PG Music Home Forums General Discussion User Showcase Forged By Fire (w/ Janice)

Hey, J! C'mere!!!
Let's notch another genre in that musical belt of yours.
Big...Anthem...Get yer Martina on!..
Ready?


FORGED BY FIRE

lashing out ...we fight
making love... we set things right
the passion we share is a double-edged sword
it tears us apart and binds us for evermore

   forged by fire
   hearts welded together
   by desire... beyond our control
   it's sometimes hotter.. than we can handle
   tempers flare... our touch grows cold
   but we hold on... through thick or thin
   our love survives... and in the end
   it's stronger than steel or stone
   forged by fire

it's sometime wild... it's sometimes war
it's surely love... but it's something more
in each others' arms... sharing one soul
when feelings this deep get ignited
they light our way or they explode

   forged by fire
   hearts welded together
   by desire... beyond our control
   it's sometimes hotter.. than we can handle
   tempers flare... our touch grows cold
   but we hold on... through thick or thin
   our love survives... and in the end
   it's stronger than steel or stone
   forged by fire

fire and ice...a double-edged sword
passion tears us apart and binds us for evermore

   forged by fire
   hearts welded together
   by desire... beyond our control
   it's sometimes hotter.. than we can handle
   tempers flare... our touch grows cold
   but we hold on... through thick or thin
   our love survives... and in the end
   it's stronger than steel or stone
   forged by fire
   forged by fire
   forged by fire



The BAND:
RealTracks in style: 995:Bass, Electric, HardRockLA Ev 120
RealTracks in song: 852:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm NashvillePopClean Ev 120 (B:arp)
MIDI SuperTracks in song: 2108:Piano, Rhythm PopUpliftPulsing Ev16 120
RealTracks in song: 1850:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopShiningGrittyMuted Ev 120
RealTracks in song: 1167:Guitar, Electric, Soloist RockBalladBrent Ev 065
RealDrums in Song: BluesRockEv^1-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, Open HiHat
plus...
Guitar loop from Studio One library
"Big guitar chords" created from RockMediumBrent soloist.
Janice's vocal was used as recorded and processed by Bud.


Mrs. Merritt - thanks for joining me on this! You're the best!
Mr. Merritt - thanks for recording Mrs. Merritt!

Hope you like it. Comments encouraged.
Make it big. Play it loud.
Have at it.

floyd

floyd and Janice,

What an incredibly rich and vibrant sound! I don't know how you do it but I have no idea how any production could get better than this.... all I could think as I was listening... was.... "This is so-o-o-o-o-o good!"

I'm in awe.

Regards to you both,
Noel

P.S. I was in a hurry to secure top reply position in the thread. It's such a rare event these days. I'll be back later to work my way through understanding this song a bit more thoroughly. What a great musical creation!

Hi, Floyd & Janice !


I too am completely at awe
by this ! It is just incredible,
and the way you sing the duet
so tight thru tempo changes !! ugh !

This must be the best so far !!:))
And certainly my FJfav from now on !

Take care !

Dani

Well done you two, this is a corker!
Not only a strong song, but superbly executed with passion, so it hits the 'shiver button'. Great stuff.

John

Thank you Noel. This was waaaaay out of Janice's blues comfort zone but she was game! I'm sure she will be commenting soon.

Bud

WOW!!! That just plain works! From the first guitar lick (I'm guessing that's the loop-sounds custom for the song), the music and lyrics combine for an exciting, electric, musical journey. The Hornsby style piano is a perfect fit. AND, of course, the vocals/mix are superb. Kudos to all!!! Take care. Greg

This one is so good. Love the opening , the title, the lyrics that explain the title , the choice of instruments with nothing getting in the way of one another, the mix, the drum sound, and of course both voices. Janice can sure sing lead but she also has a natural gift for harmony. This one almost sounds like a second melody. We've all heard this phenomenon before with some of the great harmonizing groups. I suspect that the harmony was particularly challenging due to the stop and go phrasing. An excellent listen. floyd, you're like a river of great songs. It just keeps flowing. Great one. Tom

Wow,

Awesome recording and song! Forged by Fire evokes a powerful uplifting anthem feel that I don’t hear often enough celebrating a love connection that grows overcoming difficulties together. Your lyrical metaphors, melody and harmony blend together really well to support the song’s hook/title. Thanks for sharing.

Atze

Really, really cool!
We love the heavy guitars coming in in the chorus.
Very professional use of the RTs Floyd. We know that for you it's something like driving without touching the wheel .
We love the vocal harmony, especially on the choruses.

Floyd & Janice
Just a thoroughly professional song, sound and performance.
Everything about the song is top quality. A great listen.
Both the vocalists are stunning.

Floyd / Janice,

Radio ready! This is just great - loved the song and the performances.

Bob

Hi Floyd,
Tommy can express my thoughts better than I. So I just quote. I'm impressed. Brent's ballad lead is so versatile. It sounds like made for this song.
This one is a winner again.

Guenter

Thank you Dani. I am delighted that you like the duet. We
certainly love your harmonies.

Janice

Hey I really like this. It reminds me of Bob Seger, musically and lyrically. Great backing vocals Janice.

The write and performance are incredibly strong, but I think the treble is a little too high on this particular track, don't know why. Most of your other tracks have a very rich sound and a wide dynamic range. I am not sure if this was overcompressed or what, but the high end really sticks out.

I love the song though. Wonderful write as always.

Hi Floyd.

I do like songs with a big sound and this is REALLY big. I took your advice and wound it up nice and loud on the big Tannoys - absolutely fantastic.

I like everything about this track and having Janice in there is the icing on the cake.

Good to see you doing some stadium rock - it suits you!

ROG.

PS. Nice to see a solo included!

Way too Awesome to only be on a forum, this is Big Radio (is that a thang anymore) Music! WOW!Yall Can Sang, and Write!

Another awesome collaboration. Super vocal and harmonies. Loved the guitar as well.

You've achieved your aim.
I did note that the male vocal is a little subordinated by the female - the female cuts through the mix more. The male voice, a little smokier and rounded, sits back just a little. Maybe a little EQ, a slightly wider panning or, shock horror but useful to cut through a mix, a touch of BBE sonic maximiser?
fabulous stuff regardless of my quibbling.

Tense, tight, word perfect, with a storyline as true and as
old as love itself. Sung to a ‘great rock beat, ‘what a formula
A 'Top drawer' one Floyd, it thoroughly deserves all the accolades it is, and will still receive.

Paddy G

fj & Ms. Janice,

Another example of excellence. Enjoyed his one a lot!


Regards,

Bob

Wow, sweet in your face thumping bass drum! Super fine production and vocal performances!

A big Bic-lit bravo!

Another radio ready hit... superb work Floyd.

The vocal collaboration is as strong as ever.

This is one of those songs I need to have playing loud when my wife lets me borrow her convertible... Song forged by fire and road scorched by tire!!! OOh.... is that a blue light flashing in my rear view??

Excellent on every level.

Hi, Noel! Man! the forum really exploded this weekend, didn't it?! Appreciate you dropping by.... I need to go have a few more listens to your new song... It is super - I'll get there again, soon....

Thanks, again, Dani... you are most kind...





Thanks, John... doesn't get better than a "shiver button"...

I couldn't say this any better.

This is a keeper for sure!

Thank you John. floyd offered me a great song and a challenge to sing on. I'm so glad you like it.

Janice

Floyd and Janice, Wow! Powerful. Very powerful

What a sensational 'fired-up' delivery

A great team collaboration, with a sensational set of lyrics, and powerful (there's that word again) backing.

Great material.

Thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyable.

Yes, I played it loud, too!


Trev

Thanks, Greg! We appreciate that! - yeah, that opener is the loop - it actually worked throughout the song, with just a tiny bit of tweaking in a spot or two...

Thank you Greg. floyd really created an amazing production.

Janice

Tom - thanks for such a wonderful review.. I'm pleased about the "second melody" perception...

Atze - thanks for stooping in for a listen and comment... appreciate that...





Thanks, y'all - I enjoyed that review...

Hi Floyd & Janet,

another super song. Great sound and excellent duo.
Very pleasant.

Sergio

Tom, I appreciate you saying that about the vocals. floyd told me it was "Matrina time" when he invited me to sing harmony on it. Hahaha, no Matrina here but it was fun and thank you for your very kind comments!

Janice

What a BIG sound! Love the song FJ!

Great vox by you both!

I agree with rayc on the vocal mix. (I noticed it before reading his comment.) Not a big deal - this is a sensational production!

One of my fav duets by you two!

We really appreciate that, Peter...





Thanks, Bob. (always love to hear that!)

Thanks! I love your description of the uplifting feel of the song.

Janice

Thanks, Guenter. I agree - that Brent solo RT is one of the most versatile solo tracks available... It has a lot of variation if you keep re-gen-ing...





Thanks, David. I've listened several times with your thoughts in mind... I don't "hear it"... (the "too much treble thing"). Maybe I'm getting old (actually, no maybe about it..aren't we all?). I would expect that others would mention it. When I listen to it along side other mixes (mine and artists that I listen to), I don't get a sense that it is particularly "trebly". Might be the combination of jangly guitars and crisp piano (both intentional).... I appreciate you bringing it up...

Hey Floyd,

I listened to it again last night (I have listened to it about 5 times actually) and I didn't hear it as much, it sounded about right.

Not quite sure why. It could have been my ears were fried the first time from a long day of listening and recording, or that I got a "bad stream" but you are not streaming so that doesn't make sense. Anyway,maybe my mind was playing tricks one me.

I can say that from listening to your catalog as a whole, I have always been impressed by the rich acoustic balance, the sound separation, and the dynamic range, as I said before. You can actually hear each instrument occupying a distinct spot in the mix, and that is quite astonishing these days and times. So maybe I had some "ghost reference" in my head the first time I heard it. Dunno.

Anyway, I am a big fan, so I will continue to look for feedback that might be helpful in the mix of your forthcoming songs, since the songwriting ability is unquestionable. As an FYI, I keep a log of your comments and others on the forum for all of my songs and use them whenever I remix stuff before I ever do any final versions. I find them to be invaluable that way. Like having a whole team of engineers in your room. :

Well, take care, and again, great song!!

Hi y'all, thank you for mentioning the harmony. It was fun!

Janice

Always pleased to hear that they work for you, ROG. Thanks for the spin...





Well, Tommy... what a nice thang to say!!!!!!





Thanks, Scott...we appreciate that..

Hey!
Wonderful job by all, strong vocals, all the instruments sound great. Beautiful write, beautiful harmonies.

Kenny

Wow, floyd and Janis! That was HOT in more ways than one! It was even MIXED hot! I was listening with cans and the opening just about blew my brains out!

I'm curious to know if you already have the harmony line defined when you turn it over to Janice, or if she has creative control over what to sing. Either way, that synergy between and tightness of the two voices was very noticeable in this song. As tommy said, the timing was tricky... I couldn't anticipate when the notes would begin, even with the words righty on front of me... my Janice was right there and rock solid, never missing a cue. Like any band that performs together for long, y'all have been doing this long enough now that you have a groove going. Very cool advantage to have!

I liked the loud live sound to this, which is summarized in the sustained guitar note at the end of the song. In fact I want to hear this in a coliseum!

The lyrical metaphor is developed very skillfully here.. I liked the way you selected words that have meaning in both the forging sense and the relationship sense. Have you ever been in a forge shop? My last job was related to forging, and it is sensory-stunning to stand in the same building when the forge hammers are hitting. Much like falling in and out of love, I suspect.

If I had to describe this song in two words, they would be "AWE" and "INSPIRING" (in that order)

Hi, Ray. I can hear that - at times. It sort of "comes and goes" for me - and it depends on where my mind/hearing is focused at the time. This was intended to be a true duet sound - equal weight to the lead and the harmony to the point of having them intermingle to some degree and virtually trade off which is actually the lead (subconsciously). That vocal mix is one of the hardest things to achieve (I think) - especially when one of the vocals is your own and the other has such an incredible "personality" as does Janice. Having someone else mix might achieve that balance better (but hard to give up that control). I will visit this again down the road to see where it might land. Thanks for your input - your descriptions resonate for me...





Thanks, Paddy...





We thank you, Bob....

Thank you Peter. I very much appreciate you writing that.

Janice



Thanks Bob!

Janice

Floyd and Janice,
What a combination. Outstanding song. Well done.
SD

Thanks, Lawrence. We always appreciate when the lighters come out!





Charlie - always interested to see what you have to say about a song... forged by fire/scorched by tire - HA! good one...sounds like a song! Thanks for the nice review....






Appreciate that, Mario...

Thanks guys!

Janice

Thanks, Trevor. We appreciate that... Always enjoy reading your reviews...





Thanks, Sergio...






Glad to have you stop by for a listen, Josie. You don't come around enough these days - got a new song coming???? (See my response to Ray about the vocal mix)...




Thanks, again, David.... always open to any thoughts about any aspect of these... it is a great community...

Floyd, see p.m.'s. Doh!!!

Sorry man.

Instructions included for next level elevation.

Ground Control to Major David.

Hello????? Major David? Anyone there???

Thanks Rog! It was a fun cake to ice Now I've participated in two songs with the REALLY big sound!

Janice

Thanks, Kenny. Always pleased to see you around here... and always looking forward to your next one...





Pat - your reviews are always a pleasure to read... I think the loud thing happens because there is no processing of the files when I upload them to my own site (like there would be on Soundcloud or other music sites).

Most often, I simply send a song to Janice with these instructions: "Do your thing, girl." She doesn't need any more than that.

I appreciate that you appreciate what goes into the lyric.

Looking forward to your next project...






Thanks, SD

Janice.

Thank You.

Thanks y'all!!!

Janice



Thanks for listening and commenting. Glad you liked it!

Janice



Thanks. I was thrilled to be asked to sing on this project!

Janice

I'm very impressed by the quality of this song ! Everything was just incredible....

Wow! I'm overwhelmed. You folks are the best. Thank you so much!!

Janice