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Derived from a list of potential song titles. Lament of a guy who braves the arctic winter to the benefit of his family, and how he is so grateful to his wife for supporting "the plan". AI note: one of the perfect/legitimate uses for AI--my winter head cold and hacking cough led me to call in a "ringer-singer" to do the vocal.================================= HOW CAN I HELP BUT LOVE YOU? The winter's come to stay, And with every shortened day They call us to the site; In the evening when all the work is done Comes the cursed, lonely night; That's when it really hits me.. Our lives so far apart, As we agreed right from the start; The pay was on our mind; And Alaska it might as well be Mars; Yet, I know our hearts are aligned, So HOW CAN I HELP BUT LOVE YOU? It seems in the scheme of things, Taking the long view, We reckoned we'd be so strong; But in Alaska the nights are real lonely And the winter's endlessly long. So how it looks to me, As empty as our home might be, We can hold out till the spring; Then I'll be there to spend the summer's end; When Alaska calls to us again You let me do what we need to do So HOW CAN I HELP BUT LOVE YOU? =============================== STYLE=SJAZZBS-Smooth Jazz Ballad RT's: 908 E Bass, 910 E Piano, 494 Trumpet Solo, 2025 Ac Piano Country John RD's: SmoothJazz Brush Ballad, Nashville Brushes, Brushes Folk Midi: E Piano, Strings Vocal: Suno dude
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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Tom,
A smooth and jazzy/blue song that sounds so good! You really brought out some good sound from the realtracks! I could see how this track could be produced as a lovely Christmas bluesy song! Nevertheless, your lyrics stand tall on this great sounding tune!
Take care, TB
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Superb ballad and what a singer!
Laurent
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Hi Tom!
Given that you had provided me with some analysis of my own rhyme schemes, I thought I would return the favour. You might know that I'm a self-confessed lyrics atheist (or is that agnostic?) so knowing the attention you pay to the words, I thought I had better have a closer look.
First thing that stood out to me was the rhyme scheme of the verses: first two lines rhyme; lines 3 and 5 rhyme; which made me think lines 4 and 6 would rhyme but they don't - so it leaves line 6 hanging in an unrhymed state - it made me wonder if that (the unresolved rhyme) accentuates the question? I think it does. Then lo and behold, in the final verse, the rhyme is resolved (lines 6 & 7 - do/you) like an affirmation of his love for his wife.
I like the line 'And Alaska it might as well be Mars' - similar in terms of solitude and distance (no offense to those in Anchorage and Fairbanks), but also contrasting in terms of landscape - white/grey vs red.
Also the line 'It seems in the scheme of things' - a micro alliteration. The other thing I liked was you used phrases that accentuate the length in time and distance ...
And with every shortened day
...
Comes the cursed, lonely night;
...
Our lives so far apart,
...
And Alaska it might as well be Mars;
...
But in Alaska the nights are real lonely
And the winter's endlessly long.
...
As empty as our home might be,
We can hold out till the spring;
Then I'll be there to spend the summer's end;
Really enjoyed this deep dive into your lyrics!
Andrew
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Torrey, Laurent, Andrew..thanks so much for listening and the feedback.
Andrew, I’m a lyric and rhyme purist, for sure…but sometimes you have to let go of that in order to deliver the message. I feel like keeping the rhyme scheme is more important with songs at tempo and less important in slower works like this—I guess I’m hoping that the listeners mind has already forgotten what came before!! But it’s a very good analysis, and I feel honored that you took the time to reflect on 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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Tom,
What a great song. Your "vocalist" really shines here. I think this one is a new favorite for me.
Bob
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Tom, very cool song and quite nice vocals. SMOOOOOTH backing track. I totally get your point a couple of posts up about serving the song rather than any technical scheme like rhyming. Breaking the rules is what makes life...well, interesting, to say the least.
Good luck with that winter cold!
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
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Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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Tom, I love that your creativity knows no bounds, even geographically. I loved the line "Alaska might as well be Mars" - I thought of David Bowie. Rhyming laxity bothered me not a whit. Liked the trumpet interludes. And happy that you used a Suno dude for the vocal, that's what I would have done. Good work!!
Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
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Bob/Ron/Bob...thank you for listening!!
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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Tom, this song is as smooth as a piece of glass. Pure lounge jazz at its best. Outstanding choice in instrumentation, loved that trumpet. I really liked your lyrics. Great mix. Your friend "old AI eyes" did a fantastic job on the vocal.
One of your best for sure.
The bumper sticker said "I'm a veterinarian, therefore I can drive like an animal".
Suddenly I realized how many proctologists are on the road.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Excellent song and ditto the instrumentation and production.
Some favourite Waoist Adages:
#1: Play on the Way.
#13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you.
#58: Bring consciousness to it.
#63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made.
#92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
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Cool write!
Interesting and engaging the way you worked Alaska in the narrative.
Your choice or BiaB session folks is excellent.
Nice trumpet indeed.
The above and your fine mix well supported the Suno dude.
Well done!
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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Tom,
I also think it was a great choice to have Suno handle only the vocals.
And I also think that BIAB's freedom in arrangement is currently superior to Suno's.
A truly heartfelt jazz ballad, it's very beautiful.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.
Best regards.
Shigeki Adachi
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I think you've found the perfect singer for your song, Tom. Beautiful, relaxed, and smooth, perfect for enjoying with a glass of good French wine. Enjoyed ![[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]](https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/images/icons/default/thumbs_up.gif)
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Tom,
Really like the write.
LOVE the melody!
Nice use of BIAB.
Well mixed.
Ooooh. Love that last trumpet note!
Very much enjoyed the listen.
fj
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Thanks, all, for your feedback. I really appreciate you taking the time to listen and comment!!
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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