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A simple love song.


THE SIMPLE TRUTH

the simple truth
is often hard for me
to let my heart
have the room to speak
perfect words don't come easily
to a man like me

i'm bound to trip
in any lover's dance
but i know
i can't miss this chance
might be the one opportunity
for a man like me

   you need to know
   i love you
   from deep in my soul
   honestly
   please believe
   i love you
   the simple truth
   from a man like me

can't say there's more
than just what you see
no secret door
no fancy poetry
the moon and stars don't line up behind
a man like me

   you need to know...



harmonies: Janice Merritt
acoustic guitars: me

...and the rest of the BAND:

RealTracks in song: 1190:Bass, Electric, ModernRnBRock Ev 065
RealTracks in song: 1542:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm PopBelieve Ev16 065
MIDI SuperTracks in song: 1805:Synth Pad, PopBelieve Ev16 065
RealTracks in song: 1856:Cello, Background PopCountry Ev 085
RealDrums in Song: ModernPopBallad16ths^01-a:Quiet hat, Sync-kick, b:Open hat, Sync-kick
Studio One Loops


J&B - y'all are such an important part of my music.
But even more than that, an important part of my life.
Forever grateful.


Hope everyone else enjoys this.
Thanks for listening.

fj

Beautiful!

Man, this has to be your best vocal yet! The "please" in "please believe" .... goosebumps!

And the blend of your voice with Janice ... double goosebumps!

Great work on the arrangement too, very effective the way it builds. I love hearing stuff like that!

Excellent!

A simply beautiful love song,Floyd. The lyrics communicate without needing embellishment...

can't say there's more
than just what you see
no secret door
no fancy poetry
the moon and stars don't line up behind
a man like me

there`s some skillful poetry in that!
Love that vulnerable hint of falsetto on your "please",( I agree with Dave, this is right up there with your best vocal performances), the panned guitars, and naturally, Janice joining in, are also standouts.

Robert

Floyd IMHO this is your best to date. Your vocals were fantastic; I didn't know you had that much vocal range! Of course as usual your backing tracks and mix were perfect. Plus Janice and you make perfect harmonies together.

This is outstanding!

Life's busyness means I rarely get chance to visit this forum. But, so glad that on my one visit I clicked on this track.

A beautiful song with an excellent 3rd verse lyric.

The build up is so well done...and the moment the cello joins is sublime.

Your mixes always sound great to me. I'm envious of your ability to shape BIAB tracks just the way you want.

In the past I've looked at some of your posts about mixing hints and I wish you'd compile all your stuff into one post/video/handbook!

Lovely song, performance & arrangement.
The 1st time through NEED from need to know is a little aggressive and made me jump.
At 2.43 there's comp keyboard style click, though it may be string or pick noise, that you may be able to erase. It's no big deal but the song is intimate and quiet at that point so it sticks out.
Lovely, lovely song & Ms. Merritt merits particular praise for her gorgeously warm bvox.

floyd,

Simply lovely simple love song. Beautiful sound - great build up and superb vocal.
Love Janice's harmony part, as usual you two sound stunning together.

Wonderfully written and performed song.

Peter

Simply lovely simple love song. Beautiful sound


Could not agree more, well done to both of you.

As usual the mix and arrangement is spot on, Janice is always a very welcoming addition on the backing vocals .

ENJOYED .

Thanks

p,s, had to edit this as only half of my comment was posted .

Nice Floyd!

Very soothing, and deceptively simple. The best kind! Really loved this man.

Excellent mix.

Bird Leather, Chills, Goose Bumps! Could it be that you keep getting better vocally melodically and lyrically? Your very bestest vocal ever! That girl sang a beautiful harmony. The arrangement is so good. The acoustics were well played and recorded. The production is out of this world. This may be your best overall effort. I am truly stunned to the depth of my emotions. It simply can't get any better than this, Tom

This is about as soulful as it gets. Liked the softer acoustic setting. Combined with your excellent production values, you've got one of your best ever IMHO. I keep coming back to it again and again.

The simple truth is this is an AMAZING song! I went in with some expectations, and can say I didn't see this coming.

You nailed EVERY aspect of this song by saying EXACTLY what need to be said...and nothing more. You played EXACTLY what was needed, and nothing more. That is what makes a "simple" song so powerful. It's knowing what to keep; and knowing what not to. That is sooooo hard to do in my opinion.

That lift captured me in a BIG way. It's like hearing an orchestra swell kick in at the very point it needs to; without it actually being there. Just "wow!"

A few things about the vocal. You performed it really well, which I have come to expect. I don't know that I have ever mentioned how good your diction is? I always mean to; but you've got that down!

Now the other thing with the vocal is the falsetto "please" in "please believe"...who do you think you are? Ronnie Dunn? If you think that; I'm right there with you! What a fantastic choice, placed at the optimum place for it.

Man, this will get many listens. Great job!

The lyrics of this song were very relate-able. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us!

FJ & Janice,

Beautiful and powerful. Excellent vocals!! I've heard quite a few of your songs. Eyes closed, this will make it to top 10. Enjoyed it!
Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

Yep, this is a good one all right.

Maybe I'm overthinking things - I'm in a Noel sort of mood - but I noticed the verses rhymed "don't come easily" and "opportunity" with the "ee" sound. Clever rhyming, rolls of the tongue and feels natural.

But the last verse broke the "ee" rhyming pattern and instead used an inner rhyme line up behind.

I have a tendency to fill up space with lots of notes. It's good to hear the opposite done so well - a song that lingers over the notes, isn't rushed at all, holding the melody.

And, of course, sung with the patented "straight from the heart" floydjane delivery, with subtle support from Janice.

Plus, I'm a sucker for cellos!

Lovely song, Floyd. As Peter said, you and Janice sound stunning together.
Regards,
Leon

Dave and Robert,

Thank you for mentioning my harmony. I love being part of this beautiful song!

Janice

Very nicely done - love the mood on this one, and found it very lush and pretty for the ears. I thoroughly enjoyed the vocals and thought the mix was top notch too.

Thanks for sharing

A simple song is not so simple to write.
Everything flows like clear water from a quiet but wild stream.
Congratulations. Christian

this is stunning!!! man this is good great work floyd

Thanks, Dave. I always look forward to your reaction. That bit of falsetto seems to be a "fan favorite"...

Such a beautiful touching love song. I'm a huge fan of Janice's singing and wonderful harmony but I could've done without any harmony at all on this song. I thought the lead vocal was powerful enough to drive this intimate song on it's own. Just my opinion of course, Terrific however you slice it FJ.

Floyd and Janice,

Wow, do you guys every deliver!

This song is really meaningful, has feel and emotion and is absolutely beautifully presented.

Sensational, no question.

Very touching lyrics, so much meaning in few simple words. I really like the vibrato in your voice and the "please believe i love you" is amazing vocal highlight, Janice's voice gives nice support. And the arrangement is well-structured, instruments are nicely introduced.

Janne

Thank you Mario. It was a pleasure to sing harmony on this!

J&B

Robert - thanks for such a nice review. I really appreciate having those lines "quoted"...

That's nice of you to say, Mario. Thanks!




Phil - It is nice to see you drop in! Glad you liked this. And it is nice to know that someone gets something out of the bits that I have posted about mixing. I wish it were easier to show that process, but I'm not really set up for it... those YouTube guys always make it look so easy....

Ray - I agree that "need" is rather aggressive and could have been tamed a bit.
I hadn't heard (or paid attention to) the squeak. It is an acoustic guitar string squeak - which I generally don't mind if they are not very prominent. Often trying to remove them causes more harm than good... Thanks for nice review...

Man, I could listen to this all day, great stuff...

Loved it from start to finish.

Hi floyd,

Wow!!! You and Janice deliver goosebumps material with this one *shiver*.

Your vocals are incredibly powerful to listen to... they are filled with honesty and sincerity and intimacy all rolled up together. The direct address point of view is a really powerful choice. If I was sitting beside someone special while I listened to the two of you singing this, these lyrics would have felt like they were written especially for that moment.

floyd, when you compose and produce songs like this, all I can think of saying is "What a wonderful gift you have!"

Janice and floyd.... your songs should be on the international market! They are THAT good.

All the best to you both,
Noel

Thanks, Peter! - for all the nice comments. Janice's harmony always help elevate a song...




beatmaster - thanks!!

David!! - Great to see ya 'round these here parts, son. Get back to the music!!

floyd,

Yes, it is exactly a simply beautiful love song.
Very soothing.
Superb vocal as usual.
It touched my heart deeply.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Tom - you really floored me with these comments. Coming from you that means a lot. (And Thanks! for mentioning the acoustics...)

Ray, Peter and beatmaster,

Thank you all for mentioning my harmony in your review.
floyd and I have been singing together for six years and
I always look forward to our next project!

Janice

Wow, I love this song. I thought of my wife of 29 years while listening to it. Beautiful song...

Floyd ...

It's simply not easy to create a song that sounds this simple ... it's a really, really tough challenge. But, as always, you ended up with the arrangement and perfect presentation. Your vocal range is extraordinary as you lose no depth and quality in the upper register and your lower register is full and powerful. The cello was so nice and the acoustic background was just enough without being too much.

And Janice is such a wonderful vocalist in her on right. When her harmonies come in ... is like velvet.

WOW!

Alan

PS: Wish I had more time to offer a more in-depth comment ...

Thanks Tom for saying that about the harmony!

L’il Sis

Heartfelt and lovely simple love song. Stunning beautiful blending of Janice's harmony with your lead vocal. Enjoyed the listen.

Lovely song Floyd. Simple, vulnerable and emotional vocal. Perfect for your lyrics. Janices's harmonies were lovely as well. Really nice listen. Well done Floyd

Hate to be the one piling on here. All these wonderful admissions and testimonies regarding the quality of this piece and now I come at the end of the line adding my two cents to the mix. In my defense I was one of the earlier commentators in this thread, but after my entry I decided to withdraw the comments. I was just uncomfortable, not really with what I had to say, but rather how I said it. Thought I needed to think this out a bit more, didn’t want to offend anyone. Hated to think I was being overly judgmental bordering on creepy. So now I have put my thoughts together a bit more, talked with FJ off-line and gathered a few facts. So here goes…

I was sitting at my computer early scanning the PG forums. Most of the problems in the forums I frequent were being well addressed by the regulars, so nothing much I could add. With a little extra time, I stumbled into the user showcase. I don’t go here too often since I don’t have the time to listen to a lot of music. I came upon an entry by FJ. I remember when he was the new kid on the block and with his first contribution recognized (as we all did) this was not our typical closet or weekend musician. My comment at the time was simply “…what are you going here?” This kind of talent doesn’t often just wonder into the bar.

OK, here is where I start piling on… I played The Simple Truth. As I was listening in my studio my wife walked by. “Hey” she said, “that sounds really nice, who is it?” I replied, “that’s FJ”, to which she answered, “Who’s that?”. I swear it was just like in the movie “Yesterday”. I knew who the Beatles were and no one else did! And that’s when it hit me! Years ago, I had asked FJ, “what are you doing here?” more or less like a cute comment based on a Billy Joel song and now today I wanted to ask “…why are you still here?” This song should be on every radio play list. It should be played at every wedding anniversary party. The vocals and lyrics reach inside and grab you to the core. I can only conclude after listening to The Simple Truth, that FJ is simply the most talented person I know who no one on the national level seems to have ever heard of! He sits on a stool at the end of our local bar as a shining talent and I wanted to know why.

I blame it on the music - when a singer/songwriter presents his soul in his art it makes his audience feel like they know him or want to know him.

After I removed my original comments, I spoke with FJ and he was kind to share bits of his musical journey. I was pleased to learn that this is a talent which he has nurtured and developed over a long journey. Like many of us in our careers, we may not have gotten to the promised land, but we have stood on the mountaintop and seen what few other have seen. FJ shared with me that he is content with his stool at the end of our bar. I was glad to hear that, and I want him to know how much his talent is appreciated. So if this is piling on, then I am guilty as charged.

TM ... Thanks! I really appreciate that....

Misha and David,

Thanks for mentioning my small part!

Janice

Hi Floyd,

there's more than just one simple truth being shown with this song:

- You're an exceptional songwriter
- You're an excellent vocalist
- You're a most tasteful arranger

and

- You hve incredibly nice friends.

A very appealing song, no frills, just 'the song'. And as always Janice makes it shine even more - you two really go together so well...

Liked it a lot.

Take care,

Stefan

One of these days, your expectations are going to be the death of me

Might be that blind squirrel thing, ya know....:)

If I can catch you with the arrangement, then i gotta be happy about that!!

Actually, I don;t recall anyone ever mentioning that at all...

Uh...I WISH I could sing like Ronnie Dunn!! HA!

Thanks for the great review...

Thanks for listening, Ember.



Thanks, Misha!!




David - thanks for the thoughtful review (again!). I always enjoy reading what you have to say about a song (and production)..

I really do appreciate your comments!

Janice

We appreciate that, Leon!!




Thanks, Deryk!...




Christian - Thanks! glad to have you stop by...





Eric - really appreciate words like that!!....

Thanks, Josie...glad you liked it.

Trev - always nice to see you drop by. We appreciate the nice comments...




Thanks, Janne...

Nice of you to say, Ronnie. Thanks...




Thanks, Ed...

Noel and Al,

Thank y’all very much! it was fun to be a part of this production.

Janice

Noel - What a truly heartwarming review/comment. It is greatly appreciated..

Shigeki Adachi - Thanks for your continued support!! So glad you enjoyed this one...

The vocal performance is so deeply heartfelt and moving (along with the lyrics). Simply beautiful!

Floyd,

Heartfelt tune with your usual stellar production. Nicely done!

Hope all is good in your world,

Deej

If I ever get married, I want this song played at my wedding.

Mark, Scott and Stefan,

Thanks y’all. I was privileged to be asked to sing on such a wonderful production!

Janice

A simple love song? Yes An incredibly beautiful love song? YES!!!!! I have always loved the "bare your soul" kind of songs, and have heard very, very few as good as this one! The music is beautiful.....FJ acoustic guitar fits perfectly....and the way it interacts with the bass sounds like a great band would arrange it. The lyric is wonderful, and the vocal is DEEP.....you can feel the truth in it! This is a MASTERPIECE Floyd!!!!! Take care. Greg

A simple love song?...
I'd call it a beautifully written simple love...
You guys surely do wonderful work!

Ronnie - thanks!! again...




Alan - Thanks for the nice comments. We appreciate the time you can spend with us...




Thanks, Mark. It is always a joy to have Janice join in and help elevate my songs...




Scott - thanks for the really nice review...

Dan - I remember those early days - the Showcase was a much smaller community then. It has grown by leaps and bounds (a good thing). I recall your comment then, and I appreciated your support...then and now...


Needless to say, it is quite heart-warming to hear comments like this. It is always nice to hear that someone outside our regular group (meaning someone like your wife) also enjoys what we are doing.



I truly appreicate all of that, Dan. Thank you.

Thanks for all of that, Stefan!!




Thanks, Scott!!





Appreciate you stopping by, Deej...





That's a nice sentiment, James. Writing a good "wedding song" can be a big deal... there's lots of money in the sales of sheet music...

Can't ask for a better review than that! Thanks for the very nice comments, Greg...




Glad you liked it, Jim. Good to see you back around...





=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

JANICE - You. Are. The. Best.

Floyd, all of the work you share here is of such high quality and deserving of so many accolades that it's hard to come up with comments that you haven't already heard, but I'll offer these observations. The word that came to my mind is "delicate" from the instrumentation choices and performances to the vocal delivery to the lyrical content! It's such a good offering from you on every level and having Janice back you up just adds to the wonderful attributes of this song! Great work once again!! Thanks, Torrey.