Gonna Post this while I can. I'll be over tonight to catch up on listens as much as possible. Di's been at the doctor or hospital more than at home the past 10 days or so, So I've been pretty much absent lately. I got up about 3:30 this morning and put this together. About 5 hours total invested in this.

Di said she thought this is something Bob Seger might have done. That's cool!

Thanks in advance to all who drop in for a listen.

I Still Do



Key=F, Tempo 105, Length (m:s)=3:16
Style is _DRVCBAL.STY (Slow Driving Country Ballad )

RealTracks in style: 366:Bass, Electric, Country Ev 065
RealTracks in style: ~~703:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Spirited Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 803:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm DrivingCountryBalladClean Ev 065
RealTracks in style: 806:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm DrivingCountryBalladDirty Ev 065
RealTracks in song: ~669:Guitar, Slide, Background EasySouthern Ev 120
RealTracks in song: 1669:Pedal Steel, Soloist CountryPaul Ev 120
RealDrums in style: NashvilleEven16^5-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride

I swapped out several instruments and changed a few chords from the original style




I Still Do
© 2017 Alan D. David, BMI

(v1)
The sky gets gloomy, as the clouds roll in
That’s when I know, you’re back in town in again
The thunder rattles, and the leaves begin to shake
The wind starts swirling, and frost begins to form
Then lightning crackles, you’re the perfect storm
The ground starts trembling, just like an earthquake

CHORUS
And when you left, I thought that was goodbye
But now I know, I told myself a lie
You made me hurt, and you treated me like dirt
Oh I wish I didn’t love you
But baby I still do

(v2)
Don’t know the reason, I can’t explain
Why I still love you, when you caused me all that pain
God only knows, why I wish you’d never gone
I hear my heart, then I listen to my head
They say forget you, find another love instead
But I just can’t find a way, a way for moving on

CHORUS
And when you left, I thought that was goodbye
But now I know, I told myself a lie
You made me hurt, and you treated me like dirt
Oh I wish I didn’t love you
But baby I still do


INSTRUMENTAL VERSE

CHORUS
And when you left, I thought that was goodbye
But now I know, I told myself a lie
You made me hurt, and you treated me like dirt
Oh I wish I didn’t love you
But baby I still do

TAG
Baby I still do

Alan, it is amazing what can happen in 5 hours when this program is in the hands of a gifted songwriter and musician. I love the slide guitar and I'm always up for a steel solo. Good write as well as your usual high quality production. Tell Di I hope she feels better, Tom

Hi Tom,

You are much too kind ... thank you very much. I'm pretty happy with it as is. If I were to change anything, I would probably bring the drums slightly more forward in the mix. It's a touch raw, but I'm okay with that. Am glad you enjoyed it! Thanks again,

Alan

PS: I'll pass your kind words on to Di. She'll appreciate them as I do. She's really struggling right now.

Alan,
Your vocals on this are a standout - a little edgier than I`ve heard from you before, and with a nice Dylanesque attitude.
Its a good rocking tune as well - amazing that you got really close to a final mix in just 5 hours.
My best wishes to you and Di,

Robert

Hi Alan.
The above describes my sentiments exactly.
Very well done.
Rob

Robert,

Thanks so much! I appreciate all that. As far as the vocal, I don't have a real good singing voice, so I decided to use a different approach on this ... add a little grit to it. Good to hear it makes a difference! Thanks for your kind wishes for Di. She's really struggling with her health issues. Wishing you the very best,

Alan & Di

Hi Bob,

And thank you! Tis always a pleasure to hear from you. Glad this works for you. And I appreciate you letting me know. Have a great weekend,

Alan

Nice song. It does have a bit of a Bob Seager vibe to it. The instrumental sounds great and i like the raspy tone of you voice. Nice steel guitar solo too.

Alan

Really nice work - good feel and melodic. Great stuff. Hope Di is feeling better.

Peter

A+ for that pic

nice write, comfortable flow to the song

well done

hope Di is feeling better

Kenny

Thanks a bunch, Samuel! Glad you enjoyed it. Have a great Sunday.

Alan

Hi peter,

Thank you! Glad you liked it. And I'll pass on your greeting to Di. Best to you,

Alan

Hi Kenny,

Yeah, she kinda looks like a storm! Thanks for the nie comments! And I'll pass on your well wishes to Di. We both appreciate that. Wishing you the very best,

Alan

Alan,

Wow! Five hours! That's incredible. In five hours, I'd be lucky to have put together the first draft of lyrics. I'm very impressed.

What I also find incredibly impressive is that, not so long ago, you said that you use your backings exactly as they come from BIAB, without any tailoring them. Is that true of this backing too? It truly sounds excellent.

Everything you've done here from writing, through to performing and producing is top notch and each component sits perfectly comfortably with all other components. I found this a most enjoyable listen.

I'm sorry to hear that Di's journey continues to be challenging. Please let her know that I'm channelling heaps of southern hemisphere healing thoughts her way.

All the very best of everything to you both,
Noel

I am with Robert on this one. Very edgy. Love this tune. One of my favorites of yours. Love your desending chord changes. Well done.... Super vocal

Cool song Al!! Does remind me of Bob Seger. Great job!

Give my very best to Di.

Hi Noel,

Thanks so much. I really appreciate all those very kind words.

It took me about 45 minutes to write the lyric. I only changed two lines after I scribbled the initial lyric. I think the fact I also write novels gives me a small advantage with lyric writing. One day I realized that the lyric to many songs, particularly country and folk, is a novel in 100 words or less. I just learned to change 85 words into 85,000 words!

I tried three different band styles and settled on the one you hear. That took about twenty minutes. Then I had to decide on a melody and what instruments to use. the chord progression came pretty easy - about half an hour of chord inputting and making minor adjustments to them. I tinkered with the specific instruments I wanted for about an hour and a half. Then I listen to the music I'd created, over and over for about an hour in order to get a feel for it. I then put the vocal to it. I recorded the vocal three times and this is the one I chose (my second attempt). I did a final mix in audacity.

And you are correct - what you hear is directly off the BIAB chord input page. I "massage" the instruments there until I'm happy. Actually, that's the most time-consuming element of the project. I spent an hour doing just that. The only disappointment I have doing that way is the limited number of tracks available to me. But I overcome that by making a second recording with the some of the backing tracks deleted and then replaced by the additional instruments I want. I then load both sets of tracks into Audacity and line then up perfectly. When I play them as such, I get the full sound I want and, in my opinion, it sounds about as good as I can do with a formal DAW. Everything you hear is created, massaged and arranged BIAB and then transferred to Audacity. Again, I did all that in about 5 hours. I know it sounds like a lot of work but it is a smooth process for me.

I probably told you more than you would care to know, but that's my process.

And thank you for the kind wishes for Di. She's really struggling right now. I'll be sure to pass them on to her. We both appreciate your kindness. Wishing you well,

Alan & Di

Hi Scott,

Thank you so much! I'm delighted you caught that "edginess' in my voice. that was intentional as I don't naturally have a raspy voice - I have to induce it as I sing. Everyone seems to like it so maybe I'll keep working with it and see what i can do.

Thanks again!

Alan

Good morning, David!

Tis always a treat to hear from you. I anticipate your reviews. Glad you liked it - thanks for letting me know.

Someone else, not a member here, told me they thought it sounded like Mel McDaniel trying to do a Bob Seger imitation. I can live with that! I don't know if you know Mel McDaniel or not but he's a real nice guy. Kind of quiet but polite and respectful.

Wishing you a great Sunday. Also, Thanks for the kind wishes for Di. We appreciate that so much!

Alan & Di

Hi, Al !:))


You do, there´s no doubt
about it ! and you also
write beautiful tunes
like this one ! Love
it Al !!!

Cheers
Dani

Hello, Alan

Very catchy and pop!
It is amazing that you've done this song in five hours.
The chord progression which makes me feel "Stand By Me" a little bit is very effective.
I think it is the royal road of pops.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

I hope Di is feeling better.
Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Lovely pop tune, flawless arrangement. Your voice and instruments really blend together.

Janne

Wow, you nailed this! An amazingly catchy pop tune indeed. This is the kind of tune that could easily get stuck in my head on repeat (not a bad thing!).

A very, very well written song - thanks so much for sharing

Tom said it all.

We'll add that we are fans of the "two verse, chorus, no bridge and I'm outa here" songs

Of course there are a lot of exceptions but so many times this format says it all and says it well.

And you said it all and well!

Very nice!!

J&B

Thank you, Dani! You are very kind with your comments. I'm delighted you enjoyed it.

Alan

Hi Shigeki!

Thanks you very much. Yes, I started working on it (no lyric, no music) a7 3:30 am and finished it just before 8:45 am. I see your resemblance to "Stand By Me" although I'd not thought of previously. I aqppreciate your very nice words!

Alan

PS: Thank you for thinking of Di.

Hi Janne,

I appreciate all those nice things you said! I've been working on the voice - trying to get it a little raspier. Glad you noticed!

Alan

Hey Deryk!

Hope it keeps rewinding in your mind! Ha!!! And thanks for all those terrific accolades. Glad it resonbated with you. Best to you,

Alan

Hey Guys!

Well, that's mighty nice of you! And that's my favorite song template, too. I only use a bridge when I feel it's absolutely necessary - that's usually when something else needs to be said to pull everything together and an adjustment to the chorus or a verse won't get the job done. I truly appreciate the kind comments! Best to both of you.

Alan

+1 for me Alan! You are versatile!T

Thanks, Torrey! I've been working on the vocals, hoping to get a grittier sound. Glad you liked it! Have a great Wednesday.

Alan

Amazing that you did this in five hours! Takes me five weeks typically from start to finish.

Good song, I like that chord progression, very effective, and your vocal has a special quality about it.

Hope Di is feeling better soon!

Thanks a bunch, Dave! Glad you enjoyed those mentioned characteristics of the song. I've been working on my vocals - trying yo give them a little more "edge". Glad you noticed! Best to you,

Alan

First class alan ,I love story songs and this one is bang on.great vocal and production everything about it says quality
thank you brad

Thanks so much, Brad. I appreciate those very nice words!

Alan

Let me piggyback on Tommy's words. Good stuff Al!! Take care. Greg

Thanks Greg! Sometimes it all works out and it kinda come together for this one. I pretty much pleased with it. Thanks again - much appreciated!

Alan