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Be My Friend Reflections on the one who got away, so very long ago... Remake of one of our earliest songs using new vocals and backing track. All the instruments you hear are from the 2026 _MALAISE.STY RealStyle except as noted below. All the braying is me. EDIT: In response to the many GREAT suggestions, I've inserted a less tom-heavy RealDrum track by the same drummer in the A sections and reserved the toms for the B section. THANKS!!! There are three guitars in this style. The first part of the song uses two of the guitars. The middle part uses just the third guitar. The last part uses all three. The tom-heavy drums won't be to everyone's taste, but they are intended to reflect the narrator's undertow of leftover emotion... THANK YOU in advance for any listens and comments. They mean SO much. These lyrics are from 1981, and this will be the first time anyone has heard them. R.W. Davis: Lyrics Me: Music, arrangement, vocals, harmonies, BGVs, guitar fills & outro, mix, master Freepik.com: graphic AI: Not used Style is _MALAISE.STY (Malaise Alt Jangle Pop Rock) RealTracks in style: 4363:Bass, Electric, MetalModernJoshAB Ev 120 RealTracks in style: 3733:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm GrungeRockArp Ev 120 RealTracks in style: 3718:Guitar, Baritone Acoustic, Rhythm Americana8ths Ev 120 RealTracks in style: 3768:Guitar, 12-String Electric, Rhythm ModernPopBrent Ev 120 RealDrums in style: MetalSlowBigTomGroove: a: Toms, Snare b: Busy Big Toms, Snare RealDrums in song: MetalEv^1-a:Snare, Sloppy HiHat , b:Snare, Bell Ride (NEW)Guitar fills: Washburn USA LS-93 Strat clone, Spider V 30 amp ******************* Be My Friend“Be my friend tonight” That’s all you ever said you wanted from me Friends tonight I won’t even turn down the light You can go and I’ll be alright We were kids That’s right Too young to know and Too weak to fight Too little patience To wait for it all Two hearts in limbo with Too far to fall Who was I? Just me Too dumb to know and Too numb to speak Too irrational To think things through Too selfish and thoughtless To even ask you So, what happened to us? What happened to us happens to the best of us We weren’t cut out to be cut-out dolls Or obscene graffiti on public walls Just something you said when I called “Be my friend tonight” That’s all you ever said you wanted from me Friends tonight I won’t even turn down the light You can go and I’ll be alright I’ve got other girls to hold me tight And stay with me through the lonely night And share with me what’s in their heart And be more-than-friends from the start We were kids....
Last edited by DC Ron; 04/26/26 05:33 AM.
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
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Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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Wow, I can't believe this has been sitting in the can for 45 years. Glad it got to see the light of day. I didn't think the toms would be a big deal, but it took me a bit to get used to them. As usual, your superb production values and excellent vocals take the day. Just wonderful! Wish I could do that. A great listen. Guitar fills were terrific, especially the outro. Chalk up another hit in your long streak of winners!
Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
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Ron,
Wow! Another superb pop gem!
What an absolutely killer arrangement and mix - just wonderful production throughout. I love the drums and guitar lines. And that melody is so excellent.
I also wanted to single out your vocal here. One of your very best. You use it so effectively to drive and convey the emotions of the song. Great, great stuff.
Yes, another new favorite for me!
Bob
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Hi Ron,
Man, 1981! Nice to see you bring this to life, good song, very well written. Seems your brother has had the gift of producing great lyrics for quite some time!
Love your vocal, and nice to hear you playing the fills too, very effective.
Enjoyed!
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Sensational on so many levels, Ron. Some early R.W. Davis lyrics revealed for the first time in 45 years. What a wonderful write, especially considering how long ago written. Yeah, those constant toms are somewhat distracting. I'd like to hear this one with another drummer. i really like your use of those 3 guitars --very dynamic. Your braying, as you call it, is perfect, too.
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Love that rhythm and lyric, DC.
Memories of Elvis Costello's early manic beats.
Mix and tracks sound great.
Vic
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Simpler but innocently romantic lyrics. Melody is pleasantly smooth and the chord progression feels modern and ageless. The band is excellent, I really enjoy how the big tom drums provide the catchy groove. And those lovely guitars... so nice pop sound, especially when mixed this perfectly. Guitar fills add small, but important ingredient to the whole. Vocals are tender and wistful, harmonies are sweet as always. You have made consistently high quality pop songs over 40 years, songs that don't get boring even when played on repeat, amazing  Janne
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Hi Ron!
A great song! I have a lot of affinity with the lyrics - girls I liked but didn’t care for what I offered and were more interested in the excitement of other young men. I am so happy with the girl who liked me, then loved me, then married me …
Your mention of the toms made me listen more closely. They gave me the impression, along with the jangly guitars, of how life seems to pull you along at a speed that sometimes seems thrilling and at other times too quick to control. In 1981, I was 19 and life felt like that.
Knowing you write to your brother’s lyrics - do you ever edit his words to fit, or repeat a line to make it work musically? Or do you make them work musically as is? From his lyrics - what becomes the chorus, or has he already indicated this? I guess I am asking if he wrote poetry/prose or did he know he was writing song lyrics?
My only nit is I would have loved the closing guitar solo to go on longer - but that is small considering how good the song is overall. Well done to you both.
Andrew
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Hi Ron,
A beautiful song, very good lyrics, and a great melody.
But your vocals were the absolute star here!
As others have already said, it is strange that this song remained hidden for so long. Why?
The only thing I had to think about a bit was the melody in relation to the drums...
Where your vocals essentially dropped pauses, that busy drum emphatically did not. I had mixed feelings about that. Not bad, not at all, but...
Well, a lovely song all in all.
Hans
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Wow, I can't believe this has been sitting in the can for 45 years. Glad it got to see the light of day. I didn't think the toms would be a big deal, but it took me a bit to get used to them. As usual, your superb production values and excellent vocals take the day. Just wonderful! Wish I could do that. A great listen. Guitar fills were terrific, especially the outro. Chalk up another hit in your long streak of winners! Thanks, Rob! Probably should have clarified that the LYRICS have been around for 45 years, but the song is only(!) about ten years old. Took me a while to figure out his "poems" were lyrics. Silly me! Appreciate the listen!
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
Presonus Studio One
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Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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I won't add anything more than what others have said about the high quality of the song, the vocals, and the mixing. As you pointed out in your introduction, the drums might not be to everyone's taste. Personally, I would have kept them for the more energetic parts of the song and used a softer drum sound for the quieter sections; this would add contrast to the track, which often revitalizes the song. This is just my opinion and doesn't detract from the overall quality.
Laurent
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First things first: The Toms are _exactly_ my thing I wouldn't have let them play through the complete song, a drop would give the listener a moment to breath and reflect and give them even more impact when they come back in. But they really are a great choice for giving the song its drive, and they work perfectly with the guitars and those sexy little fills. Despite all those guitars, the mix sounds really open and clean, leaving plenty of room for your (beautiful) vocals. I think your arrangement experiment is a winner ![[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]](https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/images/icons/default/thumbs_up.gif)
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Hi, Ron. Bittersweet pop - you do this so well!
-- David Cuny My virtual singer development blogVocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
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Ron,
Wow! Another superb pop gem!
What an absolutely killer arrangement and mix - just wonderful production throughout. I love the drums and guitar lines. And that melody is so excellent.
I also wanted to single out your vocal here. One of your very best. You use it so effectively to drive and convey the emotions of the song. Great, great stuff.
Yes, another new favorite for me!
Bob THANK YOU, Bob. Vocals are my biggest challenge, but I keep plugging away at it. Have settled on perfectly imperfect being fine so long as it's not a distraction. So it's always nice to get positive feedback on the vocals. At least nobody thinks I'm using AI vocals. Ha! I've updated the song since you've listened to provide some sonic relief to the heavy toms, and I think it serves the song a little better. But I love the tom-heavy version as well.
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
Presonus Studio One
ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM
Presonus Faderport 16
Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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Liking Everything about this.
Good write.
"We weren’t cut out to be cut-out dolls
Or obscene graffiti on public walls
Just something you said when I called"
Nice!
Excellent BAND/arrangement.
Great use of guitars. And nice fills, dude.
Really nice vocals and BGVs
Excellent mix.
TopOfYourGame throughout.
Much enjoyed.
fj
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Hi Ron,
Man, 1981! Nice to see you bring this to life, good song, very well written. Seems your brother has had the gift of producing great lyrics for quite some time!
Love your vocal, and nice to hear you playing the fills too, very effective.
Enjoyed! Thanks, Dave. Yes, he's a gifted and prolific lyricist for sure. Posted a song last year from lyrics he had written 50 years earlier. They still sound fresh to my ears. My fondness for his lyrics is pretty much the reason I'm producing any songs at all. Besides, it keeps me out of trouble, and is WAY cheaper than golf... Ha! Thank you for the compliment on the vocals and fills. I'm no pro, but I try to stay within myself and serve the song. SOMETIMES...it works. THANKS AGAIN!
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
Presonus Studio One
ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM
Presonus Faderport 16
Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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I'll be your friend Ron..... in a mate sense!!
You have great songwriting sense, both lyrically and musically. And I've probably said on previous posts, I love your unique vocal quality. Great arrangement, you've always got a winner in your back pocket.
Kind regards
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Ah, you know i'm a toms fan, Ron, but yes, these drums sound much better for this song. And where you use them now adds to the dynamics.
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DC Ron,
Simply superb!
Everything was great: instruments, vocals, lyrics and production.
Cheers,
AurealiusB
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Sensational on so many levels, Ron. Some early R.W. Davis lyrics revealed for the first time in 45 years. What a wonderful write, especially considering how long ago written. Yeah, those constant toms are somewhat distracting. I'd like to hear this one with another drummer. i really like your use of those 3 guitars --very dynamic. Your braying, as you call it, is perfect, too. Thanks, Marty. Yours was the first comment on the toms that got me thinking about "what if..." So THANK YOU for the honest feedback! Took a few tries to find the right approach. Eventually, I got there. The flexing of the drum kit bent the song away from my initial intent, but created something quite a bit more dynamic, and perhaps more importantly, enjoyable to listen to. One of my greatest regrets is that it took me 40+ years to understand that the little imp that shared a bedroom with me for the first 14 years of his life was writing song lyrics. Fool me ONCE...
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
Presonus Studio One
ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM
Presonus Faderport 16
Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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