That's The Way Life Goes

A new one - bit of a duet with us both doing some singing.

Leon - Lyrics and vocal
I sing and play the guitar.

The Band:
RealTracks in song: ~2475:Bass, Acoustic, HeldSimple Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 1543:Synth Pad, PopBelieve Ev16 065
RealTracks in style: ~364:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 065
RealTracks in song: 1537:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopBelieveArp Ev16 065
RealTracks in song: ~368:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 065
RealDrums in Song: CountryEven16: a: Brushes b: Snare, HiHat

That’s The Way Life Goes

You don’t want me and that’s OK
That’s the way life goes
There’s nothing more you have to say
That’s the way life goes

No one has to be the bad guy
No one has to take the blame
Everybody has to get by
Any way they can

I had my tilt at piety
When I was very young
Even tried sobriety
But that wasn’t any fun

No one has to be the bad guy
No one has to take the blame
Everybody has to get by
Any way they can

They were married in the springtime
She wore flowers in her hair
I wished her every happiness
And smiled through my despair

No one has to be the bad guy
No one has to take the blame
Everybody has to get by
Any way they can

I did my share of drinking
And crying in my beer
But in time I just moved on
Found someone else to care

No one has to be the bad guy
No one has to take the blame
Everybody has to get by
Any way they can

Hello stranger, how do you do?
Did I kiss you long ago?
Did I swear I’d be forever true?
Were you sad to see me go?

No one has to be the bad guy
No one has to take the blame
Everybody has to get by
Any way they can

"PeterF", Leon & all...

Listening to your song, "That's the Way Life Goes", I felt like I was in the midst of some huge audience in a colossal performance space, with all us thousands of listeners united in our hearts and souls as we stood entranced in silent empathy with the melancholy lyrics and forgiving music.

That comment applies to the production, the sound of which is as spacious a forest, and yet as intimate as family members gathered around a relative about to blow out the candles on a birthday cake after someone turns off the lights.

The comment also applies to the backward-looking lyrics that seem to describe the subject of the song taking stock of his past decisions, the consequences of those decisions, and resignedly accepting them, but with an open door to future happiness, if only...

Major impact, here, folks, emotionally, technically, musically, lyrically...it's all there.

I bow to your creativity and sensitivity!

LOREN

P.S> Was that Ms. Janice's harmonizing voice I heard in the mix?

I most certainly enjoyed this piece. It brought a smile to my face because of its beauty. I like the build in instrumentation into the gentle swell at the end. Great guitar playing and memorable vocals!

Hey there edshaw, this was wonderful! I found this very easy to listen and the mix sounds well polished too. Good use of EFX on the guitar. Great effects on the vocals. Thanks for sharing!

Very nice Peter and Leon!

lots of good lines, my favorite:

"I had my tilt at piety
When I was very young
Even tried sobriety
But that wasn’t any fun"

Nice arrangement, very effective starting off with just the acoustic. Nice change into the melodic guitar solo at 1:49, and I really like that slide up thing you do a couple of times at the end, very cool.

Enjoyed the listen.

"I had my tilt at piety
When I was very young
Even tried sobriety
But that wasn’t any fun"

Yea Brilliant !.

Lovely song Peter and Leon. Vocals were just super. Guitar was exceptional Peter so complimentary to the song. Just fit perfectly. Did I here a little whammy pedal in there. Very cool effect.

I like the song. Reminded me of John Prine a bit, but better.

Like how it built as it went along. The key change at the 1:45 point was a nice surprise.

I feel that the doubled vocals were a distraction. Especially up in the first few verses. I liked them in the chorus before that really nice guitar solo. Kudo's on the solo and the slide work.

When you double the vox, try to get the parts closer to the same phrasing on such an intimate song. They came in at a strange place. Partly into the verse. After the key change, they seemed to work and fit and sound better. Seems you took the time to sync the phrasing better. That made a world of difference.

That song is one that the audience would sit in stunned silence at the end for 5 seconds or so before erupting in thunderous applause at what they just experienced.

I like it.

Peter & Leon,

Love the gentle reflection in these lyrics and the slow build of the production( with that fine guitar solo to end).
I`d agree with Guitarhacker that the doubled vocal coming in on the verse is distracting- sounds good on the chorus... and that`s a very cool singalong chorus!

Robert

Peter and Leon,

what a great listen!

a wonderful song, like the buildup, the guitar solo, and esp. the lyrics

I don't know if you're very familiar with Mark Knopfler's recent songs

but I couldn't help but think of him as a comparison (and of course I love his work)

i enjoyed this a lot,

Kenny

Peter & Leon,

Cool song. Good write - the chorus in particular...excellent.

Really nice arrangement/production. Terrific build. The soaring guitar a perfect ending...nice.

A very enjoyable listen.

fj

Loren thanks for the delightful review you certainly have a way with word. And the harmony was not Janice this time just me doing my best Neil Young impersonation.

Peter

Thank you for letting me hear your finely crafted tune... I enjoyed the listen.

Peter & Leon, Great song! Some fine lyrics and for crying out loud Peter why are you not singing more. Those first verses were sung with commitment and sound so very good to my ears. I agree with Herb that the doubled vocals were distracting. The guitar solo was super and the whammy pedal surely did work. I really did enjoy it very much despite the doubling, Tom

Peter / Leon,

This is a great write... I love the mix of both voices and the clarity of the mix.

Perfect all around.

Bob

Nice song, Peter! Pleasant to listen to. I really liked the chorus.

Thank you for sharing!
Will

Hi Peter and Leon,

this is just another wonderful song of yours. So well-sung and played, great changes I would never have expected. Very appealing lyrics again. And like always: great soloing, Peter. Love it !!!!

Cheers,

Stefan

Thanks a lot appreciate the comments.

Peter

Thanks Joe

Peter

Dear "PeterF"...

Well, your Neil Young impersonation complemented the song quite well. I agree with "tommyad" when he made the comment "...and for crying out loud Peter why are you not singing more." Your singing voice is laid-back, straightforward, clear and warm, and it compelled me to listen to the lyrics more closely. It's a storyteller's voice.

LOREN

Great work again Peter! Sad but lovely! Some clever lyrics and the searing leads at the end were a nice way to finish up! Thanks, T

Thanks Dave appreciate the comments.

Peter

Very enjoyable, great voices, and the 1:45 change was a nice surprise.

Hello Gentlemen,

What a terrific song! I love songs where the layers progressively build. And a key modulation always refreshes a song and starts the excitement anew. Nice acoustic guitars and the electric guitar fit perfectly at the end. I'm normally not a big fan of songs that end in a fade, but I think it works okay on this one. Thanks for a delightful listen. And yes, Peter, you should sing more! Best to both of you,

Alan

Thanks a lot.

Peter

Thanks Scott - I bought a Line 6 Helix LT a while ago and it has a whammy pedal emulation so I gave it a go.

Peter

Really love this one guys!!! Wonderful lyrics and absolutely perfect delivery on the arrangement and vocals. For sure one of my faves of your so many good ones!! Guitar outro is SWEEEEET!! Take care. Greg

Great write! It reminded me of something Warren Zevon might do, and that's high praise!

Nice built with the solo at the end. I enjoyed this song a lot.

Thanks Herb appreciate the review. Looks like the vocal doubling is not to everyone's taste. I've got a few different versions here, picked the one my wife liked
Thanks for commenting on the solo.

Peter

Cool song and an excellent narrative.
The drums seem, ever so slightly tilted to one side.
The two voices, individually, are good but, to be honest, they don't blend to make the sum better than the parts.
they seem to sit apart and not blend.
No matter...I enjoyed the song & the sentiment.

Same question here!!

"I had my tilt at piety
When I was very young
Even tried sobriety
But that wasn’t any fun"

Great lines...love those rhymes.

The vocal performances and the guitar are some of y'all's best...of many.

Several have mentioned the build and the guitar on the outro and we agree...very nice and effective.

Oh, and the overall arrangement and progressions work really well with the write and vocals.

Great one you two!!

J&B

Thanks Robert.

Peter

Thanks Kenny I'll take that compliment!

Peter

Peter and Leon,

What a wonderful acoustic sound!
The singing style perfect fits this.
The acoustic guitar solo is very nice.
And the electric guitar solo at the ending is splendid.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Thanks for the review floyd I appreciate the comments.

Peter




Thanks for listening.

Peter



Thanks Tom I do sing most of the songs at least once as demos. The whammy pedal emulation in my Helix is an interesting device, fun to use but pretty easy I imagine to over use.

Peter

Thanks Stefan much appreciated.

Peter





Thanks Will



Thanks a lot Bob

Peter

i enjoyed this very much

Appreciate the review Alan. Hope things are going well.

Peter



Thanks Marty.

Peter



Thanks Torrey.

Peter

Hi guys,

First... we love the solo Peter.
One small nit, we detect a tiny bit too much saturation in the mix.
But all in all definitely a good song!

Rob and Anne-Marie