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Hi Noel,
Very lovely song with hopeful lyrics!
I only asked myself who has to give it to me or you...
A bit lame, huh?
It was nice to read how you came to this song and what you used for the chords.
The vocal was very good, my only fear is that now the AI vocals will beat us. And that is a bit a pitty, I think.
Hans
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No one does happy like you do, Noel! I've said this many times over the years, your music is always so positive and uplifting.
Excellent idea to get a chord progression from a classical piece! I enjoyed reading that backstory, very interesting.
Good song, enjoyed.
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Janice’s philosophy (coming straight to her from her Mama) is stated well in your second verse:
“Give me happy
Give me hope
They’re the power that strengthens me day after day”
What a wonderful song you’ve created, Noel, and Liam provides an excellent performance.
Mozart’s lovely piano sonata is such a beautiful piece of music and we can see how it inspired you.
The open airy mix sounds outstanding on our monitors.
Excellent group of BiaB session guys too.
As one of our favorite quotes says, “there is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.”
And your song exemplifies that!
Loved it!
J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Lovely uplifting sentiments, a well written song. Thank you for providing positive thoughts today.
Kind regards
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Love this, Noel. I'm fascinated by your source of inspiration and how it launched the organic creative process, everything coming together syncronistically. Great idea of delving into classical chord progressions. The voice fits perfectly too.
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Really enjoyed the use of BiaB instrumentation in this song. The beautiful mandolin solo fits the theme perfectly. Hi. Thank you for taking time to visit and listen. I appreciate it. It's always good to see you.  --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Noel, this is stunning. This could be your signature track, in the sense that it epitomises what your music is about ... real positivity, even in the face of adversity. Many positive people sound contrived, to me ... you don't. I don't know how you do it, but there we are ... I believe you, with every line and every verse, and I end up smiling, no matter my previous mood, and no matter what song of yours I listen to. Well done ... it's 7:06 in the morning, here, and you've just put a grin as wide as my face on said face, together with a feeling of optimism for the day ahead. Loved your singing, too Oh, and: if you hadn't mentioned the Mozart chord progression, I would have never guessed the source of your inspiration. This is you, all the way, for me. Hats off, BRAVO. Hi James. Thank you for dropping in. It's always great to see you and I really appreciate your comments a great deal. I really wish this was me singing instead of the Synth V voice, Liam. That said, though, I did record myself singing this song and then I did my best to adjust Liam so that he sang with my phrasing and intonation. I put quite a bit of effort into his presentation so I guess in one sense (at least), I am almost singing. I was very fortunate to have a mother who could always—and I mean "100% of the time"—find a silver lining in the blackest of storm clouds. I don't know how she did it. Her words always managed to bring comfort and understanding to overwhelming situations. It came naturally to her. Maybe being born and growing up in country Tasmania was the key to her outlook. I am nowhere near as resilient and positive as she was, but I guess a few things must have rubbed off on me during my upbringing. Thank you once again. --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Noel,
This is very inspired piece...
An amazing and beautiful production. The mix is excellent. Your sound is so identifiable.
Magic!
Bob Hi Bob. I sincerely appreciate your visit. Thanks for dropping in and taking the time to listen and comment All the best! --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Wow Noel, I like everything about this, starting with the story of how you found your chord progression! I dare say the struggle we all face is that of finding new ideas... and dipping into the repository of established classics makes perfect sense to me.
Having expressed my thoughts on your inspiration, let us move on to your melody. You have an amazing voice my friend! That melody is very active in ways that would be difficult for most people to sing... but you NAILED it! Can you offer any insights on how you arrived at the melody? I ask because to my ears, it's not at all intuitive. I'm guessing you put some thought into picking those notes. However you got there, the combination of that melody and your ability to sing it is very impressive to me!
Now the lyrics themselves are also noteworthy. Here you have put together what I can only describe as a practical life philosophy. It's a song about CHOOSING to be happy even though your words express it as a request. But whereas a request might be denied, a choice is absolute. At a time when so many people are dealt a life of goodness, yet they still choose dissatisfaction because (insert ridiculous reason here)... you have written a song that the whole world needs to hear and embrace.
What's left then is the song itself. You really know your way around BIAB. Your selection of Real Tracks suits the song perfectly, and you've put it all together in a way that sounds natural, like a real band (literally) performing. This is a very nice and uplifting composition, exactly what I have come to expect from you. I really like your analytical approach to song writing.
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Inspired by Mozart, but still sounds like a genuine Noel song. The positive message makes me happy and gives me hope. The vocalist Liam expresses your voice nicely, although slightly less convincingly on higher notes than when you were singing. The BIAB country band supports the cheery spirit of your song very well.
Janne
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What a lovely song Noel. Your songs are so positive and uplifting. Thank you for these song. Excellent production. Well done..
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Wow Noel, I like everything about this, starting with the story of how you found your chord progression! I dare say the struggle we all face is that of finding new ideas... and dipping into the repository of established classics makes perfect sense to me.
Having expressed my thoughts on your inspiration, let us move on to your melody. You have an amazing voice my friend! That melody is very active in ways that would be difficult for most people to sing... but you NAILED it! Can you offer any insights on how you arrived at the melody? I ask because to my ears, it's not at all intuitive. I'm guessing you put some thought into picking those notes. However you got there, the combination of that melody and your ability to sing it is very impressive to me!
Now the lyrics themselves are also noteworthy. Here you have put together what I can only describe as a practical life philosophy. It's a song about CHOOSING to be happy even though your words express it as a request. But whereas a request might be denied, a choice is absolute. At a time when so many people are dealt a life of goodness, yet they still choose dissatisfaction because (insert ridiculous reason here)... you have written a song that the whole world needs to hear and embrace.
What's left then is the song itself. You really know your way around BIAB. Your selection of Real Tracks suits the song perfectly, and you've put it all together in a way that sounds natural, like a real band (literally) performing. This is a very nice and uplifting composition, exactly what I have come to expect from you. I really like your analytical approach to song writing. Hi Pat. It's really great to see you again. It's been a long time! Thanks for all your kind words. You brought a year's worth smiles my way, and I really appreciate that a lot. Unfortunately, this isn't me singing. At best, I can only say that I do my best with a vocal synthesizer (Synth V by Dreamtronics) to try and recreate how I would sing these lyrics. A combination of covid and old age has not been kind to my voice. While I can sing the songs I write, my performances are very lacking, these days. Thankfully, Synth V and BIAB make it possible for me to still write and produce music. As I mentioned in one of the posts above, I do record the songs and then I set about manipulating the way Synth V 'sings' to replicate how I would perform the song if I had more ability. All the very best and thanks again! --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Brilliantly creative approach to writing this gem of a waltz, Noel. Cheery for sure. The mando solo was the perfect choice. Excellent and happy vocal. "Give me happy; give me hope." What a terrific write. Hi Marty. Thanks heaps for taking the time to visit and to listen. I appreciate your comments, too --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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That's such a killer hook right out of the gate: Give Me Happy. I would never have guessed this was Mozart. A really great song, loved the positivity (your forte) and the way it flowed. Great work, Noel! Hi Bob. Thanks for passing through the thread It's always good to see you. I appreciate your comments. --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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A Mozart chord progression, a synth vocal, and a BiaB style, who would have thought it would come out so good. Brilliant work Noel. Loved those lyrics and instruments. Super mix.
IMHO your best to date. Hi Mario. Yes indeed! I was also surprised that everything came together so well I consider myself very, very fortunate to be alive in this century and to have available such amazing resources that allow for easy music making. All the very best! --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Noel,
It's a beautiful waltz with a slight country flair.
Your songs are always bright, hopeful, and uplifting.
I love Mozart, so like you, I sometimes use his chord progressions as inspiration.
The vocals from Synthesizer V's "Liam" are also a perfect fit for this song.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.
Best regards.
Shigeki Adachi
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A wise musician once said, "hardly anything in music is invented totally new--we all borrow from each other". This is a totally legit way to create--the masters who came before have much to teach us, and I think Mozart would be quite happy and pleased to know that his work influenced creative thought in others. The whole track is so listen-able and well put-together. I esp liked the lyric, lies so nicely with the melody and is sung so smoothly and effortlessly. Great work! Thoroughly enjoyed it!
Windows 11, Intel Core i5-8600T 2.3Ghz, 16 gig ram, BIAB 2025 MegaPak, SampleTank 4, Keystation49 Kybd, Neewer NW-800 mic
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Hi Noel!
An interesting idea for a source and you turned it into something completely different. I wouldn't have known if you hadn't mentioned. The result has turned out really well.
About 12 months ago, I had toyed with the idea of using the implied chord progression from the first part of Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy to see if anyone would recognise the source - not for deceit but as an experiment, because the chord movements sound very distinctive. I guess I've ruined the surprise of that idea now, so I will hold off for a while.
Anyway, you saw yours through to fruition with a good result - well done!
Andrew Hi Andrew. Thank you for listening and for your words I appreciate it a lot. Good luck with your creation. Debussy's Clair De Lune is quite an amazing piece of music and I will definitely be waiting to hear where your work takes you. --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Beautiful, I love everything about your song. And all your work with the Synth V singer really paid off - beautiful, warm, and authentic vocals. And thank you for describing your process in such detail. I just LOVE reading these "behind the scenes" notes ![[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]](https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/images/icons/default/thumbs_up.gif) Hi BDT. I have just finished listening to "Down My Personal Hell". Honestly, my song pales in comparison to your work. Thank you for having a listen and for taking the time to pass on your thoughts. I sincerely appreciate it All the best, --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Love this, Noel!
"Whatever arises
Whatever surprises"
Absolutely uplifting song carrying a message I needed right about now. I suspect others are in need of it too.
Thanks. Hi Scott. Thank you for your visit. Much appreciated. Thanks too for taking the time to pass on your impressions. Those two lines, "whatever arises, whatever surprises" are my favourite phrases from these lyrics. I'm really glad you noticed them. Thanks again, --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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