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Highways, Heartache and Harmonies.

THIS FAR

the bed of this silverado holds everything i own
left the wintry coast of maine headed for as far away as i can go
trying to forget your face, your touch, your kiss
all that i can think about is every inch of you i'm gonna miss
trying to outrun your memory
so why are you all that i can see
   
   28 hours straight i drive ... drive and drive and drive
   never looking back, 1800 miles south on 95
   from bar harbour maine to this sun bleached key west bar
   i never dreamed a heartache
   could stretch this far

all these tourist watching a lover's sunset
paying no attention to the broken man and his regrets
i've lost track of the tears i've shed
god knows how many beers i've had trying to get you out of my head
as far away as i could run
when will this be done
   
   28 hours straight i drove ... to find a place to hide
   never looking back, 1800 miles south on 95
   from bar harbour maine to this sun bleached key west bar
   i never dreamed a heartache
   could stretch this far

a broken heart in paradise
is still a broken heart
   
   from bar harbour maine to this sun bleached key west bar
   i never dreamed a heartache
   could stretch this far



Play it loud!


The BAND:

RealTracks in song: 1522:Bass, Electric, PopPower8s Ev 120
RealTracks in song: 1257:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopShiningRock8ths Ev 120
RealTracks in song: 380:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Syncopated Sugar Ev 102
RealTracks in song: 671:Organ, B3, Background Southern Ev 120
RealTracks in song: 2604:Guitar, Electric, Soloist JazzRock8thsJon Ev 120
MIDI SuperTracks in song: 2103:Piano, Rhythm PopShiningA-B Ev 120 (rendered w TruePianos)
RealTracks in song: 1169:Guitar, Electric, Soloist RockMediumBrent Ev 120 (for big chords)
RealTracks in song: 2541:Pedal Steel, Background ModernPopCountry Ev 110
Royalty free loops
I played an acoustic guitar track.
Harmonies by Janice Merritt (recorded and processed by Bud Merritt)


Janice & Bud - Big Time THANKS!!

Comments encouraged.
Thanks for listening.

floyd

from bar harbour maine to this sun bleached key west bar
i never dreamed a heartache
could stretch this far


Great lines!!!!!!!!!!! Gorgeous mix Floyd.

Awesome man.

Happy New Year.

Excellent tune. Loved the lyrics so much imagery. Super vocal. Guitar was excellent .

"i've lost track of the tears i've shed
god knows how many beers i've had trying to get you out of my head"

Great line! And a great song. Nice way to close out the year!

Not my genre but it was a very good production! Loved the chorus and of course the backup vocals to supplement yours.

Lyrics were written beautifully as well.

Love the visuals, some really great lines. Nice harmonies and upbeat melody. The song has a nice flow. Good job to all who participated.

floyd

Great job - excellent set of lyrics to an engaging tune - nice mix and pro production.
You and Janice sound wonderful together - harmonies are tight and melodic.
Top quality collaboration and a really good write.

Peter

Hi Floyd.
Your usual standard of excellence.
Nice cruisy song and so well done.
Cheers.

Floyd,
Somehow you`ve made a heartache road song sound fresh - all the cool details in the lyrics do that, plus a very catchy melody.
Really nice balance of vocals with harmonies (and Janice matches the kind of anthemic feeling you bring to the chorus).
I like the held last chord going on so far like that!

Robert

How many more ways can we write about broken hearts?? Yet we all keep finding new ways!!

Great stuff again Floyd, I really like the way you mixed and panned your instruments and the vocals, lead and background are exceptional! Your ending the year in fine fashion! Thanks, Torrey

floyd, Those held guitar chords work really well to transition the chord changes. I also like the sparingly used steel and the judicious use of the organ. This is a really strong write and of course I am always very partial to any song that contains the phrase "Sun drenched Key West bar." I believe we both have wasted some time in places like that. The perfect lead and BG vocals propel this powerhouse road trip tune. By the way is there another route that bypasses 95? Or can we find a way to erase that road from our GPS? Might as well throw in I-4 for good measure. Good work on a fine song, Tom

And "3 hours to the nearest Walmart."

Eddie hit the nail on the head about lyrics - particularly country lyrics. The hardest challenge for a lyricist is to say what already been said tens of thousands of time but say in a new and engaging way. You seem to always have the knack for doing that - and doing it well.

The chorus is particularly ear-catching for me. And there are so many good lines throughout the song. After two listens, I'm still tapping me feet and humming the melody.

You don't set the bar higher for us, Floyd -- rather, you *ARE* the bar.

Alan

fantastic write

super performance

pro mix

top notch vocals, you and Janice

love the lines that David S quoted (I won't repost them here)

this is a great song, no doubt about it

enjoyed the listen,

Kenny

Thanks, buddy. ... Happy New Year!!!

This is absolutely fantastic.

I don't know how you do it but you put out winner after winner.

All three of you should be extremely proud of this one.

Thanks, Scott. That JazzRock8thsJon soloist RT is a really nice one - it gets a little busy sometimes, so I had to take out small bits to get what I needed, but I really like the results...

I notice that with soloist guitars too. I'll keep the whole track when I take it to another DAW and just automate the volume areas where I want to use it. Otherwise, it does get busy leaving it on most of the song.

Another great song Floyd. I can realy relate to this song being a Florida native and dealing with many heart breaks through the years. I love break up songs. My wife gets mad at me because I write a ton of them even though we've been happily married for almost 6 years now. I giess after being broken so many times it's easier to write songs about pain than ones about joy. Anyways, great song. I cant wait to see what else you come up with in the new year.

Thanks, Dave. Glad you like those lines...

Steve - nice of you to drop by for a listen... you should post some of your stuff to give us a taste of what your genre might be... the more the merrier...

Such a great write. Timeless. The story you tell, it's always been that way. The heartbreak, the runner trying to escape it, and the sad truth is your hero could have stopped at any bar along that 28 hour stretch of 1800 miles and been just as lost and lonely. Your story is a universal theme that will drive a person to drink and be an anonymous fixture in a crowded room. It's strange how two people can set beside each other and both be alone.

A top notch write, arrangement, mix, production and performance by all. The quintessential Floyd Jane song.


I could say "You Make It Look Easy" ....

Charlie

Hi, Floyd !:))


This is just great,
my new favourite of
your absolutely superb
tunes !:))

Cheers
Dani

Floyd, working on that. I've always been involved in assisting others recordings/mixes mostly since I've never really written for myself. Trying to change that this year and hope to have something out in the next months. I've just had a hard time with writing..... hence: Writing Melodies - For the Creativity Challenged in the Songwriting Forum.

Thanks, Donna - appreciate that..

Great stereo separation! Those drums really kick! (lol) I would like to know more about them.

This is a great write! I just love the lyrics, especially the chorus - super write.

Someone once said, "it's not the story told, but the telling of the story". And you have given new life to well covered lyrical territory.

And Janice and Bud have added wonderfully to the joy of the groove!

Just super as per usual.

Man, I always love your pacing. I always look at your lyrics as I hear the song for the first time. I'm am amazed at how many times the rhythms you pick are not in line with what I think they will be. For me, that's a REAL treat!

I have to say, I am a HUGE fan of how the song builds. It's powerful! The verse is great, the pre-chorus (if you call it that) is a nice step to the chorus...which then blows the roof off. It just soars in the best way.

Btw, this may be my favorite vocal from you. You sound great! I mean, I always think you are a really good singer, but "miles"...seriously nice tone my friend!

Now for another listen...

Thanks for sharing this!

Another exceptional delivery.

You really kicked-butt with this one. The build, the vocals (especially the vocals), the balance, that driving beat, absolutely everything about this is sensational.

You and the Merrit's nailed another one. No question.

My role is this big production plays only a small part but it was lots of fun contributing. I consider myself and Bud very lucky to have the opportunity to join in on this and other floyd jane songs. The fun singing harmony is felt all over again reading all of the wonderful comments about the song. I really don’t take being invited in for granted!

Janice

You know you're on a forum of really good songwriters when the best lines are acknowledged in the first page of comments! I loved the lines referenced above, and all the other ones as well!!! Super write....such a creative idea for a song...fresh but so easy to relate to! The chorus melody really soars nicely, and the mix and vocal are excellent, as usual. Another real gem Floyd!! Take care. Greg

Thanks, Peter, appreciate that. I do depend on J&B to help lift these things a little higher...




Thanks, Richard - always pleased to see you drop in...

Hey Floyd,

Love this... it is as truly as good as it gets. Tremendous song, mix and vocal.

Bob

Thanks for the kind comments, Robert..

Huh?





Thanks for all your support through the year, Torrey. Looking forward to what you do this coming year...

Thanks, Tom. Appreciate all the points you hit on. Always glad to see that you are good with how the steel sits... I look forward to my next Keys visit - hopefully they can rebuild and move on...

Huh?




Alan - I certainly appreciate such nice comments. It is always nice to have lyrics appreciated. I considered taking the nickname "The Bar" - but then everyone would expect me to buy the drinks...

"Thanks, Peter, appreciate that. I do depend on J&B to help lift these things a little higher..."

Very nice of you to say that...but we feel like we are hanging on to a train by a thread...but loving the journey!

We look much forward to your 2018 output.

J&B

Thanks, Kenny. Anytime I can get a "great song" comment out of you, I've gotta be pleased...

Hi Floyd,

A classic piece of Country Rock, in the inimitable Floyd style.

Everything working well in a superb mix with super vocals and even a solo which was quite loud enough.

Couldn't fault it.

Well, maybe lift Janice a shade?

Perhaps I'm just too much of a Janice fan.

Cheers, ROG.

Thanks, Mario - we appreciate that...





I think is pretty amazing that we can get solos in the first place. I generally do 3-4 gens on a solo guitar and can find good, useable (melodic) solos with that. Quite often MOST of a solo (that I end up using) is from a single gen. The new "simple" Brent solos are excellent, too.

Another truly amazing thing is that they don't get "repetitive". In producing well over 150 songs, I've never created a solo that made me think "I've already heard that"...

Magical software.

Samuel - thanks for stopping by... Heartache/break-up songs are generally easier to write - so writers tend to do more of them. They are full of emotion and regret and sorrow and vivid images (as long as the write has the wherewithal to get that down on the page)...and beer, of course.. It is way more difficult to write upbeat positive love songs (that aren't just a bunch of fluff).

Looking forward to your 2018, as well...

Thanks, Charlie. I appreciate such a nice review. I especially appreciate that you know one of my others enough to reference it... heart warming, for sure...

Thanks, Dani!...

Looking forward to it, Steve...




Thanks, Lawrence - like a handful of others, if I can get a "great write" from you, I feel I have accomplished something... the drums are loops from Drums On Demand with the added effects that I drop on any stereo drum track in Studio One - a preset called "S1 Drumgroup" that includes an EQ and a multiband compressor - which adds a bit more "pop" to the track.

Mr. Jane...

My girlfriend listened to "This Far". When she was done she sighed dreamily, pulled the headphones off and said, "I'm sorry, Loren, but it's over. I've fallen in love with Floyd." Through my tears and sobbing and wailing, I managed to ask her why she was leaving me. "Because", she explained, "he sounds like he's really hurting, and needs a good woman to soothe his lonely, tortured soul." Wiping my reddened, tear-soaked eyes and sniffling like a man who's nursed a really bad head cold for the last 3,000 years, I brokenheartedly accepted her cruel but heartfelt and truthful confession, and then watched her walk out of my life without even bothering to clean her makeup off of the headphone speaker pads.

Now, see what you've done, Mr. Jane? You're a bad, BAD man. From now on, I will NEVER, EVER listen to one of your excellently produced, lyrically powerful and passionately sung songs in the presence of any woman whom I've taken to dinner at least once.

Should be ashamed of yourself. And tell Ms. Merritt her harmonized vocals made your vocal sound even better than you deserve, you...you stealer-of-ladies'-hearts-with-a-song.

No longer your friend,

LOREN, THE LONELY

Really nice. The fact is that you've got great vocal and talent and
every new song is a great one.

One of your best.

Sergio

A lot of the songs being shared in the User Showcase right now have really been hitting me in the heart. It's a good thing! Everyone here is so gifted, and it's such a treat to hear and read what you guys come up with. This song in particular was really great as well! It sounded very professional and I liked the content of the song. I could definitely hear this on the radio.

Hello, floyd

Highways, Heartache and Harmonies.
Everything is right there in this tune.
A protagonist who speeds along the highway far into far to forget the loved one appears well in my eyes.
Somewhat sad though, a very good driving tune.
As Robert said, really nice balance of vocals with harmonies (and Janice matches the kind of anthemic feeling you bring to the chorus).
I also like the held last chord going on so far like that!
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

All the best for 2018!

Shigeki Adachi

Thanks, Joanne.




C - thanks for that. I always appreciate how you pick different things in a song to comment on (different than what most other choose)... Those high notes are getting harder to reach all the time...

Trev - glad you stopped by. We appreciate it. Thanks for the nice review...

Hey.... apparently the world keeps turning while I'm away..... I like this.... especially the chorus.

I agree with Dave's comment on the lyrics in the chorus..... well done.

I'm assuming the drums are the free loops. They sound good.

Rog, Loren, Shigeki

Thank you for the kind words about the harmony. It was a SMALL part in a BIG song!

Janice

I consider it a huge enhancement - any time your are along for the ride!!




Greg - coming from a guy who works words the way you do, that is a huge compliment... thanks!





Bob - you are another guy who know his way around a lyric - so I appreciate that..

I could have sworn I wrote nice things about this song weeks ago.

The fact that it's still on the front page at this point says it all.

Thanks, as always, ROG...




Loren - your reviews are as entertaining (often more so) than the songs your review. And so cram-packed with imaginative writing... WHY is this Showcase not OVERFLOWING with lyrics from you???? Gotta believe you've got notebooks filled with them!!!





Thanks, Sergio. Good to see you back around...

Ember - thanks for stopping by... there are, indeed, a number of very talented people in the forums. We a lucky to be able to share their music..




Shigeki Adachi - thanks, as always, for your continued support... looking forward to what you share in 2018..

Thanks, Herb. Glad you stopped by. ("royalty-free", not free).




Thanks for dropping in, David... (I still hear your song in my head!)