My wife owns a yoga studio.
Saturday at 10:30 is a class known by those who attend as "Yoga Gone Wild".
About a dozen regulars (sometimes 15-18) who rib each other for the entire hour and 15 minutes...
Cutting up, telling jokes, laughing at and with each other.
It is a very irreverant yoga class.
My wife uses pretty hip playlists during her class (she's way cooler than me).
She decided she wanted a playlist that would included everybody's name.

Brandy
Proud Mary
Tell Laura I Love Her
Susie Q

... that kind of thing.

The one name she could not match (find) in a song was Eric.
Google it... there aren't any...

So... I wrote one for her (or, actually.. for Eric).

It's a song about finding your dreams right in front of you.

Hope you enjoy it. (Eric did)


ERIC, WHADDAYA SAY?

you always had the wildest of dreams
some crazy new idea every week or two it seems
to buy yourself some old boat.. to fix up some old loft
we'd just laugh, pretending, you just might pull it off

eric, where'd you go.. eric, where'd you land
eric, did you see it through.. did you make your stand
did you live out that dream.. did you find that perfect life
did you save the world from darkness by sharing your light
eric, whaddya say.. did it go your way
eric, whaddya say.. did it go your way

you were gonna backpack from amsterdam to spain
and climb some silly mountain, so the whole world knew your name
then make your way to hollywood to grace the silver screen
and write the greatest novel new york had ever seen

eric, where'd you go.. eric, where'd you land
eric, did you see it through.. did you make your stand
did you live out that dream.. did you find that perfect life
i heard tell of a son or two and a lovely wife
eric, whaddya say.. did it go your way
eric, whaddya say.. did it go your way

did you live out that dream.. did you find that perfect life
i heard tell of a son or two and a lovely wife
eric, whaddya say.. did it go your way
eric, whaddya say.. did it go your way


... and the Band...
522 Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 120
1677 Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking CountryBrent Ev 120
1755 Mandolin, Rhythm Pop8ths Ev 110
2035 Mandolin, Soloist CountryAndy Ev 120
...and I've lost the bass and drums names along the way... (sorry)

Comments?

floyd

Hey Floyd,

Well, we're not sure what Eric said, but we say pretty danged cool, Floyd!"

We loved the lyric and, as always, your voice shines. What we loved most is the simplicity of the tracks. Nothing real fancy, just enough of everything that was needed and nothing that was unnecessary.

Great song and a great listen. You never fail to amaze us with your music!

Alan & Di

Hi Floyd. Living in NZ gives me first comment! Can really relate to this one. Love the lyrics and they really suit your voice. The backing is perfect for it. Nice one! Cheers.

Edit. Bugger! I was too slow and Alan beat me to it.

I like this song a lot. You took a smooth, low-key production approach that suits the lyrics very well. I think electric guitars or a B3 would only have subtracted from the soul of this one. The song, the lyrics have a weight all their own and you did a masterful job of giving them center stage.

much enjoyed!

Rich,

I just happened to be on the site at the same time Floyd posted this. Look at it this way ... you were the first from New Zealand!

floyd,
What a good song, very clever of you to write a song with Eric in the title. Very clever.
Glad Eric liked it!

As always, an impeccable production.

your wife seems a good laugh by wanting a play list like that. She should start each Yoga session with "Bend it" by "Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch" A great(?)70's UK band.

Alyn

ps
And now for something completely different I do have to say that there IS a song with Eric in the title and I sadly had no need to google it, except to remember what it sounded like after all these years. Do a search for "Eric the half a Bee" by Monty Python from 1972.

Hi, Floyd !

I got myself a new fav Floydsong now !:))
And I am sure our own Eric will love it too (chuckle) !:))
...and thank you again for lending your wonderful
vocal to me on "You Are So Beautiful" !
Just love your voice !:))


Cheers
Dani

Hi Floyd,

lyrics, chords, arrangement, vocals and harmonies:
a real Floyd production.
Together with the funny background story
a perfect entertainment.
Thanks for that.

Guenter

floyd, I read the lyrics first and tried to imagine what was coming. What happened was that I was singing along by the second verse. The second time through I knew it by heart. Perfect instrumentation and mix. Perfect melody and the vocal is absolutely among your best. Can i be in your band ? We won't even have to practice. Another outstanding creation. Tom

Good job on the song and yeah...top notch production.

When I need to find some music I turn to youtube because it has songs from hundreds of thousands of artists and some of them are the most obscure but..... it's literally my "go-to" place for music.

So in that vein..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1aCDnNriFI

that would be a "stretching" tune for the yoga folks.

I bet everyone knows an "Eric" which makes your song so easy to relate to by all. Beyond the top notch writing and production of your songs, you make every song different yet your songs always are recognizable as a Floyd Jane song. Not many people can accomplish establishing their own distinct sound as you have. Enjoyed this one as I always do your submissions to the forum.

Regards,

Charlie

Hi Floyd,

This is my favorite so far. "eric, where'd you go.. eric, where'd you land" Very nice!
A relaxed and very smooth musical arrangement.
Well sung (with that full American pronunciation, I wish I had ).
Everything is perfectly in balance.

Regards,
Rob

Hi Floyd.

Very original idea and performed with all your usual polish.

I did find at first that occasionally it sounded like "Ear-ache, where'd you go?" and then I couldn't hear anything else, but that's my problem, not yours.

Everything sounded great on the speakers but, (and I know I've said this before) the stereo panning seemed a little harsh in the 'phones. Other than that, brilliant.

I'm with Alyn in that I'm a great fan of Python and remember that song too. It's not as catchy as yours.

ROG.

Floyd, +1 all the good stuff above. This was nice, laid back and entertaining. Everything rolled along nicely. Only at the very end was my mind brought back, wondering if everyone's yoga postures were 'going their way' . Thanks for sharing the story and tune.

Well you asked for comments so I will give you one!
If under the song title it says "by Floyd James" then I know that it is a winner!

This song has everything going for it, a great vocal with super lyrics, and the perfect backing tracks to match.

Floyd, more genius from you. Really nicely done, great melody, and easy to listen to, no matter what your favorite genre.

The harmonies worked very well to fill out the vocal, with a very sensibly chosen balance.

Thanks again for your contribution.

Whaddaya say!

Cheers
Trevor

Alan & Di - Thanks guys...that seems a nice summary...


Richard - "..to the swiftest", I guess.. I appreciate you popping in...


Lawrence - always pleased to catch your ear... thanks for all of that..

Alyn - I always enjoy your responses - but this one especially...
"semi- carnally"????? Y'all being couped up on that island does some weird things to the mind methinks... Thanks so much for your delightful visit



Aw, Dani... you always say that! (and thanks)

Guenter - Thanks - you are always most kind with your comments..



Tom - you ARE in my band, aren't you?!? Appreciate all those nice things you say...

Floyd,

Another classic, great Floydsong! Very well produced, and written. Your vocals are always where they need to be. I am always impressed by your work and this is no exception!

Steve

hi Floyd this eric says you sure can tell a story great lyric and vocal great production as always top notch thanks for sharing eric

Really nice work again!! I like the subject (we all have big dreams) and you filled it out with your great craftsmanship beautifully!! Great stuff and a wonderful listen as always!! Take care. Greg

Herb - thanks. we found that one. but it never actually uses the name Eric, so it doesn't really fit the bill....




Charlie - I appreciate that. I can't remember ever being told that I have an identifiable sound - so that's kinda cool to hear. Also good to know that not everything "sounds the same" - so that combination is all the more pleasing to hear. Thanks!




Rob - nice things to hear. thank you. that pronunciation comes with the territory - and the only way I know how.... your language skills are far more impressive - to be able to write in a second language is impressive - to be able to sing it like it's your first is even more impressive...

ROG - you had me laughing with that one... I think it's "Ear-ache, whar'd ya go?"... When I mixed this I had been listening to a song - can't remember what - a Garth song maybe? Or maybe something from Brandy Clark... where there were just a couple of guitars and simple percussion - and they were panned wider than I typically favor (I just finished suggesting that George pull a guitar in closer). So I tried it on this and it opened up the space for the vocal and harmonies to sit in (differently than most of what I do), so I went it that. I listened again, intently, in the phones, and I'm good with it as is. I do appreciate you input (always) - so please continue to do so...thanks!




Patrick - Thanks for the spin - and the nice comments. Appreciate it. About time for another from you, isn't it?



Mario - you are most kind. Always appreciate you stopping by...




Trevor - I do appreciate when you drop in for a listen. And thanks for that very nice review....

Another fine one Mr jane. How many times have I wondered in that context about old acquaintances...but not having your riches of song ideas the notion to write about it never came to mind. I'm glad you did.

BTW, you seem on this one to be exploring the lower section of your impressive vocal range. It works very well with the laid back production.

No cans for my general listening but it sounds fine on my KRK's and in my vehicle.

Another stellar production out of a string that's become way too long to count.

Floyd,

I really enjoyed that. Some nice writing and a fine production. Your so identifiable... I mean that as a compliment.

Great Job!

Greg

PS Have a new one I wrote last month that I'm getting ready to post.

Thanks, Steve. Appreciate that.



LOL - Eric...glad you liked the Eric song




Greg - Thanks for the kind words...

J&B - Thanks for all that. Actually... I had a cold the day I wrote this, so it ended up quite low because at the time, it's all I had...



Thanks, Greg... appreciate that...

+1 - like that whaddaya say....catchy.

Josie

Thanks, Josie - appreciate you stopping by...

Hey floyd,

Awesome!!!! … and so much so that it needs repeating … “Awesome!!!!”

I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to get to write something about “Eric”. What got me most curious about these lyrics was what listeners would generally hear as the 'Now' of the song. That is, what's the situation or prompt that caused the main character (singer) in this song to burst into words and music and to sing to us all?

One scenario is that the singer ran into an old friend on the street (or in the supermarket, or at a coffee shop, etc.). That works. I didn't hear these lyrics that way, though. For me, these lyrics came across as a classic case of the use of 'apostrophe' as a design device. For those who read this and are not sure what I mean by 'apostrophe', Shiela Davis says, in The Song-writers Idea Book, that apostrophe...



As a lyric design technique, apostrophe has been used in some pretty big songs: for example, “Candle In The Wind”, "Vincent", “Take Me Home Country Roads”, “Don't Cry For Me, Argentina”, “Galveston”, “I Can Only Imagine”, “Mona Lisa”, just to name a few of many famous works. It's a great strategy for writing believable lyrics.

With the above in mind, the lyrics to “Eric, Whaddya Say” came across to me as if the singer had been looking through old high-school photos, maybe a year-book, and had stumbled across a photo of Eric. I could see the singer looking at this photo, wondering, smiling and talking out loud as if the photo was Eric. That was the song's 'now' that happened in my mind. I found these lyrics incredibly believable.

I also found myself being very impressed with the way that your verses used statements and your chorus was based around questions. How cool is that! I'll have to try this In addition, The way you set up the notion of “crazy dreams” in verse one and then gave some examples of them in verse two is a terrific lyric development strategy. (Another 'something for me to try'!) My favourite line was “Climb some silly mountain so the whole world new your name”. The more I thought about that line, though, the more I realised it wouldn't have meant too much without verse one to set it up.

Lastly, I also have to complement you on your mixing. I don't know what you did with your vocals but they were perfect for the song – upfront, relaxed and happily conversational.

Overall ...

• A+ writing
• A+ arranging
• A+ mixing
• A+ performing
• A+++++ listenability

What a great song!
Noel