PG Music Home Forums General Discussion User Showcase The Good News (co-write with floyd jane / Peter on guitar)

the good news is you didn't clean out your drawer
your tattered Tom Petty t-shirt’s in the corner on the floor
i don't believe you'd ever leave that coffee mug behind
it's all these little hopeful signs that keep running through my mind

Damn (sorry PG), that's just good writing....wonderful furniture and a tangible, relatable, real-life stuff!! Great title, great angle!! Great song!!! This is 3 members of the forum all-star team at their best!!
So glad to be the first to comment! GREAT STUFF guys!! Take care. Greg

That VOICE. Hats off. You could sing the telephone book and make it sound amazing.

AND: this is certainly no "telephone book" ... in fact, if you'll allow me this, I think it's one of the best songs I've heard on this forum - and there are so, so many good ones, but - for me at least - this is right up there. That hook "when you said that it was over ..." ... wow. What a great, great job. Thank you for posting this up - it's made my evening.

That VOICE. Hats off. You could sing the telephone book and make it sound amazing.

AND: this is certainly no "telephone book" ... in fact, if you'll allow me this, I think it's one of the best songs I've heard on this forum - and there are so, so many good ones, but - for me at least - this is right up there. That hook "when you said that it was over ..." ... wow. What a great, great job. Thank you for posting this up - it's made my evening.

the good news is you didn't clean out your drawer
your tattered Tom Petty t-shirt’s in the corner on the floor
i don't believe you'd ever leave that coffee mug behind
it's all these little hopeful signs that keep running through my mind

Damn (sorry PG), that's just good writing....wonderful furniture and a tangible, relatable, real-life stuff!! Great title, great angle!! Great song!!! This is 3 members of the forum all-star team at their best!!
So glad to be the first to comment! GREAT STUFF guys!! Take care. Greg

Immediately that voice pulls you in! What an unbelievably awesome ability to have available. One thing that I'm not sure I've mentioned; but I'm guessing others have, is Janice's ability to hit the lower notes and not drop out. I see/hear SO many female singers that go for the lower notes and their voice become non-existent. If the writing is good you may be able to figure out the word that should be there...but isn't. With Janice, as is with the best of singers, it's ALL there! You can't help but love that.

Also on the vocal side of things; but needing mention are the background vocals. Man, I know you are used to working together; but there's something different here for me. It feels a little less verb-y and more defined and tight. Not right or wrong; but I'm really liking it! It emphasis the emotions really well. Nice job on both singing and mix. I'm totally diggin' it!

The lyrics are on another level. From word choice for imagery, to alliteration and rhyme, there is SO much going on but in a way that doesn't sound even remotely forced. Everything fits as it should. It's pretty amazing to hear AND see something so well done that the complexity feels effortless. I will flat out say; I wish I had that level of skill.

The guitar, AGAIN, fits as it should. That may make it sound boring; but far from it. It's exactly what it should be. Not more, not less. I think that's called perfection! To me, it's an extension of what's going on in the vocal and lyric; but emotes the feelings with out the benefit of either. Really, really, really great!

Finally that mix. I could hear everything. That in itself is a task I would never even attempt. That's coming from someone who has attempted many times in school. I have nothing but total admiration for the gift of what is going on in this mix. It's part talent, part craft, 100% impressive. I can't imagine the time you spend on these mixes. They just sound so good to me. Great on monitors; but I really like listening with cans or buds. Wait a minute... Seriously, when listening that was I get a great sense of the space you design for your songs to sit in so well. It's immersive; and I like losing the world momentary to a song mixed like this. Thanks for creating that world for me to experience! It does NOT go unnoticed.

So much for my short replies. I just can't seem to pull that off.

Great job to all involved. The reward is in a fantastic song for you. I feel the best reward was getting to experience your talents as the listener. Thank you for that.

***All comments are from speech to text and not proofed. I'm getting better with being ok with that.

Janice, Bud, floyd and Peter,

Every way that I listen to this song and read these lyrics, all I can think is that this is...

You've all done a mighty, mighty fine job.

The lyrics are awesome. I love that 'good news/bad news' hook and I love the way the verses work the hook. In addition to this, starting with the chorus is stellar! It's a great chorus and by beginning with it, the listener really gets to make the most of the journey.

From a lyric writing perspective, it's interesting how that instead of the verse leading to and providing background for the chorus, in this instance, the chorus leads to and provides necessary background understanding for verse 1. It's a great effect when it can be pulled off like you have.

The strongest possible way to open a song is to take a running start and jump right on into it without any introduction whatsoever. This is a technique that Elvis Presley (and many other highly successful artists) have used a number of times. In a recent song, floyd also demonstrated how powerful such a start is. It's not used so much these days. That said, though, now we have Janice clearly showing all of us here on the forum just how incredible and attention grabbing an introduction-free song is.

For me, the way this song started was akin to saying "Hang on to your hats, folks, we're off on the ride of your life!!!" So I just sat back and let the music carry me along on a thoroughly enjoyable roller coaster trip.

A while back, I read a quote by Iggy Pop where he said... "Really good music isn't just to be heard, you know. It's almost like a hallucination." If anyone wants to experience what Iggy meant, all they need do is to listen to this song. The combination of -- eidetic lyric imagery, Janice's soaring vocals, excellent background vocals, great guitar work from Peter, a wonderful melody, an inspired arrangement, a mesmerisingly great mix -- make for a musical journey that unfolds as a movie in the listener's mind.... at least it did that for me

Just wow! I bet if you sent this to a radio station in Nashville, it would get airplay!

All the best,
Noel

Loved this tune. Such a lovely vocal Janice and Floyds harmonies were so complimentary to the song. Very cool lyric. Love the clean sound of Peters solo. Some very cool guitar working going on in behind the vocal as well. One of my favorites..

Immediately that voice pulls you in! What an unbelievably awesome ability to have available. One thing that I'm not sure I've mentioned; but I'm guessing others have, is Janice's ability to hit the lower notes and not drop out. I see/hear SO many female singers that go for the lower notes and their voice become non-existent. If the writing is good you may be able to figure out the word that should be there...but isn't. With Janice, as is with the best of singers, it's ALL there! You can't help but love that.

Also on the vocal side of things; but needing mention are the background vocals. Man, I know you are used to working together; but there's something different here for me. It feels a little less verb-y and more defined and tight. Not right or wrong; but I'm really liking it! It emphasis the emotions really well. Nice job on both singing and mix. I'm totally diggin' it!

The lyrics are on another level. From word choice for imagery, to alliteration and rhyme, there is SO much going on but in a way that doesn't sound even remotely forced. Everything fits as it should. It's pretty amazing to hear AND see something so well done that the complexity feels effortless. I will flat out say; I wish I had that level of skill.

The guitar, AGAIN, fits as it should. That may make it sound boring; but far from it. It's exactly what it should be. Not more, not less. I think that's called perfection! To me, it's an extension of what's going on in the vocal and lyric; but emotes the feelings with out the benefit of either. Really, really, really great!

Finally that mix. I could hear everything. That in itself is a task I would never even attempt. That's coming from someone who has attempted many times in school. I have nothing but total admiration for the gift of what is going on in this mix. It's part talent, part craft, 100% impressive. I can't imagine the time you spend on these mixes. They just sound so good to me. Great on monitors; but I really like listening with cans or buds. Wait a minute... Seriously, when listening that was I get a great sense of the space you design for your songs to sit in so well. It's immersive; and I like losing the world momentary to a song mixed like this. Thanks for creating that world for me to experience! It does NOT go unnoticed.

So much for my short replies. I just can't seem to pull that off.

Great job to all involved. The reward is in a fantastic song for you. I feel the best reward was getting to experience your talents as the listener. Thank you for that.

***All comments are from speech to text and not proofed. I'm getting better with being ok with that.

Wonderful, enjoyable, sweet on every level.
It was a pleasure to listen.
The one thing I noted that may need attention is the beginning of the line
"the good news is you didn't clean out your drawer"
The voice comes up in level and pitch across "the good..." then sits perfectly. It may be worth makinga little adjustment to either the level of the vocal or the level of the dominant cymbal or hold the panning to a place where the two elements don't butt heads.
Small beans and not really an issue - just something I heard inside an excellent piece of music.
Congrats to all involved.

Totally agree with what others have said so eloquently. Wonderful writing and performance.
Regards,
Leon

J&B + Crew.
Excellent input from all! Catchy, easy to follow tune. Clever lyrics! Vocal delivery / harmonies are powerful, yet not pressuring - listens very easy. Arrangement worked out well, FJ +1. No matter which style you do, you never disappoint my ears
Bud, great job! Mix shines! Enjoyed it.

Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

Man! Just so good.

Excellent writing Bud and floyd! Lots of great lines,

"the good news is you didn't clean out your drawer
your tattered Tom Petty t-shirt’s in the corner on the floor"

is my favorite. And "the good news is the bad news could’ve been worse", great hook!

Very nice the way it just starts with just Janice and the piano and builds from there.

Wonderful vocal by Janice, as always I just love her tone! And great job on the harmonies too.

Peter sounds great, love his tone and choice of notes. He added just what the song needed, no more and no less.

Killer job on the mix too, Bud, sounded great through both the monitors and the phones.

Loved everything about this, well done to all!

Wow - what a tune You really did a good job on this one. Perfectly catchy, and your vocals are tremendous on this. The mix on it is top notch also - it sounds lush, and frankly just beautiful.

You should be proud of this one. Thanks for sharing!

That intro piano and Janice.. awesome.. and the rest pure pro stuff, the lyrics are absolutely minted.

I love Janice's voice when its lead singing plus doing her own backing vox on a song like this its WIN !! WIN !!.

The sound as commented on previously is absolutely stunning on my system well done Bud ( Bud also my wee bichon dogs name) need to get some tips from you on the mixing and producing side of things.

Peter on the guitar was enviously excellent, a great sound from the guitar is always a challenge to record let alone play .

Again this is to me as good as it can get, and Janice's vocals.. The range in her voice !! .. one word astounding.

Thanks

It's always fun to listen when a song is done right. The PGMusic Forum is manifesting into its own version of Nashville. Any more, stop on any song in User Forum and it gets harder and harder to imagine these pieces of art are being churned out in bedrooms, kitchens and garages by supposed 'amateurs'. It's like being at the Bluebird and getting blown away by some artist who deserves to be heard on every radio station play and sing the best song you've ever heard, finish his set and go to work washing dishes in some diner instead of boarding a half million dollar bus away on the tour date.

There's nothing amateur about this song. Great write, arrangement, production and performance. We are lucky to have you gifted artists share your talents and stories with us.

What a sweet listening experience from the kick in to the last little chord hit. The lyric is tight, appreciatable, and liberally peppered with visual references. In short, it made me smile and remember a time or two. Or three. The icing on that layered cake is the song pic. Something in that stance says, "I just need a moment alone." Janice sounds great! Both leads and harmonies shine. Peter's lead is tasty and tasteful down to the little last licks. Thoroughly enjoyed here.

so the good news is the bad news could’ve been worse

Such an awesome collaboration on this one guys. It's going to get stuck in my head. I found it super catchy.

Excellent. Just excellent! Through and through a really good song, well written, arranged and performed! Just as I would expect from you guys. Kudos to all of you!

I even like the surprise reverb slap treatment on Janice's voice on the last line of the song. Nice touch.

Really enjoyed this!

Steve

Great hook, great everything, enjoyed it a lot. Not much to be said when it's all so perfect.

Bud, Janice, Peter and Floyd
Wow! This is just lovely. What a great collaboration.

Exceptionally good professional work, everything just works so well together from vocals to mix. Nice idea to start with the chorus, because the chorus melody is so catchy. Simple lyrical idea implemented with heart and good selection of signs.

Janne

Great write and performance! Love that hook! Great production too!

Janice, Bud, Peter & Floyd ...

Now, if that combination of exceptional talent can't write, produce and deliver a hit song, then it just can't be done any way I know of. There is so much talent in those four individuals ... it should almost be illegal (i'm glad it's not!).

Everyone before me has pretty much covered all the bases.We all know, already, the superior vocals by Janice, fabulous fretwork by Peter, vocal/lyric writing/delivery of Floyd ... but I think the contributions of Bud's knob-twisting deserve a little more spotlight at times. He is truly a magician at the control board. This is my analogy: I could have the engine, body parts, transmission and everything else needed to build the nicest luxury car in the history of the automotive industry ... but if I don't have a top-of-the-line mechanic to put it all together, it's just a pile of parts. I see Bud as a musical mechanic. You can throw anything at him, music wise, and he'll find a way to put it together like no one else. Excellent work, Bud!

The voices of Janice and Floyd, particularly when blended, is ear candy sweeter then just about any other I've encountered. My ears are still smiling!

And Peter certainly gives good reason for guitars to exist. He has the perfect touch and tone ... but knows when and where to slice and dice it.

Great stuff, folks.

Oh ... one other thing. I've written a couple of songs that opened with the chorus over the years and nearly got burned at the songwriter's stake for doing so. It's not something that works most of the time, but when it does ... it's the best.

Congrats to all involved. What a team and song! Wishing all of you the very best ...

Alan

J&B (and Peter and Floyd),


Well, I’m late to the game . . . and all the great accolades have been take. Just want to say this is just . . . well, stellar . . . impressive . . . compelling . . . beautifully sung, executed . . . all with a killer hook. Was I too redundant with those who commented before me? Sorry, tried to be fresh with my praise. Wonderful tune! :-)

My humble regards,

Deej

What a sensational write.

Amazing lyrics, delivered by a totally professional team.

The engineering in this arrangement is masterful and the contributions from each party are exceptional.

Congratulations to you all.

Dear "Bud', Ms. Janice, 'PeterF', and Floyd Jane...

All right, all right, now, everybody, sumpin' fishy's goin' on here !!! You folks are just too dang good in the following departments: lyric writing, music composition, singing, instrumental performance and sound engineering. Time to reveal your secret(s) !!! Was it...

1) Massive doses of vitamins added to your breakfasts?
2) You kidnapped the 'The Muse' and locked her up in your basement?
3) Signed a contract in blood with that wiley ol' debbil?
4) You were all abducted by aliens who boosted your brain power? What? WHAT is it? Ah'm just dyin' ta' know, don'cha know !!!

(A NOTE: Please use a No. 2 pencil to mark your choices for answers.)

Okay, but seriously, folks, it's obvious to me that the four of you through your long association with each other have bonded with each other artistically. It just...shows. If we lived near each other, when I hosted a party I would invite you all to supply the music. Serious as a heart attack, I would !!!

Keep it up, you four. Ohhh, yes-sss, you just keep, this, UP, and see what happens next -- us fellow forum members will keep lookin' forward to the next one, that's what'll happen, ha, ha !!!

I really love what you guys (and Ms. Janice, who is not a guy ) do on this User's forum. Thanks for "The Good News".

Truly-ooly,

- bluage -

Not sure how I missed in commenting here.

I cheated and read the lyrics first. Great write, and the song didn't disappoint. It's got a bit of that '70s LA rock sound to it, with a touch of Jackson Browne in the melody.

Love Janice in the lower range. Great arrangement - organic build of instruments, everything clean and clear. Love how you pare instrumentation down in the intro and ending. Band sounds excellent - I wondered how you got the guitar to nail the solo, until I saw the guest list.

And Janice also plays cajon? Cool!

Really nice, I listened through multiple times.

Janice & Bud, floyd and Peter,

Really good music with wonderful vocals.
I agree with musician17.
That VOICE. Hats off. You could sing the telephone book and make it sound amazing.
I remember that such a compliment was sent to Edit Piaf in France.
The singing is outstanding anyway.
The back teamwork that supports it is also really great, of course.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Hi Janice and Bud,

I was on holidays and wasn't able to login on this forum. But I wrote on your SoundCloudpage that your song was really Good News!
I enjoyed it! Strong lyrics and nice harmonies (as allways in your songs).
But where is the pedal steel ?

that line hooked me.... and I had to finish listening. (and it is the hook in the song... it did it's job)

This is a good one. This is one of my favorites in the more recent songs you've done.

Really nice work. To all the contributors as well.

Dear Janice, dear Bud,

you were so very kind to let me have a sneak pre-listen to that song that really struck me. Please forgive me, if I repeat here what I wrote you after I had heard it for the first time:

"What a terrific song that is - you're just keeping 'em coming !!!! The treat started with that great photo which really represents what I was going to hear a couple of seconds later.

'The good news is the bad news could’ve been worse' - oh boy, waht a hook that is. I don't think I ever heard the topic 'he's gone' being regarded from that side in a song, but isn't that actually exactly that kind of thoughts of hope we all have when being left by our loved one?

A gorgeous song, a great composition, brilliantly arranged by Floyd, very nice playing by Peter, and like always perfectly engineered and produced by Bud.

Did I forget something? Oh no: I am totally unable to imagine that any other artist could sing this song as soulfully and as convincingly as you do, Janice - I don't know if there is a word more intense than 'sublime', but if there is it's exactly what I feel.

Maha loves the song a lot, too, and sendes you her warm regards.

Hats off!!!!"

Well, guys - the only thing I might add is: I love this song even more with every listen !

All the best,

Stefan

Wow, Wow, Wow, man, what a GREAT SONG!!!!, yeah the tom petty t shirt is over the top writing, the vocal and harmonies so smooth and rich, instrumentation perfect, Just a top of the line song, as good as I have heard in a long time. CLiff

B,J,F,P, This is a tremendous collaborative piece of art. That cold open vocal kick off sets the hook and all I could do was hang on for the ride.
“the good news is you didn't clean out your drawer
your tattered Tom Petty t-shirt’s in the corner on the floor
i don't believe you'd ever leave that coffee mug behind
it's all these little hopeful signs that keep running through my mind”
Now that is some seriously good writing right there. Janice’s low register is extremely emotive and has always been one of many things I absolutely love about her voice. Great reading of the song Sis. The build is super and the production and mix is beyond stellar. Peter adds the perfect restraint in the complimentary guitar part. This is among your best works and definitely should be included in your greatest hits collection. If you don’t love this you don’t belong on this site!!! Lol, Tom

Great production as always and cool hook line. I think the key should've been moved up at least a half or maybe even a whole step higher with all those low notes in the verse melody. Harmony on the chorus was great. NIce collab.

J&B & colloborators,
A wonderful build to the earworm of the hook on this song... which in a better world would be playing on a bunch more stations than the good PGMusic best of when I turn on my radio.
Very well done.
BTW- did you add a little more reverb to Janice`s last chorus repeat?

Robert

Well written, produced, and mixed song. Janice's vocal range suits the key/register of the song - gentle and powerful at the same time. Simple, but effective guitar solo. Enjoyed the listen.

You guys have always produced a lot of good songs...
But this one has to be one of your best...
Congratulations on this splendid collaboration!
PS: I really like that hook...
"the good news is the bad news could’ve been worse"
A tip of the hat to whomever thought of it?