PG Music Home Forums General Discussion User Showcase Deciduous Love (Rock Ballad)

Recently, I posted lyrics that I wrote a little while ago for a song called "Deciduous Love". I made these lyrics available to anyone who wanted to use them.

For anyone who is interested in knowing what style of song I had in mind when I wrote these words, the below link should give some insight.


♫♫ Deciduous Love (Rock Ballad)


Please feel free to comment on any aspect of the song.

Regards,
Noel



The Band

• RT 518: Bass, Electric, Pop HalfNotes Ev 085
• RT 508: Guitar, Electric, Rhythm Dire Ev 085
• RT 362: Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 085
• RT 2854: Harmonica, Background CountryBalladJellyRoll Ev 085
• Drums: NashvilleEven8^1-a:Sidestick, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride
• MIDI: Dimension Pro -- Organ
• Sound effects: a couple of effects I found on the internet

Lyrics

Lost and lonely autumn leaves
My only friends tonight
We're tumbling headlong down a road going nowhere
Forgetting once we had a happy life
All alone, where cold winds blow
Don't we deserve a home?

Deciduous love
Deciduous love
Lives for summer sun
Deciduous love
Deciduous love
Leaves when summer is done

I remember back in springtime
My life was looking good
When summer shone and love got strong as days got longer
I felt invincible and self-assured
But seasons changed, blue turned grey
And then came autumn's blade

Deciduous love
Deciduous love
Lives for summer sun
Deciduous love
Deciduous love
Leaves when summer is done

One day
I’m hoping that one day
Summer will never go away

Deciduous love
Deciduous love
Lives for summer sun
Deciduous love
Deciduous love
Leaves when summer is done

It’s always needing some summer sun

©2018 Noel Adams, words and music, all rights reserved

Finally the real version!

Love it Noel.

The mix here is incredible. What a gorgeous professional, warm sound. Truly sounds likes a professional recording studio.

Awesome vocals and I loved the harmonica. Great choice of instruments.

So well done on every level.

It's always so cool to hear what the writer had in mind. There are always surprises.

The one thing that wasn't a surprise was the quality of what you've done. Really great job Noel!

Hi Noel,

Always impressed by your pristine mixes. Really enjoyed this. I have to say I don’t think I had heard the word deciduous before. Not only did I enjoy the tune, but I learned sonething too.

Loved it, Noel. Professional throughout!

Hi Noel,

As has already been mentioned, it's always interesting to hear what the composer had in mind as he/she wrote a lyric. It takes a real talent to make a relatively simple song sound so full and vibrant. Not easy to pull off but you handled it with ease.

Your mixing and mastering are second to none. You have a special touch with your music that escapes common words to describe. It's as though your heart and your brain conspired to write this one. I know I've listened to a masterful production and song when ordinary words are inadequate to describe it. This is one of those songs.

Wishing you well, my friend.

Alan

Just loved this tune Noel. Super vocal and lyric. Such a wonderful story and delivery. Cool mix too. Harmonica really a nice touch. Well done..

Super song Noel,

beautiful flow to it, love the harmonica part

this should be pitched to the Finn bros. or maybe Neil

I really enjoyed the listen,

Kenny

Noel this is fantastic. Your lyrics are top notch. Your vocal is perfect for this song. Love that chord progression also. Plus as always your mix is pro.

Noel,
well done. I really enjoyed the reverb or delay thrown on love.
Backing, lyric and melody work very, very well together.

Hi Noel,

Love it!

Very nice flow to this, the sort of song you don't want to end. Just finished my third listen actually

I love your attention to detail! The delay you add to "love" for example, and that subtle sound effect that comes in every so often. Choice of notes during the vocal too, "away" for example, wasn't expecting you to sing that note but very effective.

My new favorite from you, hands down!

David,

Thank you for taking the time!

Recently I purchased a collection of CLA plugins from Waves when they were on special for $69. I've been very tempted to buy these over the years because Tom Adams has regularly used them and his works always sound excellent. When the sale price went way down, I thought "why not!".

I have no doubt that it's these plugins that helped me capture the sound you describe. They really are excellent. I used them on the bass and the electric and acoustic guitars as well as my vocals.

All the best,
Noel

This is really gorgeous ballad with lovely beautiful melancholy melody and chord progression. Reminds me of some western movie. Great lyrics fits the current mood when summer is gradually fading away here. Your vocals are excellent as always. And the arrangement and mix are superb with all those little details.

Janne

Noel,

Deciduous. What an interesting word to base a (lost) love song on!
The write does a great job of developing the idea, too.
The cold drop of autumn, remembering the strength of Spring, the hope of summer renewal...

The production and mix are tight. All the instruments have a good sound.
The vocals sit perfectly in the mix.
(One of your best mixes, I think).

Very well done.

fj

Noel, we commented on the nice lyrics on the others' versions and we feel the same after hearing it again. A great write!

"I remember back in springtime
My life was looking good
When summer shone and love got strong as days got longer
I felt invincible and self-assured
But seasons changed, blue turned grey
And then came autumn's blade"

We particularly enjoyed the journey and imagery through the seasons.

As others have pointed out the mix is pro level all the way and very supportive of your excellent vocals.

This is one that we have no interest in parsing out...we just enjoyed listening the the SONG.

Kudos!

Bud

PS I'm a big fan of the CLA fx. The drum module completely changed my approach to RD's in a very positive and easy way.

Cool song Noel!! Very clever metaphor you've created here.......I love using weather metaphors myself. Melody is nice and has a fresh feel. Your mixes are always clean and clear. Nice vocal! Good job on everything!! Take care. Greg

I see what you did there.

To be honest, the title sort of put me off - a bit too clever for my taste. And although I'm still a bit on the fence about that, everything else - singing, production, arrangement, lyric - is stellar.

Excellent.

What a tune! This sounds like the kind of tune I'd imagine coming out of California in the late 60's/early 70's. It is wonderfully catchy, and your vocal performance is stunning. It sounds really well mixed too. Very crisp. I wouldn't bat an eyelash hearing this on the radio.

Great work and thanks for sharing

Hi HearToLearn,

Thank you for listening and commenting! More important, though, thank for being the one who started all this. In honesty, I would never have thought of doing this had it not been for you and Joanne Cooper.

All the best,
Noel




Thanks David. I'm glad you had time to visit! I dare say that coming from Florida, there's not really all that many reasons to use the word 'deciduous'! From what I see on TV, your state is the land of evergreens, sunshine, beaches and palm trees!

Thanks again!

Best regards,
Noel

Noel,

lt was very cool to hear other’s versions of this song, and then to finally hear yours. I really liked animarorecords version of this song, but this is equally terrific. Just amazing to hear the contrast in styles, yet each have great results. This is an admirable production with a some nice vocal work. Very engaging listen, and love the use of the harmonica here. Great stuff!

All the best,

Deej

Hello, Noel

Finally the real version as David says!
Great minor rock ballad!
The melody is so nice, I love it.

The delay effect to the vocal at "deciduous love" is very nice and effective.
How to use the organ played small in the back is also very effective.

By the way, the lyrics are truly fragile and beautiful.
I felt the fact so much again.
You revised the lyrics a little bit, I think that it got even better.

It was really nice to listen to your version.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Beautiful song Noel!

Hi Don,

Thank you heaps for jumping into the thread. I appreciate the listen and comments. Now if only I could learn how to get my music placed like you. I take my hat of to you. You really are an inspiration to us all.

All the best,
Noel

Noel,

If you have any Classic Country songs I can probably get some airplay for you both in London and NZ where Joanne Wilson-Cooper and I are getting a lot of exposure. A second London DJ is scheduling our music for airplay soon.

Be aware, apprised, and cognizant that there are no Loonies, Bux, Lira, or Kopecks involved. The exposure has really helped Joanne along her musical journey. I've totally missed my chance.

If you have some Country songs I would be happy to submit them to the DJs for their consideration but it takes several weeks in the long queue.

Alan,

Thank you!!! You certainly know how to put a smile on a person's face! I really appreciate your thoughts. I find mixing one of the most challenging aspects of creating any of my songs. I usually take around 2 weeks to get my final sound because I find that my brain gets bamboozled and addled after listening to the mix over and over and over for a couple of hours. These days, I find it much more productive to have 24 hour breaks in between 2 hours mixing sessions. I'm very envious of people like you who can whip up an incredibly professional sounding song in less than a day!

Thanks again

Noel

P.S. I hope all is going as well as it possibly can for you and Di.

Hey Scott,

Thanks for visiting. I really appreciate your comments. I started working on this back in 2012 so it's taken a while to get to the forum.

Thank you for listening.

All the best,
Noel

Kenny, I really appreciate your dropping in. It's terrific to see you back on the forum. Thanks for having a listen and thanks for the comments too.

Who knows, maybe I'll run into the Finn brothers one day! I did turn around once a couple years ago and there, standing before me was Geoffrey Rush, about a yard away. He was looking straight at me. Unfortunately, even though I knew who he was, he had no idea who I was. Still... it seems that the future is always full of the unexpected!

All the best,
Noel

Mario, thank you! It's always good to see you. I appreciate the comments.

May good things come your way!
Noel

Hi, Noel !:))


I may be late to this
masterpiece but luckily
not too late !!!!

What a beautiful tune, Noel !
I liked it very much !

Cheers
Dani

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, in every way!
Love the harmonica.
Your vocals sound so well and the lyrics are lovely.
Nice picture on SoundCloud, BTW

Rob and Anne-Marie

Noel

A lovely sound and I agree with the accolades from all the others.
A very nice vocal and a good melody and the harmonica is a lovely touch.
A classy production.

Peter

Thanks Ray. I appreciate the visit and comments.

I used the CLA Vocals plugin and a bit of automated delay controlled through envelopes. It really is an excellent plugin and very effective.

All the best,
Noel

Dave,

Thanks for taking the time to listen and pass on your thoughts. It's taken a few years but I think I'm starting to get the hang of how to mix a bit more effectively. As I mentioned to Ray, above, I've started using envelope automation these days and it really can work a treat and has opened the door to a whole heap of new possibilities.

I've still got a way to go to catch up to your professional sound, though!

All the best,
Noel

Dear "Noel96"...

The title, "Deciduous Love", sent me to a dictionary to learn the definition of the word "deciduous": falling out at maturity, according to Wikipedia. It describes nearly perfectly the bittersweet, yearning, and loss-laden feel and texture of your lyrics.

The Real Tracks harmonica track is achingly soulful. It really cries out from the heart of your song.

"Noel96", your songs, make me want to sing your songs. They always have an inner life that makes for good musical storytelling.

Sincerely,

LOREN (a.k.a. "bluage")

Hi Janne,

Thank you for dropping in. It's always good to see you and read what you thought. I appreciate the positive feedback. When it comes to arranging BIAB-generated tracks, I'd have to be classified as a minimalist, I think. I usually work with only a handful of instruments because it gets too hard after that. I always try to get as good a sound as I possibly can from the few I use (this usually takes around two weeks of mixing)!

Thanks, again.
Noel

I really dig your arrangement, the echo on your voice in the chorus, the harmonica, the placement of the instrument levels in the mix.

And I like the metaphor play in your lyrics. Well written and tight.


Great work!

Noel, this is just a great song! Full of feeling and thought provoking lyrics! You seem to do that a lot! Thanks, Torrey

Hey floyd!

It's always great to see you drop in.

If my mixes are getting better, I think much of that credit goes to you and a number of others on the forum who get such awesome sounds! All I do is to try and learn from what I hear.

As I mentioned above, I recently bought a collection of CLA plugins because Tom Adams used them and achieved amazing mixes with them, and I think they've helped lift me up a half a level or so

Thanks for passing through and for always being so helpful.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Janice and Bud,

Thanks for passing through! I appreciate that you had time to have a listen. Thanks for the comments, too.

One of the things about the CLA plugins that I really like is their ease of use. Chris Lord-Alge really has assembled an excellent array of specific effect chains that are simple to use and give great results. They are also exceptionally easy (and effective) to automate. Like you, I'm a big fan too!

Always great to see you!

All the best to you both,
Noel

Hi Greg,

Good to see you! When it comes to metaphors, as I see it, you're forum royalty! Your lyrics always inspire me to look more deeply at my own creations and to see if I can find ways to enhance the visual and emotional quality of what I've written. Thank you for providing this inspiration

I appreciate the visit!

All the best,
Noel

Hi David,

Clever pickup! I settled on 'leaves' for two reasons....

1) because through word play it seemed to relate better with 'deciduous'

2) it also formed the pattern 'lives', 'love', 'leaves' where the same consonant sounds (ignoring the 's') are heard with a changing vowel sound (like slip, slop, slap)

Thanks for taking the times to have a listen and comment. Appreciate the feedback.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Deryk,

You made my day! Thank you.

I appreciate the visit and the comments.

All the best,
Noel

Noel,

There's not much I can say here. You are truly gifted.

This song is so unique and beautiful - a really masterful work.

Bob

Hi Deej,

I like what others did to my lyrics, too. Each one brought something completely different from what was in my brain at the time of writing.

Thanks for taking the time to listen to and comment on my version. Much appreciated.

All the best,
Noel

Another masterpiece.

I really enjoyed the use of the minor key style and listened to some interesting chord changes.

Excellent presentation of the storyline within the lyrics.

Noel, this is quiet a pro output at every level. It's a great write, thought provoking lyrics and the arrangement, performance and production are masterful. Enjoyed it from start to finish.

The strumming guitar, melody and chord progression is somewhat similar to what the Bee Gees style was about the time of "Run To Me" to my ears.

Noel,
So this is what the song was supposed to sound like
A nice ballad.
One thing about your songs that make them so enjoyable to me is your explanations for the rhymes/flow etc. I always go "err??" as it so far removed from my way of working, but reminds me of English Literature at school and my wish I had paid more attention.

enjoyed

Alyn

Hi Shigeki Adachi,

Thank you for dropping in and having a listen. Also, thanks for the comments.

When you presented your version of this song, I was very impressed that you settled on exactly the same tempo for which I wrote it. At the time, I wondered how you did that! I didn't want to say anything in your thread in case others were still thinking about what to do. I can mention it now, though

I have to say again, that I really like what you did with my lyrics. Your melody was way more inventive than anything I ever seem to create and it flowed so well.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Ermar,

Thank you for stopping by to have a listen. I appreciate it.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Dani,

It's always a pleasure to welcome you to my thread! Thank you for taking the time to give the song a run-through and to comment. Appreciate it.

All the best to you!
Noel

Beautiful work Noel, I loved the harmonica break and the little tremolo guitar snippets - perfect touches! Superbly sung, arranged and engineered. A very enjoyable listen.

John

Hey Rob and Anne-Marie!

It's always a pleasure to see you Thanks for dropping in. I really appreciate your comments.

All the best to you both!
Noel

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the visit and for finding time to have a listen. I really appreciate it.

All the best,
Noel

Dear LOREN,

I don't know what to say to your wonderful comments! I have to tell you, though, that the day that I read them, I went to work with a really huge smile on my face. I'm not sure that my songwriting is anywhere near as accomplished as you say but I'm very grateful that you made the comments. Thank you

I really appreciate hearing from you.

Kind regards,
Noel

Lawrence,

Thanks heaps for having a listen. I appreciate the feedback a great deal.

All the best,
Noel

I'm sure glad I found this one, Noel! Love it! I think this is one of your best. Very well written, great job on the mix. Vocals are just right. And I love the way the harmonica is used in this one.

Great job!

Steve

Thanks Torrey! These days, I think I get more pleasure out of writing lyrics. I'm not sure where the change happened!

Appreciate the visit
Noel

Bob,

I really appreciate your comments. I'm thankful that you also had time to visit Soundcloud and have a listen.

Thanks heaps,
Noel

Noel, I’m very late to the party. But I’m glad I made it. The overall sound on this is tremendous. The acoustics sound great and I love the effects on the fabulous vocal. Well written and and the harmonica worked surprisingly well. A very professional submission. Bravo! Tom

Trevor,

Thanks for taking the time. I sincerely appreciate it. These lyrics seemed to slip into a minor key all by themselves so I went with it to see where it would take me.

All the best,
Noel



Hi Charlie,

Thank you for kind words. I always appreciate how others hear my work. When I'm putting a song together, I have no idea as to how it really sounds as an end product. Thank you for taking the time.

All the best,
Noel

Alyn,

Thanks for dropping in! It's great to see you again

You know, while I have a fairly well developed for rhyme and lyric flow these days (it's taken a long, long time), I'd love to have just a smidgen of your creativity. I reckon I could rule the world if I had that My work pales when I compare it to your version of these lyrics!

All the best!
Noel

John,

Thanks for the visit. I appreciate it. I also appreciate your comments.

Regards,
Noel

Noel, sounded great. Enjoyed it very much. Didn't know what "deciduous" meant and had to look it up. Great analogy.

Hi Steve!

Thanks for having a listen and taking time to comment. You know, I continue to use you as my model for arranging.... as I've said a few times now, when I don't have any thoughts on how to develop an arrangement, I always ask myself, "What would Steve do here?" It helps a lot and nearly always gets me moving along! I guess what I'm trying to say is that if the song is sounding ok, you deserve some of the credit

All the best,
Noel

Tommy,

Thanks! It's great to see you around here again.

Recently, I picked up a bundle of the CLA plugins at a super-cheap price and they really helped lift the sound of everything.

When you told me a couple of years ago that you used these plugins, I started keeping my eye on them and periodically wondered if I should get them. I've always been very impressed with your songs and the sounds of your productions. So, when the Waves special arrived, it was a no-brainer!

I have to say that these plugins make getting a good sound really easier! Thank you for introducing me to them! I owe you one.

All the best,
Noel

Hey Charlie,

Thank you for dropping in

In Texas, I imagine that no-one would ever have any reason to use the word deciduous! Here in Melbourne (Australia), at least half of our trees are deciduous and loose their leaves in autumn so 'deciduous' is a pretty common word.

I appreciate that you had time to have a listen and to comment. Thanks, again!

All the best,
Noel