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https://soundcloud.com/lawrence-olivier/its-the-simple-things-remixIf you've ever heard of the state of "mindfulness" then this song might make sense. Lyrically inspired by a night of listening to Tom Waits, I wrote the lyric in fits over the course of a night and when I woke up I picked up the guitar and the music wrote itself as I read it back. It's a simple story of a circus that comes to town and sets up in a rainstorm. and the character goes from lying down to sitting up to walking across his room to looking out of his window at the first tent of the circus. I added a thunderstorm and doubled a piano panned hard left and right. Left is dry and right is wet with reverb, then I recorded the song live - vocal and guitar, and stuck it in the middle. I could stand here all night/ I could sit here all day I don't know what I'm doing/ and I like it that way There's a fan on my ceiling/ right where it should be It's the simple things in life/ It's the simple things I keep pennies in a jar I have two piano keys I've got a crazy brother who gave them both to me there's a window in my wall right where it should be It's the simple things in life It's the simple things Mother oh Mother/ where did I go wrong was it something I said/ is it something I've done look where this twisted road/ has taken me did you know they use cement/ to bind the concrete There's a footprint beneath me/ right where it should be It's the simple things in life/ It's the simple things I could stare at the sun I could lie 'neath the moon I hear that the circus will be here soon there's a tent in a field right where it should be It's the simple things in life It's the simple things
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Gruverider, I don't know what to say. This song is brilliant. The refrain Right where it should be
It's the simple things in life
It's the simple things is incredibly powerful with its repetition and lack of rhyme. Then there's the verse development. Wow! It worked for me. And that ending!!! It left me sitting in my chair reflecting on life - absolutely perfect, I thought. I regret not having a glass of Shiraz on hand before I started listening! I'm sitting here wondering if you tried the guitar in the intro instead of the electric piano. It would be interesting to hear and compare the two. To my ears, the electric piano had a feeling of coldness about it while the guitar in the outro sounded warm and relaxed and reminded me of sitting in front of a cosy fire on a cold and wet night. Ok. I've got to head back for another listen. All the best, Noel
Last edited by Noel96; 09/22/13 02:05 PM.
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Hi gruverider,
+1 what Noel says.
Brilliant
George
Windows 11 64 bit, Biab 2024 1111, Realband 2024
i7 Desktop Computer 16Gb Memory
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+ 2 to what has been said.
Your voice has the lilt of Randy Newman and the song itself is hauntingly beautiful
Alyn
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Gruve, What a great song. Nicely written and performed. I agree with Noel about the intro. It seemed excessively long and I don't know that it added anything to set the mood. But I don't want to take away from the fact that the rest of the song was excellent. It just took a long time to get there. Thanks for posting. Tom
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you really know how to turn a phrase! The common denominator in your songs is the interesting terminology used to say what you have to say... and you do it so CONSISTENTLY!
I'm impressed
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Love the vocal. Cool lyrics.
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Hi Gruverider,
this is a beautiful song and it really
makes you think.
I like the voice.
The thunderstorm is a great idea. It adds a lot
to the mood.
Guenter
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Wow what a cool song. I love this style of music. Very well done. Neat story in lyrics
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Lawrence,
Hopefully a night of Tom Waits included a lot of "The Heart Of Saturday Night" and "Closing Time".
If I had to have guessed, it would be you that spent the night listening to Randy Newman. But you can't go wrong with either...
I love everything about this. Man! this is good!!! Every single line. What a fine piece of songwriting!
Excellent vocal.
I liked the long opening, actually. I would have liked to hear a lonesome sax instead of the piano (tho' the piano was well done) - just seems more appropriate in the storm - something similar to the trumpet in Springsteen's "Meeting Across The River"...
Let me say again... MAN! This is good!
floyd
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Yeah man, it's the simple things. And a relatively simple thing like this arrangement can be as powerful as that thunderstorm when it includes your vocal and lyrics. Wow. Janice and I enjoyed this immensely.
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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Hi, Lawrence ! All evening I have been listening to the ending of Sibelius 5th and 2 nd symphonies (and some more beautiful music), so I am in the mood for listening to beautiful music like your little sweet tune, which I found just wonderful !  I liked everything about it ! Cheers Dani
Last edited by dani48; 09/22/13 02:06 PM.
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And that ladies and germs is how to sell a song!
Excellent performance.
Later,
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Hi Lawrence
Outstanding vocal (I guess I am always biased towards good vocals!) I haven' read all the comments and don't know if it has already been said but it reminds me of Elvis Costello.
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I really, really like that song. I'd definitely lose the piano intro and let the guitar start it.
I could hear this playing in a movie.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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new user here. first post. good sound on this cut, nice song... sort of like if Randy Newman joined THE BAND. I think you should work on the bridge/chorus 'oh mama/mother' or whatever it was. the chords/changes seem too similar to the verses to me. I think you need more differentation there, might take it from being a really good song to a really really good song. just an opinion for whatever it's worth, still a really good song. +Rj
+Rj
memphis, guitar,keyboards, BIAB/Realband
... I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink ... matthew 25:35
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Beautiful vocal, the backing track simplicity was PERFECT for the song. Thanks for sharing!
My TunesPsalm 57:7 My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
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I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to listen and comment. It is a joy to be able to share my passion and to participate in a community with fellow song writers.
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This is very special Lawrence. The song drew me in like a tractor beam. First class music from the heart, thanks for bringing this to us. The unresolved guitar motif at the end is a masterstroke. After I heard it all through the piano intro kind of made poignant sense.
John
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