PG Music Home Forums General Discussion User Showcase Summer Moon

A little while back, I found myself awake in the early hours of the morning. The sky was cloudless and the moon was new and shining brightly. As I sat there just looking out the window in admiration, some words started appearing in my mind. A couple of weeks later, those words became...


♫♫ Summer Moon


Please feel free to comment on any aspect of the song.

All the best,
Noel

= = = = =

Band In A Box

• 532: Bass, Acoustic, Pop Sw 085
• 530: Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Hank Sw 085
• 970: Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CountrySwingCleanPedal Sw 085
• 2856: Harmonica, Background CountrySlowSwingJellyRoll Sw 085
• RealDrums: JazzTomLewis^03-a:Brushes Swirl, Busy Snare , b:Side Stick, Toms and Ride

Lyrics

Summer moon sitting quietly in the night
Are you listening to the songs I sing?
I’m so thankful for the journey I’m trav’ling
This gift of life, what an amazing thing!

I don’t know where my shoes are going to tread
Nor the tumbles tomorrow might bring
But I’m thankful for the journey I’m trav’ling
This gift of life, what an amazing thing!

And when you sprinkle the world with moonlight from high in heaven
You show me how lucky I am
This adventure on earth which I can enjoy for a while
Wherever I look
There’s plenty to make me smile

Summer moon, today is all I need
I awaken ev’ry morning as rich as a king
Ever thankful for the journey I’m trav’ling
This gift of life, what an amazing thing!

[instrumental]

And when you sprinkle the world with moonlight from high in heaven
You show me how lucky I am
This adventure on earth which I can enjoy for a while
Wherever I look
There’s plenty to make me smile

Summer moon, today is all I need
I awaken ev’ry morning as rich as a king
Ever thankful for the journey I’m trav’ling
This gift of life, what an amazing thing!
Oh, such an amazing thing

© Noel Adams, words and music, all rights reserved.

Noel,

That harmonica opening is a nice, novel idea...

Your BAND is really nice. Sparse and full - just what it needs to be.

Excellent mix. Your vocal is so "present". Nice harmony, too...

A good write - so positive (as your write almost always are) - feel-good songs... The chorus has that "soft shoe" feel (another Noel signature) that make it a delight for the ears.

An enjoyable listen!

fj

Noel,

Your songs seem to come from another, less cynical world.
On the chorus of this ( which has a sweet rising melodic line) I pictured dance steps ( ala Fred Astaire or Dick Vandyke) and scenes from a happy ending movie.
Super production elements as always in your work- nothing to distract from the meaning or feeling.
Very enjoyable and uplifting!

Robert

Hi Noel96, very fun tune! I really enjoyed the harmonies and found it very easy to listen to. The harmonica really helps glue all of the elements together nicely. Well done!

Noel, man I'm glad you jumped on that inspiration and gave us this tune! It is such a beautiful song with a wonderful melody! I listened to every second of it! You have a really good one here!! Thanks, Torrey

Hi Noel,

Love the intro, just having the harp start things off worked well. Also enjoyed the feel good lyrics. Mix sounds good too!

Very nice!

Noel,
You are a solid block of positivity in your posts, commentary and support for others.
Even more so in your songs!
This is sweet.
That harmony in the last verse is just what was needed at that point in the song.
What's not to like?

Love the message in this song. Totally agree with every word expressed. Super vocal. I like also like the soft shoe feel. Well done.. Just a beautiful song

Hey Noel,

What an incredible feel good song!

I really loved the mix on this one. Gorgeous. Your voice sounds great!

Nice work on this Noel I really like the groove, and your vocals are top notch as well. It almost had a playful nature to it. Really smooth sounding, and I thought you did a great job with the mix as well.

Good job and thanks for sharing!

Hey floyd!

Thank you for visiting! I always appreciate reading how you hear my songs. I don't know how that 'soft-shoe' feel came about. I was not aware of it at all! I guess it's ingrained these days!

Thanks again.
Noel

Irresistibly sweet. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Super use of the blues harp! Great vocal, backing tracks and a very polished mix with lyrics that took it over the top for me.

Excellent work.

Gorgeous piece! The music meshes well with the lyrics. I concur with the idea of Dick Van Dyke dancing to this, but I also see him singing this too. Wonderful!

Beautiful intro.
Everything else is great.
I liked a lot the chord progressions and the harmonica melody.

Hi Robert,

Good to see you! Thanks for having a listen. I appreciate your insight. It's always valuable to me to know how others hear my work. By the time I get around to posting a song, my ability to be objective about what I hear is pretty much non-existent. That's why the thoughts of others help me a great deal.

All the best,
Noel

Noel,

I also really liked the intro and the beautiful optimistic sound.
A lovely journey.
Great work - excellent mix, "amazing" tune and a wonderful vocal.

Peter

I really enjoyed the lyrics of this song in particular! I can't believe summer is over already.

Thanks for sharing!

Another uplifting song from you with a great intro, vocals (including the harmony in the last chorus), arrangement, mix.

and I can agree with this message, especially when talking about your music:

"Ever thankful for the journey I’m trav’ling
This gift of life, what an amazing thing!"

Janne

Hi Joe,

Good to see you! I agree about the harmonica. That Realtrack is amazing. I've used it in a couple of songs and it works very, very well! I appreciate the feedback. Thank you.

All the best,
Noel

Honestly enjoyed this, one or two of the posts referred to Dick Van Dyke dancing to this,

YES I definitely watched that Movie while listening to Summer Moon.


Great write and Vocals, and a mind journey like no other.

P.s. Made me a wee bit jealous , as I think you guys are just coming in to summer as we leave... I think ?.

As so often with your compositions Janice was moved to tears early on...tears of joy.

One listen through and she commented on how much she loved the melody and your vocal pointing out the "And when you sprinkle the world with moonlight from high in heaven ." And you singing slightly different each time is right in her wheelhouse

The harp worked great and the harmony at the end was an excellent touch.

As I type Janice just said, "Paul McCartney might steal this song!"

All of this and wrapped up in a very nice production!

Kudos!!!!

J&B

I love the way this song lifts my spirit and carries my heart along. All the little production touches. I've always heard it said that positive songs are always the most in demand because they are hardest to write. You have a wonderful gift Noel.

Hello, Noel

Very good song!
Very positive and uplifting!
Your lyrics are always very easy to understand for me who is not a native speaker of English.
Your vocals sung in a humming feel really fit this song.
When Japanese people make such a song like this, the image of a solitary traveler tends to come to the fore, but your song is very different.
It is happy and very pleasant.
It is also a pleasant that the bridge starts from III7.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Thanks, Torrey.

I'm glad you had time to have a listen. I appreciate the your comments a lot.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Dave,

Thanks for dropping in, listening and commenting. I appreciate it.

All the best,
Noel

P.S. My aim is to get my mixes to sound as professional as yours. These days your works really sparkle with megawatts!!!

Noel,

I agree completely with Robert's words!
This song seems to come from a very positive world.
Beautifully done!

Rob

Noel, so smooth and likeable!

I think everyone likes that 'soft shoe' style, and so using that style emphasizes the 'good feeling' character of the whole track.

Excellent deployment of the harmonica.
Loved the vocal doubling to kick off that last chorus.
Overall pleasing to the ear; great example of 'keeping it simple' to deliver a great musical/lyrical message.

Really enjoyed this!

Hi Ray,

Thanks for passing through. I appreciate your thoughts. Believe it or not, I actually don't set out to write positive songs... I just go where the words and music take me!

Thanks again for making time to have a listen.

All the best,
Noel

Scott,

Thank you for listening and commenting. It's always great to see you

Regards,
Noel

Hey David!

It's good to see you. Thanks for listening and for passing on your thoughs. I appreciate it.

All the best,
Noel

Hey Deryk,

Thanks for having a listen and for passing on your thoughts. Appreciate it.

Regards,
Noel

Hi Tangmo,

Thank you! I appreciate it.

Regards,
Noel

Gorgeous song,

uplifting, such a feel-good write

love that harmonica!

great mix, tight harmonies

enjoyed the listen!

Kenny

Hey Mario,

Thank you for visiting. The blues harp I used is an outstanding Realtrack! I found it very easy to work with. Thanks for the comments about the mix, etc. Appreciate it.

All the best,
Noel

Thank you for the feedback. I really appreciate it. (For what it's worth, I'm a pretty big fan of Dick Van Dyke, he's certainly a multi-talented fellow!)

Thanks again for taking time...

All the best,
Noel

Hi Ermar,

Thank you for passing through and having a listen. Much appreciated. Now if only I could come up with those wonderful melodies that you invent...


All the best,
Noel

Hey Peter,

Always good to see you. Thanks for taking time to have a listen and to make some comments. I appreciate the visit!

Best regards,
Noel

Hey Janne,

Thank you for taking time to listen and comment. Appreciate it.

All the best,
Noel

P.S. Thanks for the smile that your comments gave me, too!

The opening harmonica (and the reverb on it) is inspired. And I really appreciate you stretching your vocal in the bridge ("high in heaven")! It adds to the depth and sincerity of the vibe.


very much enjoyed!

Hi beatmaster,

Thank you for taking the time and for all the kind words. I appreciate it. And it's true, we're presently in the middle month of spring -- although it felt more like summer today. I'm looking forward to it!

All the best,
Noel

Floyd nailed the review! This is a very sweet treat. Love the optimism! Everything works just as it should. Great stuff Noel!! Take care. Greg

Hi J&B,

It's always great to see you.

Thank you for making my day! When I first read this, I didn't know what to say. I still don't other than to say a huge and heartfelt "Thank you" for your uplifting comments.

I really appreciate your thoughts.

All the best,
Noel

Hey Josie,

Thanks for the visit. It's always excellent to see you in Users Showcase. I'm glad that you found time to listen to my song. I appreciate the comments.

Thanks again and all the best,
Noel

Hi Shigeki Adachi,

Thank you for dropping in and giving the song a listen. I always look forward to your comments. I'm glad you like chord III on the bridge - I thought I'd choose something different from what I'd usually use When I first tried it in BIAB, it sounded like a great fit for the mood so I left it.

All the best,
Noel

Rob and Anne-Marie,

It's always good to see you. Thanks for having a listen. I appreciate it.

All the best to you both,
Noel

Tano,

Thank you! I appreciate that you had a bit of time to have a listen and I also greatly value your insight.

May good things come you way,
Noel

Hi Kenny,

It's good to see you on the forum once more! Thank you for listening. I sincerely appreciate your comments, too.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Lawrence,

Good to see you. Thanks for having a listen. I used automated envelopes with the reverb on the harmonica so that that the tail end was boosted. The effect seemed to work ok so I left it. Thanks for taking the time to comment, too. I appreciate it.

All the best,
Noel

Hey Greg,

Thank you for visiting, listening and commenting. I appreciate it.

All the best,
Noel

In a word: AWESOME, my friend!

Hey Don,

Thank you for having a listen! I see you got to the link in your thread before I removed it. I apologise for not being quick enough! As recompense, I'll do a spot of advertising for your song

Don's Song (link)

After I posted the link to "Summer Moon" in your thread, I thought better of it because I didn't want to hijack your thread too much and talking about prostate cancer was probably already borderline hijacking!

But yes... these lyrics were written around three weeks after I had my prostate removed in December 2017 -- this is the Australian summer. I was in hospital undergoing a bit of damage control. It was the early hours of the morning, around 2a.m. or so, I was on the 5th floor in a window bed and a full moon was highlighting everything I could see. It was an amazing sight. Coupling that night with the fact that I was so very happy to be alive led to these lyrics growing in my mind. The song wasn't finished until around mid-2018.

I really appreciate that you had some spare time to pop over and visit. Thank you again!

All the best,
Noel

You got the most out of that harp RT. Great to be so positive. Nice vox, it all worked well for me.

Thanks heaps for having a listen. I really appreciate it.

All the best,
Noel

Easy loping melody, feel-good words, long phrases that look impossible on paper and come off as effortless...

Yep, another gem by Noel.

So many good things here, but I especially loved the triplets in the melody.

You make it look so simple, but I know you're probably one of the most analytical writers on this forum. And that feeling of effortlessness is a feat by itself.

Despite being an die-hard curmudgeon, I enjoyed it all!

Hey David,

Thank you for having a listen! Appreciate it.

What you say is correct, I do approach writing songs from the analytical side of the fence. That's because it's the only way that works for me. I wasn't born with a flair for being spontaneously creative.

For me creativity follows from laying out a base plan. So whether it's a chord progression, melody or lyrics, all my songs start with a methodically laid out sequence of events as a foundation. Once I start building on this foundation, creativity sometimes comes and visits. Even if it doesn't, though, a carefully constructed starting place still gets me to a final product and all ends well. With this approach, I'm not left with unfinished songs.

All the best,
Noel

P.S. I like that you are a "die-hard curmudgeon". You have a great way of analysing things and I've picked up quite a bit from you over the years.

Noel,

I can't believe I missed this the first time around... This is an outstanding song and performance. Awesome mix!

Love the harmonica opening and solo - creative and perfect for the song.

You do this style of music so well. Completely enjoyed!

Bob

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the listen and taking time to comment. I'm very grateful for your encouraging words.

All the best,
Noel

Another pleasant uplifting song from you...
I really enjoyed listening to your music & your voice!

Hi Jim,

It's great to see you. Thank you for passing through the thread. And thank you for your kind comments. I appreciate them.

Regards,
Noel