Hey Y'all,

I haven't posted a country ballad in a long time so I hope you enjoy this one. I first wrote Missing Me seven years ago when I was going through the grieving process. I thought about it a few weeks ago and decided to finally finish it.

Fair warning - it's a country tearjerker.

MISSING ME
©2015 Josie Beck

On the outside I look better
Now that I can laugh and crack a joke
And I can smile when I say your name
Without that lump caught in my throat
My eyes aren't red and swollen anymore
From crying every hour
It looks like I'm getting on with my life
But no one sees inside

I'm missing me
the way I used to be
When we were a family
and me and you were we
Oh when you and I were us
God knows I loved you so much
Now that I'm finally getting through
the pain of losing you
I'm missing me

On the inside I know better
I try to make it day by day
And I still dream of the old days at night
Wishing I could feel the same old way
I know you're up in Heaven looking down
And you don't want me feeling sad
but the part of me that left with you
is never coming back

I used BIAB/RB and mixed in Reaper. The original style was _sbaljj1.sty. All music tracks are RTs and vocals by yours truly. RTs used are: 366 Bass, Drums NashEven8, 1725 Piano, 1513 Guitar, 2325 String Quartet

Your thoughts are always appreciated.

Hi Josie. Country tearjearker indeed. And very well done.
Like the lyrics and the hook idea of missing me as I used to be.
Good one. Cheers.

Really liked the presence of your voice in this one Josie. A really nice mix, and yes, a Country Tear-jerker.

The fiddle carried the song very sensitively. I especially liked the phrasings. A great contribution.

Trev

PS: somewhat sadly, I understand that there are some real-world events that lead to the song.

Sounds like a country classic. Well written, well sung, and an excellent arrangement. The chorus (and harmony) is particularly strong. The only thing it lacks is some pedal steel guitar.

Lovely production (but as you say a tear-jerker) - something in your voice reminded me of Christine McVie.

What a phrase!! Says so much.

I enjoyed that listen *wipes tears from eyes*
nice to hear you back!!

I was missing you

Alyn
ps nice ending

Oh wow Josie!

That is just perfect and sounds like the sort of song which could earn money.

Loved everything about it and wouldn't change a thing.

Your voice sounds fabulous and the harmony is amazing. You were obviously going to sing this with emotion, but I have to say that it really comes through and makes the song what it is - perfect.

Just going to find the Kleenex before another listen.

Take care, ROG.

Simply one of your best at every level.

Without a doubt, this is my favorite from you.

The melody and progression reminded me a lot of some of David Allen Coe's classic country tunes.

Nice lyrical work in the chorus. This is also classic country word smithing.

My only nit is on the vox. Just a touch of melodyne to pull things into line would be a perfect touch. The chorus harmonies are really sweet... man I really loved the sound of the harmonies, however, I hear too many artifacts through out. Sounds like you used a harmonizer to create them.

Nits aside.... this is a really well done song.

Hi Josie,
The process of loving and then losing someone is masterfully described in this song from someone who could only have gone through it. And then for you to take it to the next step in wanting to find your old self again is just genius. I really enjoyed your writing and your vocals were just perfect. Great song!
Sonny

Josie, I'm on my 4th listen and not my last. I love the write, the melody and your vocal reading of the piece. My new favorite. Classic country! Nice work on the backing tracks. The only nit I have is the intro. Sometimes those piano tracks sound a little funny changing chords. ( depends on the progression ). I would have lengthened the intro a bit to smooth it out some. Your voice sounds spectacular on this. Lady you can really sing! ( and write ) This is so very good. Congrats on a job extremely well done! Tom

Hi Josie,

Beautiful song Josie and we recognize the feeling in the lyrics.
Well done!

Rob and Anne-Marie

Hi Josie,

great song and awesome vocals and harmonies.
Nicely arranged.
Very enjoyable listen.

Guenter

Josie,

Your best, I think. Classic country sound. The melody on the chorus is a stand-out.

Nice arrangement and mix. Good use of the strings.

fj

This is gorgeous. Your best to date (that I've heard). Sorry for your loss, but some great songs have come from pain, and this is one of them.


Regards,

Bob

Hey Josie,

This is excellent - loved everything about it. The vocal and melody line is just beautiful.

Bob

Thank you Rich!

Beautiful song. Loved the vocal and lyrics

Thank you Trev! Yeah, writing songs helped me get my feelings out then I found it too hard to revisit that emotional place for a long time.

Thank you David! Would you believe I tried pedal steel first - for some reason I just couldn't get the licks and sound I wanted so I finally abandoned it and went with the string quartet.

Thank you Peter! Sometimes I hear that too, she's a fav of mine - what a writer.

Thank you Alyn! You're so sweet. I got the inspiration to slow down the ending from Charlie explaining how to do it. I didn't know how before.

Thank you ROG! That means so much to me.

Charlie, thank you so much! And a special thanks for explaining how to slow down the ending in one of your other posts.

I appreciate that so much Herb, thank you! The two harmony parts were done a track at a time with Melodyne Essentials so I could experiment, then put through different fx. I had planned on singing new ones to replace or put over them but life got in the way so I tried to make the best of what I had.

That's actually a good way to do harmonies.... get it right with ME and then replace them with live vocals tuning as needed.

I know the feeling of having daily life get in the way.

Oh yeah, tears in the beer! We love songs like
this - the ones that'll rip the paint right off of
your heart.

Tough to revisit...but many are glad that
you did and we include ourselves with them.

Our favorite from you!

Thanks for sharing.

J&B

I like country music a lot and I think this is a supersong.

Great typical chords line; your voice is great, perfect for this song.

Here you remember me Tammy Wynette.

Sergio

Really pretty, emotional song!! Really great lyrical concept. Harmonies in the chorus are beautiful. This is A-1 all the way. Love it!! Take care. Greg

Thank you so much Sonny!

BTW, There's a typo in the second verse lyrics, it should say "feel THAT same old way" NOT "the" - I meant to edit it in my original post but I got busy and now can't but I'm singing "that" not "the" - little word makes a big difference.

Thank you very much Tommy!

Beautiful melody coupled with hard-hitting lyrics. Lots of appeal here, commercial appeal imho. Your delivery is memorable.

You've had some comments about the production and I'd echo those, but I also want to mention how much I like that piano RT. Smooth and clear.

hi Josie just awesome everything vocal arrangement nothing lacking plus 10+ thanks for sharing this song eric

Thank you very much Rob and Anne Marie!

Guenter thank you very much!

Thank you very much FJ! As much country as you've done, and as well as you do it, I'm really happy you think so.

Bob, I appreciate that very much!

Now I'd like to write a happy one that makes me feel as good as Carolina Girl. That song of yours still sticks in my head and I'm not even from Carolina...

Hey Bob! So nice to see you around here and looking forward to your next one. Thank you!

Thank you very much Scott!

Hi, Josie !


Have to be your best !:))

Heavenly sounds !

Loved it very much !

Cheers
Dani

Thank you guys!

Sergio, thank you very much!

Greg, thank you very much!

Thank you very much Eric!

Thank you very much Dani!

Scott, thank you very much!

Hi Josie,

I listened to this when you first posted it. My plan then was to come back a little later and comment. Unfortunately "a little later" became "a lot later"... I apologise for that.

This is so beautiful... The chords you've chosen for harmony are outstanding. I especially like the chord sequences that paint the aural canvas for the phrases "I'm missing me..." and "...I loved you so much, Now that I'm finally..." - incredibly emotional. And then there are the vocal harmonies... outstanding from every direction!

As I listened to you sing the second verse and into the chorus, it was like you stepped into my personal experiences and wrote a song just for me. I'm pretty sure there are a huge number of people who will feel exactly the same as me when they hear the song. I'm so very grateful for the journey through my memories that your song and your singing took me on. Everything about this resonated with me.

Such beautiful music. Thank you for making this morning special for me.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Josie
I think I lost it at
"When we were a family
and me and you were we"
Reached for the hankie just about there!
Wonderful lyrics and great song.
Many thanks for a super song!! Sob!!
Ian

Along with "when me and you were we" these are the best two lines I have heard in a long time.

This is just outstanding!

You should be very proud of this one.

It's a keeper!

Noel I appreciate every thing you said in your post and the quote above I think that may be the best compliment I could get as a songwriter - especially from another songwriter. Thank you very much! Sorry for the delay in replying. I've been a bit under the weather but feeling better now.


Ian, Thank you very much for listening and sorry to make you sad.


Mario, I appreciate that very much - thank you!

Thanks again to all who listened and commented. The next one will be happier.

Hey Josie,

I just love this! A really wonderful song!!!! Well done!!

I'm glad I didn't miss this one! Super work Josie. I love your harmonies.

John