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The Older I Get The Less I Get It

Our last song (Chaos Of Change) was blatantly pessimistic regarding the “state of affairs” so here’s one that is less so and with an attempt at whimsy. Janice’s two outro lines are quoted from Bud’s wise mentor when he (Bud) started his career in behavioral health services thinking he could quickly change things. 😁 Thanks to Peter for the guitar tracks and, as always, to PG Music. Your time to listen and perhaps comment are much appreciated. The lyric is below tech stuff and on SoundCloud.

Janice: lead/BGV/harmony vocals, arrangement, melody, and progression (yeah, there’s an A major). Izotope Nectar for all processing.

Peter: guitar solos/fills and arrangement and mix input.

Bud: lyric, mix and mastering

For the tech inclined:

Drums: Nashville Radio Shuffle > Waves CLA Drums (comped from multiple tracks)
Snare: From above kit > Waves Magma BB Tubes > Ozone Impact > Logic Pro ChromaVerb
Cymbal: From above kit > Logic Pro ChromaVerb

Bass: RealTrack 3567 Nashville Radio Shuffle > Logic EQ > Waves Bass Rider > Waves Magma BB Tubes

Rhythm Guitar: RealTrack 654 Texas Boogie DI > Logic Pro Brownout Amp/mic/speakers

Piano: RealTrack 2124 Acoustic, Rhythm Country Shuffle John > Waves CLA Unplugged > Ozone Imager

Mastering: Ozone EQ > Ozone Multi-band compression > Ozone Imager > Ozone Maximizer > Ozone Tonal Balance > Logic Pro Loudness Meter

THE OLDER I GET

The right says the left are all wusses 
The left says the right is heartless
Blue tie man says the climate's changing 
Red tie man says no, they're all lying

CHORUS
you can get lonely in the middle ground
it’s a desert that can bury your spirit
Strip away the labels, are we so different
I reckon the older I get the less I get it

The doc says eat this diet and live to 90
Next doc says no I'd never make it to 50
I read on the net buy gold and never worry
Then my broker says you'll go broke in a hurry

REPEAT CHORUS

Buy local organic, save the small farmer
No, save your money it's not the answer
Talking head says a pipeline'll cause a spill
but the other one just says drill baby drill

REPEAT CHORUS

Outro
A wise friend told me to be like grass, I said oh please
He said keep firm roots but let your blades sway in the breeze

Copyright 2023 J. Merritt, B. Merritt & P. Fulham

How very true.
Don't believe all your told type of song.
All very well done by the team.

Vic

As I age I grow to care so little for so much and so much for so little. That, and The older I get the colder I get are two things I seem to say a lot these days.

WOW, what a cool song. And I really dig the way you sing it with the occasional tongue-in-cheek wink, Janice. Very uplifting sounds, and, Peter, your guitar is outstanding. Bud, I hear and am so impressed with your work in there. So far I'm on my 3rd listen, and you guys are alwys on my playlist. Thanks for another wonderful listen --listens.

HAHA Broker-->broke. I'll be swaying to the breeze with this one a lot. Thanks for the wind in those sails.

I love the virtual dialog Janice has with herself...what a great idea
It's _still_ pessimistic, but the cheerful mood gives it a more positive character... I like this contrast.

As always, great work from the three of you.
Enjoyed the listen.
A lot!

Janice, Bud & Peter,

Loved it! A great song and a great arrangement. Janice kills the vocal and the back & forth piece is genius. Peter's guitar is singing and completely in the groove.

The mix / production is outstanding. It sounds great cranked up!

What else could anyone want!

Bob

Very nice work on the voices. it’s very successful
Laurent

Thanks Vic!.

J&B

Cool song, folks!

There's lots of truth in those words. I'm one of those middle grounders, and yep, it's a bit desolate here at times.

Loved the way ya'll put this together. And the way Janice handled the vocals here is just so danged good. Not exactly call and response, but yet some of that flavor. Pretty hip band behind the vocals, Peter leading the way so nicely, as he always does.

This is a little different from your regular post - nice and refreshing! Kinda Big Band, Pop/Rock - minus the big band. Very cleverly orchestrated!

Really nice!

Alan

Janice, Bud, Peter, wow! What an incredibly tight and enjoyable song. Cool lyrics, sweet music, playful vocals, ripping guitar...You guys are simply GREAT. Really enjoyed your happy tune.

Very clever write, Bud! "the older I get the less I get it", yep, I can relate

Peter sounds great, cool solo, great tone.

And Janice always makes me smile.

Really well done you three!

Marty, wish I’d thought of those two lines you mentioned. 😁 Thanks for the great review and glad you like it all and the comments on the lyric are appreciated.

J&B

J&B...first off I love the title... and man "you can get lonely in the middle ground"...no...really? super song all round...great production (as usual) Bud...Janice you killed it! Peter is right on with that great BiaB track...no middle ground here...I'm loving this!!

Love it!

This is fun song with attitude. Janice's vocal is a joy to listen to, and the back-and-forth dialog works great. That guitar solo was perfect.

Punchy, in your face mix with an arrangement that bops along. Excellent!


On a tangent, I recall reading quite a bit on how conservatives and liberals respond to risk and change differently. We have a different emotional response to the same set of facts, but we're utterly convinced that our beliefs are logical and rational... because they feel right. So as long as we feel we're right, we don't feel any need to change.

This was driven home by a friend who was had paranoid delusions bolstered by auditory hallucinations. He said that if anyone else told him about the things he was telling me about, he's say they were "crazy". (His word, not mine. As you're more than aware, "crazy" is perhaps the most un-helpful term to use when talking about mental illness).

But because it was happening to him, and it felt real, he knew it was real.

Fortunately, I'm entirely immune to this sort of emotionally-driven behavior.

J&B&P...

A Good Balanced write. Nice job of allowing each side to pick their lines. That's a hard thing to do.
Peter's lines are nicely balanced, too! With a nice bite.
Janice is her Always-Pro self with the added spice of Fun - where she is always at her best.

Do we even have to talk about Bud's mixes anymore? We just need a stamp [mix]Perfect[/mix]

fj

Your title has two meanings. I had thought your song was going to be about a completely different subject.

I thought your "Chaos of Change" was spot on. Same thing with this song. I'm with you in the middle.

Excellent vocal and harmony. I especially like the "ooo, ooo" BGV.

Production sounds clean and balanced as usual.

I enjoyed that. Especially the talking to yourself parts. Well done. That's something you don't hear very often.

As usual, great job from everyone involved.

Thanks! Bud tries not to worry about Janice talking to herself. 🤪

J&B

Thanks Bob for all you mentioned. Glad you cranked it up. We were hoping the mix would hold together when upped. Much appreciated!

J&B

Hi team
Great work by you all, as usual. Love the back and fourth vocals, Janice, and that little chuckle in the outro.
Seasonal greetings to you and Bud (I'll be catching up with Peter soon). Let's hope the world becomes more, rather than less, comprehensible as we make our way through the next year (though I won't be holding my breath). Hope you stay well and continue to make wonderful music to gladden our hearts.
Regards,
Leon

Thank you

J&B