It has been a while since I'm back here. It were busy times. I noticed I missed a bunch of songs. I will catch up with them soon. As I said it were busy days. I made 2 songs; one with Anne-Marie from RnAM, and another one with Marty. But will only post the first one for now.
It is calledChange of Times,https://on.soundcloud.com/z9kJf3vbWUJMtMt86
About the song: It is a Rock-Waltz, bpm 140. It's about aging and what comes with that. Anne-Marie joined me with the lead vocals and did the BG-vocals by herself. And she did that amazingly! The song is a remix from an older one I made. But the lyrics, composition and used instruments are different.
I also made a video of it on YouTube:
I hope you like it, in spite of the topic ;-)) Hans ============================================================ The lyrics: Change of times (nw) (C) HWBerkhout 04/02/2024
When dark clouds gather The sun fades and the sky turns gray Then things won't get better Oh I, hate this day
Chorus Time flies fast when comes that day And your future won't be around The past echoes in your words, they will say Then you will lose your ground
Your world becomes difficult, challenges don't wait When aging arrives, its grip is unkind Expectations falter, ‘cause you're out of date And you hope it won't take over your mind
Chorus Time flies fast when comes that day And your future won't be around The past echoes in your words, they will say Then you will lose your ground Oh yes, you'll lose your ground
=Solo=
Obsolescence is part of life Now I’m dealing with it too It sometimes causes strife Or makes me feel blue
I accept I'm under attack Though we all call it 'fate' I accept to walk another track It's my body that tells me to wait
Chorus Time flies fast when comes that day And my future won't be around The past echoes in my words, you will say But I need to hold my ground
I know my time is limited But I would like some decency Or else you can wait longer, a bit My words will become my legacy
You voices complement each other well. I love Anne-Marie background vocals. Strong composition. A musical affirmation of self. I love this line: "Obsolescence is part of life"
Great song and mix. My only criticism is that I thought the solo should have peaked and not troughed.
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
Lovely song. Mesmerizing how your vocals intertwine, and the BGVs are exquisite. As they say, "growing old stinks, but it beats the alternative..." Nice one!
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One StudioCat DAW dual screen Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
Di and I are both 77 years old. My health and mental status are still very good - I had a physical today, and the Dr. said I was as healthy as a 50-year-old!
Di, on the other hand, has been ravaged by the calendar.
This is a great song! You and Anne-Marie sound great together. The lyric is so true, unfortunately, for many folks as they age.
Hans. Production, lyrics, vocals, mood all very good - bravo. As for the video , I'm not a fan of matching images to lyrics (Marty is an even a worse offender). Try to get more creative
Oh, Mr. Hans, I love your work. I've been a fan of your music for a long time, and now these outstanding videos you're making add to the enjoyment. And then you elevate my respect even higher by bringing in Anne-Marie to dress up your song. Great idea with glorious results. I'm also so grateful you let me listen to these as they develop --as if I need to be more impressed.
This is a timeless song with very impressive vocal work. You and Anne-Marie are a great team. Well done.
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4:14
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2025 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Y’all sound great together, Hans. Both of you are such soulful singers. The lyric is certainly relatable and the band is excellent. The cello and piano are perfect for the mood and the banjo was surprisingly a good fit.
We enjoyed the video too, especially the end with the people reading the books following the line of “my words will become my legacy” and, of course, the cute cat.
Now let’s all remember that we can still be young at heart. 😊
Good one!
J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos are here on our website.
Thanks giving me these compliments in your posts. I enjoyed them I was hesitant to release it because it has bleak lyrics and no real solution to the problem. On the other hand, singing together with Anne-Marie was a very nice experience and also brought a good result as you can judge for yourself.
Originally Posted by Ezekiel's Storm
You voices complement each other well. I love Anne-Marie background vocals. Strong composition. A musical affirmation of self. I love this line: "Obsolescence is part of life"
Hi Scott, These are really nice words from you. The only thought I had with that line you liked was: what do you like about that. I hate it ;-)
Originally Posted by WaoBand
Great song and mix. My only criticism is that I thought the solo should have peaked and not troughed.
Hi Wao, Thanks for your compliments. I was a little unsure about what you wrote after your compliments. But first let me say that I think it's good when people give their opinions and don't wrap them up in nice words. I looked up the word trouge because I don't know it. It meant: a very low point in the performance. In this case from the soloist.
That is a heavy statement. But let me tell you what I wanted to achieve with the solo. The violin had to play a sad solo, with whining notes, as she had done from the beginning of the song. This is because of the sad subject. So no roaring solo guitars. The only rock guitar was the one that provided the big accents on certain parts of the song. Those were the intros to another level of the song.
To call this a 'trough' is -for me- a misunderstaning of the song. Maybe if you listen again, especially to the structure of the song, your opinion will change. But I probably have to accept what you think. I will do that.
Originally Posted by B.D.Thomas
Song makes me feel old Beautiful song, your voice and Anne-Marie's complement each other very well. Enjoyed the listen. A lot!
Hello Brain, At first: we don't want to give you the feeling you are old. The song is about when you are old. And admit it. You're old too... Anne-Marie and I sang a Dutch song some years ago and that was nice. But singing together in English was something else. But it turned out very good. And AM did a very good thing with the background vocals. I think it gave a lift to the middle part of the song. At least, I was very happy with it. And now, you too.
The change of texture with the heavier guitars was welcome but very brief...a tease? Two voices that work well together...I'd have liked a little more of Anne-Marie. We're certainly constructed with a obsolescence integrated. Fab stuff.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Hans and Anne-Marie...very nice duet work here...certainly an interesting track...rock guitars and banjos...an interesting mix of instruments that compose a great band..."aging"...ahh...fun...well done Hans...I always adore Anne-Marie's voice...you can't go wrong there!
www.soundclick.com/firesong BiaB 2024, Steinberg Cubase Pro 13, Wavelab 11.2, SpetraLayers Pro 10, Audacity, Steinberg UR44 Interface, Yamaha Genos, Roland FP60 and FP10, Windows 10
You are who you are because you do what you do because of what you believe.
Thanks a lot for your nice words and thoughts about the subject too.
Originally Posted by DC Ron
Lovely song. Mesmerizing how your vocals intertwine, and the BGVs are exquisite. As they say, "growing old stinks, but it beats the alternative..." Nice one!
Hello Ron, you have said it very nicely here. I like that. Yes, the BB vocals, esprecially those in the middle part were a surprise for me too. I also had other bg vocals, but I said to Anne-Marie, go ahead, surprise me. And that's just what she did! And you're right. The alternative of getting older is bad, most of the time.
Originally Posted by rsdean
Hans, This is an amazing song with amazing performances... You and Anne-Marie sound great together and really bring the message of the song across. Great mix as well. Love it! Bob
Hi Bob, thanks for this comment. Some years ago we did a Dutch song together. That was it. Till now. And I'm convinced some more songs from us will follow. Maybe happier ones...
Originally Posted by Al-David
HI Hans, Di and I are both 77 years old. My health and mental status are still very good - I had a physical today, and the Dr. said I was as healthy as a 50-year-old! Di, on the other hand, has been ravaged by the calendar.
This is a great song! You and Anne-Marie sound great together. The lyric is so true, unfortunately, for many folks as they age. Best to you, Alan
Hello Al, you're always visiting me with nice words. But you also have nice words about your condition too! What a nice result on that physical! I fear I can't say this for myself. However... my head is in very good condition, I can still sing and ride a bike ;-) But heath is not given to all of us. I'm so sorry for what Di is facing. That's what I meant when singing "when aging arrives, it's grip is unkind". And about Anne-Marie and me; it was surprising we also could sing well together in English. we knew we could in Dutch.
Originally Posted by Izzy
Hans. Production, lyrics, vocals, mood all very good - bravo. As for the video , I'm not a fan of matching images to lyrics (Marty is an even a worse offender). Try to get more creative
Hi Izzy, I haven't heard your name before in this forum. Maybe I missed that and also a song / video from you. Show me where I can find them. Thank you for the kind words on the song. I had to think a while about your critics on the video. I don't mind critics at all. That's why we have this forum. Still, I was thinking how to respond to it. Normally one could say; "well, that's your opinion, but I have another taste", but that didn't feel good. So, at first I went to that website in your link. But to be hones, I didn't find the inspiration you told me I could find there. Then I got another idea. If you think I, and Marty are offenders of 'good' taste, why don't you feel challenged to provide my song with a video as you envision it? I invite you to show how to create the videos you have in mind. Let me know if you accept that challenge!
"If you think I, and Marty are offenders of 'good' taste," [/i]
I didn't say that Hans.
"why don't you feel challenged to provide my song with a video as you envision it?"[i]
IOW, Put up or SFU. I get it Hans. I would probably say the same thing to a smug, pompous Newbie upstart.
"I invite you to show how to create the videos you have in mind."[/i]
Well Hans, I no longer bother doing videos for myself yet alone anyone else.
"Let me know if you accept that challenge!"[i]
Geez Hans calm down. Take a few deep breaths and if you are so inclined read on.................. My personel view about matching images to lyrics is that they detract from my own personal interperatation of what the lyrics say to me (the listener). Quality lyrics often tend to be somewhat metaphorical which allows the listener to "own" the song which results in a far more personal and satisfying experience . Likewise successful music videos tend to follow the same ambiguous format which allows the viewer to discover their own personal relevence to the product. Most people do not want to be spoonfed with silly pictures. A music video on YouTube with a simple single, nice and relevent picture with scrolling lyrics will often result in just as many views (if not more) than many a video which obviously took much time and effort to make.
Finally:
"I don't mind critics at all. That's why we have this forum."[i][/i] It is always a fine balancing act not to cause offence but I have seen many forums slide into a "mutual admiration society" and wither on the vine. Polite constructive criticism is the lifeblood and intelectual stimulus of a healthy forum IMO. My favourite Idiom is "a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor" You will all have a chance to get your revenge when I post my first song.
Thanks for the insight into you. Of course I knew you wouldn't accept that challenge, but it's still a shame. And in your post I think you needed to let off some steam ( a Dutch way of saying). But I doubt your way of telling people how to improve their creativity is effective: C’est le ton qui fait la musique! (Look it up).
And when your song comes out, I will listen and watch it, if there is a video included, with open mind. I always do that. So, don't be afraid of that. We can learn from each other if we want to.
Bye, Hans
Originally Posted by Izzy
Hello Hans
"If you think I, and Marty are offenders of 'good' taste," [/i]
I didn't say that Hans.
"why don't you feel challenged to provide my song with a video as you envision it?"[i]
IOW, Put up or SFU. I get it Hans. I would probably say the same thing to a smug, pompous Newbie upstart.
"I invite you to show how to create the videos you have in mind."[/i]
Well Hans, I no longer bother doing videos for myself yet alone anyone else.
"Let me know if you accept that challenge!"[i]
Geez Hans calm down. Take a few deep breaths and if you are so inclined read on.................. My personel view about matching images to lyrics is that they detract from my own personal interperatation of what the lyrics say to me (the listener). Quality lyrics often tend to be somewhat metaphorical which allows the listener to "own" the song which results in a far more personal and satisfying experience . Likewise successful music videos tend to follow the same ambiguous format which allows the viewer to discover their own personal relevence to the product. Most people do not want to be spoonfed with silly pictures. A music video on YouTube with a simple single, nice and relevent picture with scrolling lyrics will often result in just as many views (if not more) than many a video which obviously took much time and effort to make.
Finally:
"I don't mind critics at all. That's why we have this forum."[i][/i] It is always a fine balancing act not to cause offence but I have seen many forums slide into a "mutual admiration society" and wither on the vine. Polite constructive criticism is the lifeblood and intelectual stimulus of a healthy forum IMO. My favourite Idiom is "a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor" You will all have a chance to get your revenge when I post my first song.
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