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Hello forum friends. This song was conceived in Hawaii. I was pushing my kid's on some waves while they were boogie boarding. The hook line (High in Hawii, and I'm feelin' so low) just started running through my head. Wasn't sure where it was going but I banged it out at home a few weeks later. It is a slow ride. If you're in the mood for ear candy or something energetic, come back later when you're feeling mellow. Always love to hear what you think. Take care all. Greg https://soundcloud.com/gjohnson-2/high-in-hawaiiHIGH IN HAWAII There are times in your life when you look, and you see a dead end And sometimes a soul can sink down beyond the reach of a friend We had a good thing, better than most And to strive for perfection may be chasing a ghost But I dreamed of Hawaii Of a life beyond reach Longboards and shave ice Gettin’ high on the beach But dreamin’ of paradise Still don’t make it so Now I’m high in Hawaii And I’m feelin’ so low Sometimes your heart gets confused, and ambition just fails Scrapin’ by in those winters in Pittsburgh, hammering nails And it’s hard not to tell yourself there’s got to be more Some brighter horizon, some warm, distant shore So I dreamed of Hawaii… And if ever a boy had regret, I guess I got it bad Pity the soul, the fool who lets go, of the best thing that he ever had Because dreams of Hawaii They never come true Now I find myself dreamin’ Of a life back with you It may not be paradise But it’s the best thing I’ve known Now I’m high in Hawaii And I feel so alone Yeah, I’m high in Hawaii
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Sensationally presented Greg, great crisp vocals, well mixed, and the use of the harmonica sat perfectly in the blend.
You nailed it.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Greg
A Jimmy Buffett ballad vibe (with the Coral Reefer band) - beautifully presented with a lovely melody.
Excellent vocal - evocative lyric - really well done.
Peter
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Love your vocals Greg. Super delivery. Excellent backtrack. Excellent lyrics
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Greg,
This is outstanding... Loved the vocals and production - also a very cool backdrop for the lyrics.
Bob
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Wow Greg, this is gorgeous!
A very surprising beginning. And after that a perfect buildup of the instruments.
Especially the pedal steel guitar works great.
Your vocals are beautiful.
Rob & Anne-Marie
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What a hauntingly beautiful song. I especially love these lyrics:
"Because dreams of Hawaii
They never come true
Now I find myself dreamin’
Of a life back with you
It may not be paradise
But it’s the best thing I’ve known"
Keep up the great work.
Cheers,
Ember
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Greg,
A beautiful write. Solid from start to finish and from every angle. It's natural to go with a Buffett comparison, but to me it calls to mind the best of Don Henley's introspective stuff...
The production is "just right". Excellent mix. Gorgeous vocal. Such "feeling" to it..
What's not to like...
floyd
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Really nice - great vocals and a beautiful mix - everything sits just right.
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What a great write and you delivered a super vocal
very visual, very much enjoyed the listen
Loved the chord progressions too
Kenny
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Hello, Greg
Very beautiful tune with great vocal!
Lyrics touched my heart deeply. The melody line is also wonderful.
The reason the key of this tune is F#major is in order to be matched to the vocal range?
And as usual you have some ingenuity in chord progression.
The chord progression of the beginning is very good.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.
Best regards.
Shigeki Adachi
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I've never been to Hawaii, but its always peaked my interest, and this song really paints a vivid picture of how wondrous I imagine it being  The delivery on this is truly beautiful, and the lyrics are imaginative and heart felt. You should be proud of this!
Cheers,
Deryk
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Wow!
Wonderful in every way, lyrics, instruments, mix, and especially the vocals. Great song, great performance!
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“And if ever a boy had regret, I guess I got it bad
Pity the soul, the fool who lets go, of the best thing that he ever had”
There is a ton of emotion packed into those two lines. This is an wonderful write and the production just takes it over the top. floyd mentioned Henley and the more we think about it the more it seems apt. And the pedal steel pushes it every slightly more into that feel. A good thing.
Your mastery of the ballad is second to none.
Outstanding
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! A few of our videos are here on our website: https://www.janiceandbud.com/our-music.html
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Simply beautiful, I feel like I'm in Hawaii Great arrangement with harmonica and pedal steel blending together nicely. Excellent vocals and very emotional lyrics. Janne
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But dreamin’ of paradise
Still don’t make it so
Now I’m high in Hawaii
And I’m feelin’ so low
What Great lines Greg!! I really loved the whole feel of this song and the vocals especially.
The whole production really shines, but your vocals are especially great one this one.
Going back for another listen! Well done!
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Sensationally presented Greg, great crisp vocals, well mixed, and the use of the harmonica sat perfectly in the blend.
You nailed it.
Thanks Trevor. I appreciate the listen and nice comments! The harmonica was just something I thought I'd try and I loved the feel (YAY BIAB!) Take care. Greg
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Greg
A Jimmy Buffett ballad vibe (with the Coral Reefer band) - beautifully presented with a lovely melody.
Excellent vocal - evocative lyric - really well done.
Peter Thanks Peter! I too am a big fan of Buffett (an unabashed parrothead) and the reefers (great band). I saw Jimmy's studio in Key West about a week or two ago-doesn't look like much (a building used to store shrimp before he converted it) but it was a thrill for me. Take care. Greg
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Love your vocals Greg. Super delivery. Excellent backtrack. Excellent lyrics Thanks so much for the kind words and continued support Scott! I really liked your "color of sound" on the last one. Take care. Greg
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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XPro Styles PAK 11 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
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XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
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Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 22.
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