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#493269 09/28/18 05:58 AM
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Boy In The Mirror

This style was a new discovery from last years BiaB.. I`d already written the verses to this song and listening to the fretless bass helped find the chorus.
Childhood memories & reflections are a common theme in my writing - as long as I keep finding new angles on the theme I`ll keep hoeing that row!

Style is _KIRKLND.STY (Morning in Kirkland Pop Ballad)

RealTracks in style: 2937:Bass, Fretless Electric Pop8thsRene Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 1765:Guitar, High-Strung Acoustic, Fingerpicking Pop16ths Ev16 085
RealTracks in style: ~365:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 085
RealTracks : ElectroFlutes Pop Ev085
RealDrums in style: NashvilleBrushesCountryPopEv16: a: Sidestick, Brushes b: Brushes


Boy in the Mirror

sleight of hand
a magician`s trick folding time
the fading man
meadows in his heart morphine his mind
looking at the boy
looking at the boy
in the mirror

you slipped away
I put on my father`s hat
on the last page
can we turn the story back
talking to the boy
talking to the boy
in the mirror

underwater
hiding behind the sky
getting clearer
the thief the hero of your life

don`t end this way
my world never lost its shine
lets go play
the grass blade flute make silly rhymes
listening to the boy
listening to the boy
in the mirror


underwater
hiding behind the sky
getting clearer
the thief the hero of your life
the hero of your life


© Robert Cordrey Sept. 2018

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What a cool song. One of your best vocals Robert. Production was excellent. Loved your effects.. Really neat instrument selection.


Scott Collingwood
https://soundcloud.com/scottt709
https://soundcloud.com/spiritlevel-ca
https://www.youtube.com/@SpiritLevel-ge3hm/
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What a great listen. I think there must have been a strong West-Coast late-60's influence on this. Very nice lyric that conjured up more than the words said. Nicely done. I enjoyed this very much.


BIAB 2021 Audiophile. Windows 10 64bit. Songwriter, lyricist, composer(?) loving all styles. Some pre-BIAB music from Farfetched Tangmo Band's first CD. https://alonetone.com/tangmo/playlists/close-to-the-ground
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Robert,

Another interesting write - fun to follow along and speculate at the origins/meanings... a psychedelic ride...

I wasn't aware that BIAB had ElectroFlutes!! A cool addition for this... intriguing vocal, a good mix..

fj

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Your first few lines blow me away:
sleight of hand
a magician`s trick folding time
the fading man
meadows in his heart morphine his mind

Fabulous lyrics!

Last edited by Ezekiel's Storm; 09/28/18 01:31 PM.
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The flutes lend an acoustic/folk/psych feeling to the choruses making them seem quite Pearls Before Swine/Tom Rappish.


Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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Originally Posted By: Scott C
What a cool song. One of your best vocals Robert. Production was excellent. Loved your effects.. Really neat instrument selection.


Thanks Scott!
After two years of posting a song every couple of weeks I`m ready to actually figure out how to get the best from my voice...so no more just plugging in a preset and saying "good enough".A ways to go, but
I appreciate that comment.
Just wait `til you hear the effects on our new collaboration.

Robert

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Thought provoking deep lyrics with a really cool arrangement and vocal. Great job on the production too Robert.

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Hi Robert,

I like the arrangement and I also like the vocal treatment you used, and of course your lyrics are always clever and well written.

Enjoyed!

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Originally Posted By: Tangmo
What a great listen. I think there must have been a strong West-Coast late-60's influence on this. Very nice lyric that conjured up more than the words said. Nicely done. I enjoyed this very much.


Yes, my influences ( Uk folk or US hippie era) can`t be hidden.
Glad you found the lyrics interesting- thank you for listening!

Robert

Originally Posted By: floyd jane
Robert,

Another interesting write - fun to follow along and speculate at the origins/meanings... a psychedelic ride...

I wasn't aware that BIAB had ElectroFlutes!! A cool addition for this... intriguing vocal, a good mix..

fj


Floyd,
Those electro flutes have been there for a couple of years ( I used them before but can`t remember where now).They were a late change out for a cello track; I used strings a few times lately so time for something different.
Meanings always open for interpretation - one of the secret joys of songwriting!
Thanks for your comments.

Robert

Originally Posted By: Ezekiel's Storm
Your first few lines blow me away:
sleight of hand
a magician`s trick folding time
the fading man
meadows in his heart morphine his mind

Fabulous lyrics!


First verse, get the attention & set the scene.
Glad you liked that.

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Robert,

Never the easy way out, that's for sure.
Love the complexity of this one.
Beautiful vocals and I especially like the vocal reverse backings.
And the electro flute of course.

Rob


We are Rob Meulman and Anne-Marie Bovenkamp from The Netherlands.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1gsdNLE7_Gy8qavoOplQow/videos
http://rnam.net/


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Robert,

It's enthusiastic 'thumbs up' from me for this one.

Your production chops on this song show lots of skill and musicianship, and a well-developed sense of how to use arrangement to shape a very engaging, emotionally-charged audio journey. You had me hooked from start to finish.

I loved the line "meadows in his heart morphine his mind". It is so clever on so many levels. Firstly, to take 'morphine' (a noun) and use it as a verb to indicate soothing or calming is an incredibly adroit lyric writing strategy. Then there are those 'meadows in his heart' -- what a wonderful way of showing that he is remembering back on life, to a time when he was much younger. I'd love to be able to think of phrases like this! You have a very versatile mind!!!

Thanks for sharing this composition. I really enjoyed it.

All the best,
Noel


MY SONGS...
Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Originally Posted By: rayc
The flutes lend an acoustic/folk/psych feeling to the choruses making them seem quite Pearls Before Swine/Tom Rappish.


I`d agree with that- Mr Rapp was very underrated in my opinion.
Thanks for listeing.

Originally Posted By: Sundance
Thought provoking deep lyrics with a really cool arrangement and vocal. Great job on the production too Robert.


Thank you, Josie!

Robert

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Nostalgia is a really fantastic source of inspiration. I think this song proves that.

Thanks for sharing!


Cheers,
Ember
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That was fantastic Robert! I know it is not my imagination that you are getting more accomplished every day in using the BIAB program and achieving wonderful results! This in combination with your great lyric writing abilities is helping to produce some very good music! Congratulations on another great song! Thanks, Torrey

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You are a poet with an extra gift of being able to musically express your writing.

This is excellent.

You are lucky, indeed, to have such an imagination and the ability to reflect so deeply on childhood memories. Janice has that...Bud not so much.

We so much like the arrangement and what you did with your vocals.

We much enjoyed this powerful production...in all aspects.

J&B


Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more.
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Robert..I found the title beckoning me to listen. From the beginning, I wasn't sure where you were going melodically--then I decided to just sit back and listen without being hung up on strict song construction rules. Once I did this, I was able to consider your work as a type of
stream of consciousness. I enjoyed the instrumentation and the texture it created. Your lyric is mystical, and I also found myself trying to listen 'too hard' to fully get your meaning. Listening to your work showed me that I'm probably too bought into conventional song construction to be a fair listener to work like yours, and some others. I need to let go of my expectations, then just listen and absorb. Once I did that, I enjoyed 'the ride' of your track. Great work!


Windows 11, Intel Core i5-8600T 2.3Ghz, 16 gig ram, BIAB 2025 MegaPak, SampleTank 4, Keystation49 Kybd, Neewer NW-800 mic
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Originally Posted By: BlueAttitude
Hi Robert,

I like the arrangement and I also like the vocal treatment you used, and of course your lyrics are always clever and well written.

Enjoyed!


Thank you for those positives, Dave.
As mentioned, I`ve taken awhile to learn about vocal processing from scratch- still not entirely happy with the results, but feel I`m headed in the right direction.

Robert
Originally Posted By: RnAM
Robert,

Never the easy way out, that's for sure.
Love the complexity of this one.
Beautiful vocals and I especially like the vocal reverse backings.
And the electro flute of course.

Rob


A thumbs up on vocals from one of the best singers around here is something I`ll take- with a big thank you!

Robert

Originally Posted By: Noel96



Robert,

It's enthusiastic 'thumbs up' from me for this one.

Your production chops on this song show lots of skill and musicianship, and a well-developed sense of how to use arrangement to shape a very engaging, emotionally-charged audio journey. You had me hooked from start to finish.

I loved the line "meadows in his heart morphine his mind". It is so clever on so many levels. Firstly, to take 'morphine' (a noun) and use it as a verb to indicate soothing or calming is an incredibly adroit lyric writing strategy. Then there are those 'meadows in his heart' -- what a wonderful way of showing that he is remembering back on life, to a time when he was much younger. I'd love to be able to think of phrases like this! You have a very versatile mind!!!

Thanks for sharing this composition. I really enjoyed it.

All the best,
Noel


Noel,

I`m always amazed at how you listen to lyrics: its a more scholarly perspective than mine and I learn from your explanations and insights!
Its also cool to hear that lines that came to me in a "goosebumps"moment have meaning for others.
I`m happy you liked this!

Robert

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Originally Posted By: Ember - PG Music
Nostalgia is a really fantastic source of inspiration. I think this song proves that.

Thanks for sharing!


Nice comments - thanks Ember!

Originally Posted By: Torrey Bliss
That was fantastic Robert! I know it is not my imagination that you are getting more accomplished every day in using the BIAB program and achieving wonderful results! This in combination with your great lyric writing abilities is helping to produce some very good music! Congratulations on another great song! Thanks, Torrey


Torrey,
All the great productions posted here have both been a source of inspiration and driven me nuts ( how do they get that sound!!?) for the past two years.
In a slap dash way I`ve learnt some tips & tricks and really appreciate your positive feedback!

Robert

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Originally Posted By: Janice & Bud
You are a poet with an extra gift of being able to musically express your writing.

This is excellent.

You are lucky, indeed, to have such an imagination and the ability to reflect so deeply on childhood memories. Janice has that...Bud not so much.

We so much like the arrangement and what you did with your vocals.

We much enjoyed this powerful production...in all aspects.

J&B




J&B,

That`s very kind- especially coming from folks who really listen and contribute so much to this forum.
Production is getting easier ... and harder, as the standard set by the music I hear coming from home studios just goes in leaps and bounds.

Robert

Originally Posted By: Tano Music
Robert..I found the title beckoning me to listen. From the beginning, I wasn't sure where you were going melodically--then I decided to just sit back and listen without being hung up on strict song construction rules. Once I did this, I was able to consider your work as a type of
stream of consciousness. I enjoyed the instrumentation and the texture it created. Your lyric is mystical, and I also found myself trying to listen 'too hard' to fully get your meaning. Listening to your work showed me that I'm probably too bought into conventional song construction to be a fair listener to work like yours, and some others. I need to let go of my expectations, then just listen and absorb. Once I did that, I enjoyed 'the ride' of your track. Great work!


I`m glad that somewhere in the listen you got something from this.
It actually has a very clear construction, in my expanded, make it interesting, circle of fifths universe!

Robert

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