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Surely You Jest

This soul-crushing lyric seemed to me to need musical intimacy, SOooo...

One style, four instruments, one solo vocal. Pretty naked and raw, but that's what we do for our art. Used rests and holds to vary the instruments heard in each section and hopefully provide a gentle dynamic flow. Kept thinking of Neil Young performing "Needle and the Damage Done" live with just him and a guitar, just because any other treatment of the song would impinge on the moment.

RT 4818 offers some nifty pushed changes, which aren't exactly how or when I would play them, but they sound nice just the same. The first push is in the intro.

Edit: Changed the final chord based on Andrew's input (THANKS!). BiaB wouldn't produce a long tail on the hold I wanted, so I left it at one bar. But that lingering chord needed to trail off, SOooo...I played the final chord, matching the sound of each BiaB guitar as close as I could with the amp sim and additional EQ.

THANKS in advance for any listens and comments!

R.W. Davis: Lyrics
Me: Music, arrangement, vocals, guitars, mix, master, kleenex
AI: Still no

Style is _JUNIOR.STY (Junior Steady Indie Folk-Rock)
RealTracks in style: 1522:Bass, Electric, PopPower8s Ev 120
RealTracks in style: 4818:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm SteadyPushMuted ev 110
RealTracks in style: 4519:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking IndieFolkAlt158 Ev 100
RealDrums in style:Americana16GroovinBrushFred^1-a,b:Brushes,Toms

On final held chord:
Guitars: PRS SE Zach Myers, Fernandes MIJ Strat clone
Amp: Line6 Spider V 30

You meet me at the door
We go to your room
And it’s just like before
You wear your costume

You say it’s good to be
Together at last
But it just feels to me
We’re stuck in the past

Oh, but surely you jest
I gave you my best
But I guess that wasn’t good enough for you
Get it off of your chest
If you have to confess
It wasn’t a contest
Please just give it a rest
You can say you were stressed
Oh, but surely you jest

You call me on the phone
And say such sweet things
But you can’t be alone
Cuz loneliness stings

And you do stupid things
That make me upset
But when my phone rings
I try to forget

Oh, but surely you jest
I gave you my best
But I guess that wasn’t good enough for you
Get it off of your chest
If you have to confess
It wasn’t a contest
Please just give it a rest
You can say you were stressed
Oh, but surely you jest

Sometimes you want me so bad
Then sometimes you’re so so sad
I can’t keep up with your mood swings
And all the times you’re pulling my strings
Like I’m your puppet
I’m not a puppet!

Oh, but surely you jest
I gave you my best
But I guess that wasn’t good enough for you
Get it off of your chest
If you have to confess
It wasn’t a contest
Please just give it a rest
You can say you were stressed
Oh, but surely you jest
Oh, but surely...

Ron,

That's a great song... You sing it with such emotion.

Excellent lyrics and I love the choice of RTs. The mix is perfect. Your vocal, coupled with the lyrics is a real standout here. You really made some great choices in the mix.

Loved it!

Bob

Hi Ron!

Despite the rawness and the sensitivities of the lyrics, I love the constancy of the rhythm guitar - just a guess is that maj7ths in some of the chords? Also I thought I heard a second guitar playing notes on the 1, 2&, 4 beats to supplement the rhythm. Nice! The guitars have a really nice effect, coupled with the 'slap' attack of the plectrum on the strings. The pauses in some bars provides a micro reset to the ear to welcome back the strumming. Kind of reminded me of Snow Patrol or Stereophonics a little - which is a good thing.
The only downside is I wished the last held chord faded out a little longer.
Another really good song!
Andrew D

Hi Ron
This is a really lovely song. – I almost used up the whole kleenex pack you provided! Your vocals are sounding great, and I'm a big fan of the simple but effective guitar arrangement. The lyrics are fantastic, and you've created a really powerful and moving piece. My only thought is... could it benefit from a little more dynamic contrast? Something that would add a bit of an "oomph" around the middle. It totally works as it is, but I think an added dynamic 'bridge' would be a home run! But please take that as a huge salty IMO.

Thanks, Bob! Yeah, a little uncomfortable for me without all the sonic safety nets I usually deploy. But glad you liked it!


Hi, Andrew! Yes, the FMaj7 chord anchors the tune, and functions kind of like an Am. Also used G6 as the dominant in some places. Like the unsettling edge these kinds of chord substitutions add, especially to lyrics sung by an unsettled narrator. And yes, the acoustic guitar is often playing on 1, 2 and 4. There's a bass note slide on that RT that required a few partial regenerations to tame. Caught me on the held chord. BiaB wouldn't do what I wanted to do, so I settled. HOWEVER, based on your input I played the last chord on two guitars for a long tail. Details in the OP. THANKS for all!! Ron

Oh man - you’re diligent! The long tail does sound good though. Third time listening and this is one of those songs that has enjoyable nuances each time one listens!
Andrew D

Love it, both musically and lyrically.

Of course, if it was my song, I would probably make the chorus loud and heavy and whatnot to create more contrast, but I have to admit that your approach works very well and has its own charm, so don't change that because it might take away from the good.

Enjoyed my listen.
A lot!

Great example of keeping the arrangement simple, clean…so effective here.
I esp liked your ideas around the rhyming scheme..nicely done!
Production, top-notch.
Enjoyed it!

Thanks, Izzy. Glad you liked it. Totally get what you're saying about the "oomph". Musically, it makes a LOT of sense, and I have it laid out in my head, 'cause that's how my head rolls. Just couldn't make it work against the lyrics. The current bridge ("Sometimes you want me so bad...") is more a meditative reflection on the cost of the narrator's lingering affection before busting out with some slightly more dynamic notes/phrasing in the final chorus. And the final whimper. Oh, gosh, I'm out kleenex again...

No kidding, no jest, this is really a fun creation of yours, Ron. You picked the perfect group to present it, and you know I love what your lyricist adds to it. Very special indeed. I really like the creative contrast between the flowing melody and the all-four-beats rhythm, and how you add breaks at the right times.

Love it, Ron. The lyrics really strike a chord (or resonate if you prefer). The emotion they and the melody and your voice all evoke together is a bit painful but my younger angsty self can really relate.

Hi Ron,

What a great song! The KISS method is often the best way to go. It certainly works nicely here.

You picked the perfect RTs for this. Pretty dang good vocal, too! The driving guitar beats keeps the intensity without becoming boring or over-the-top. That's not always an easy concept to pull off - yet you did it perfectly here.

A sad song that's not soapy - terrific!

It all works - perfectly. Great song - great listen.

Alan

THat has a very cool groove. 80's pop that would fit on a play list with the Cars and others like that.

Nice stuff

Ron, a perfect example of less is more.
Outstanding vocal and lyrics.
Super groove with the perfect backing tracks.
IMHO this is one if not your best to date; it is hard to judge as you have so many excellent songs.
Loved it

I enjoyed this song - the vocals are great - but for some reason I had in my imagination a doctor and nurse scenario! "Surely you jest" No, I kept getting a double meaning from "get it off your chest"!

Well, I'll just repeat my thanks for your suggestion. I tried 3 or 4 approaches inside BiaB and then thought, "Hey, who's going to listen through the final chord anyway?" The correct answer to that question was: Andrew. So my too-short decay tail was rightfully called out. Good on you.

Happy you noticed (and enjoying) the nuances. These tunes are like little plays to me, and I like to include twists big-and-small in each act. My GOAL is to get the lyrics to an audience, knowing that without musical interest, well, this just won't happen.

THANKS for listening and providing constructive input. It means a lot.

Wow, super vocal! I'd love to know your vocal chain. The rhyme and melody could've been sing-songy, but the way you sang elevated it. I do like the last note. Well done on all fronts.

Thanks, B.D.! Yeah, I was on the fence on the chorus but went with subdued charm over dynamic punch. Glad you enjoyed it!

The intro is very good, with a lovely sound. Staying in this minimalist style really highlights the song and the vocals. A very good song.
Laurent

Thanks, Tom! My lyricist is disproportionately talented in the rhyming department, and it's a joy to work with his lyrics. Sometimes the song will write itself, sometimes it takes more work, but...there's always a cool song in there somewhere. Glad you liked the tune!