Great BVs.
‘Like the sun and sea’ … with you having spent some time on the west coast, you’d be familiar with the sun setting over the waves … it’s just the way it was meant to be! Here in Australia, only Adelaide (my home city) and Perth are facing west and receive the same benefit of a sunset over the waves. So this line rings true for me.
I had to look up Pottsville NSW - half way between Coolangatta and Byron Bay on our east coast.
Good song! I’m going back for a second helping!
Andrew
Last edited by Andrew Dee; 02/06/26 01:11 PM. Reason: Piano solo
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John, this is a great song.
Great vocal and driving drums.
Super arrangement
Super mix
A really liked this.
OK, a random thought;
Why does toilet paper need a commercial? Who's not buying it?
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Hi John
That’s are really nice sound complimented by Jenny’s fine vocals. An expertly balanced mix and production. I thought Rockabilly Kevin went off piste on a couple of occasions, not sure if that was intentional. But the choice of style and guitars work really well together. An excellent choice of lyrics, I can see how it could be interpreted as a feminist theme, but you’ve done well to get it so that it’s applicable to personal issues in general.
Most excellent, kind regards
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Hey, Andrew! The way things are going, I wish I was in Australia. Adelaide has foliage, trees, that are strikingly similar to Yucaipa, 90 miles east of Los Angeles. The hills in back of Adelaide and the hills that flank California's San Joaquin Valley are also very similar. The only thing different in Yucaipa are the towering San Bernardino Mountains. We're about eight miles from the famed San Andreas fault. Perth appears more wooded in the city and shrubby outlying to the north. The Indian Ocean has a lovely turquoise color. When I worked for nearly two decades in the Arizona Dept. of Transportation, I studied lots of maps and made illustrations to depict what the engineers gave me for highway construction. It was easy work for me as I used to ransack maps from gas stations as a kid on my bicycle in Los Angeles. We went to a couple of beaches along Santa Monica Bay during the summers. The Rolling Stones, Association, Beatles, Beach Boys, Mamas and Papas, among many other classics, were on the radio by DJs Wolfman Jack and Don Steele. "You're listening to K95, home of all the hits with the real Don Steele! OOHHH-KAAAAAAYYYY!!!" Best to you, John Hi, Mario, always great to see a reply from you, too! Thank you! That was another melody I had for years but the title and words came to me recently in 2021. I sometimes have to wait to find out what a melody feels like. The song entered Broadjam's charts in December. At the time, the group of six songwriters Robert Quigley from Scotland and I formed from Broadjam all had political or protest songs charting in early 2022. It was really cool! Very kind regards, John Hi, KW! Thank you very much! Jenny McGregor was on Broadjam and is a wonderful songwriter, pianist, and vocalist. She's at https://www.jennymcgregor.com.au/home. I thought Rockabilly Kevin got funky there a bit but I liked it so I kept it. I had two Band in a Box pianos on there and I'll have to look up what the other one was. Sometimes I'll make a copy of the file and look for different styles to try out and notice an instrument I really like. Very kind regards back atcha, John I'm enjoying this forum and try to get on it every so often. It's friendlier than Broadjam (which I sometimes refer to as Broadscam) which tends to be more competitive but that's because of the contests and syncing placements they promote, which is more like pulling a lever on a slot machine in Las Vegas. When it comes to peer reviews, most of them type a stupid sentence or two without explaining why they give low scores just to rack up points. During the covid years from 2019 to 2022, it was fun because I met a few really nice talented songwriters. But AI is starting to take over the site, it's very cliquish, and it's not fun anymore. I'm mixing a Motown/disco song called, "I'm Not Coming Back." The challenging thing is that it has multiple harmonies sung by Marilyn Simone that have similar ranges as several of the instruments which is something of an equalization problem; also, a volume envelope and rider kind of thing.
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Nice vocals and drive in guitars and groove in rhythm.
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Nice trucking sound to this song ~ and way better vocals than Audimee! Love that piano solo, too.
Some favourite Waoist Adages:
#1: Play on the Way.
#13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you.
#58: Bring consciousness to it.
#63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made.
#92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
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Hey, WB. That's Jenny McGregor, a Scottish songwriter and musician now in Pottsville, New South Wales, Australia. You won't find her on Audimee! "Equal!" is more the lilting style of song that I write. All of the instruments are Band in a Box, which changed my musical life entirely! I can read music, compose, but after 50 years, I'm still a fumbling uncoordinated novice guitar player. Band in a Box opened up actually making productions of my songs instead of making horrible demos with just my guitar.
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Hi John.
This is a fantastic song. Jenny really brings your excellent lyric to life. And that backing band is awesome, My feet were tapping from start to finish. You certainly know your song-writing stuff. This is very impressive and your musicianship shines brightly.
I enjoyed this a lot.
--Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Hi, Noel. Thank you very much for your comments! I love catchy pop melodies and that's what I enjoy writing. It always gives me an emotional boost when a new catchy tune comes to me. Band in a Box changed my musical life tremendously. I wish it was around when I was in my 30s and learning how to work on computers. I'm an awful guitarist...50 years of playing guitar and still a novice! So I use it for composing, then Band in a Box does the rest. I taught myself how to read music by going to the childrens section of a library. If you want to learn something quickly, go to the childrens section. They get down to it without all the fluff. I'll see if I can find more of your songs. You write songs with wonderful and strong messaging.
John
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LOVED it. You are a pro. And Ms. McGregor is a top, top singer and musician.
Bravi!
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Hi, John. Nice driving arrangement, and Jenny does a great job with the vocals. The lyrics are a bit generic and could be interpreted in many ways, so your many rewrites were successful.  As Andrew said, it's got a bit of musical theater feel to it, which is a good thing. I agree about the children's section of the library - including fiction!
-- David Cuny My virtual singer development blogVocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
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Musician17, many, many thanks! I'm very happy that you enjoyed it.
DCuny, thank you, too! Yes, generic lyrics are another way of saying universal so that people can relate to it. But I do try to stay away from cliches. That's too generic!
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I really enjoyed this song. Like Noel, I found my toes tapping along the whole time. The groove was great, and the vocals were the perfect finishing touch. I feel these lyrics are something many of us can relate to, in our own way.
Thanks for sharing.
Catherine
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Thank you very much, Catherine! Looking through the names on this forum, I wondered if there were any women who use Band in a Box. If you have any of your own songs somewhere, I'd like to hear them. I've mentioned that I have poor coordination, so after decades of playing a guitar, I'm still a novice. Band in a Box revolutionized making music for me. I can record my songs as I wish I always could! It often take months for me to grasp something I want to learn, but Band in a Box went easily and quickly enough that the second song I worked on, "Stay Here Now," landed at #1 Earth on Broadjam's charts. Art Corey told me about it. I heard his songs and I asked him what kind of studio, midi instruments, other investments he had and I was stunned that he didn't have a studio but just used software. Yes, Jenny is a terrific vocalist. She moved to Australia from Scotland and I was delighted to have her vocals on the song. Thank you again for enjoying "Equal!" and writing!
John
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cool song. I like this. You have been posting some good stuff.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Hi John,
Swinging song with a very captivating rhythm and lovely vocals from Jenny.
She really did a good job.
Almost immediately you begin to swing along (had to be carefull with that, swinging in a wobbling chair), because of her vibe!
And the lyrics looked so easy, but the way the words were sang made them very effective!
Hans
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WOW! Love Jenny's vocal. Good song --cool driving beat makes it perfect for fun car rides. A fine production that keeps the vocal out front while surrounding it with musical magic. Always excellent in all ways.
Yeah, i have many autistic folks in my life. Always the best people. Man, I got some good stories from coaching Little League baseball.
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