Rather than bombard this thread with replies to responses, I thought I'd summarise ...

Melody, chord progression, arrangement
Originally Posted by rsdean
Excellent song with a great melody.
Originally Posted by DC Ron
… another very deftly crafted pop gem. The melody and vocals are fun and infectious, as is your arrangement.
Originally Posted by MarioD
… this is a super pop song. I liked the arrangement and chord progression … Great mix … A flashback to the late 1960's
Originally Posted by dcuny
Bouncy and fun! … As others have said, a nice bit of pop. smile
I love great melodies and grew up in the 60s when melody flourished. I saw a video recently that I try to keep in mind – using intervals of a 3rd or higher in the melody can create distinctiveness, and avoid too much scale step movement, although this has its place. Some of you might have heard me say that I like straying outside the diatonic when it comes to chord progressions – the verse progression has somewhat strange movements (Cdim7 > C; C > Bb2 > E >Ab/G# > Am) which seem to work to my ear – unless I’ve been listening too long. I need to unpack the progression to understand why it works because, in the natural, I wouldn ‘t have thought it would work.

Vocals
Originally Posted by rsdean
… I really like the mix and way you sing it as well. Very nice!
Originally Posted by DC Ron
Your playing and singing fit perfectly with the song and the mood you're setting for the listener.
Originally Posted by rayc
… The vocal is nice but also a bit ropey in parts...doubling might help even that out.
Originally Posted by MarioD
… Super vocal and lyrics
Originally Posted by dcuny
… I especially like the background vocals.
Ah my vocal – my Achilles heel! I do triple track the main vocal but have 2nd and 3rd sitting lower in volume, so maybe I need to mix that a bit higher. Regarding backing vocals, they are my ‘cloaking device’ – something I add to distract the listener from the ‘ropiness’. Regarding lyrics, my view is they are just the vehicle for the music (otherwise, go read poetry) and so I don’t mind if they are oblique or easily misconstrued.

Other
Originally Posted by rayc
Fun song though the last line of the chorus is odd. Like the Dedicated Follower of Fashion quote too.
Well spotted! A day or two into writing the song, I realised that passage sounded familiar (the tail end of the 3rd line of each verse - small things every day / that's not the case at all / expressions all the time) – what was it? The next day, my neurons fired and I realised the melody is the same and the chord progression like The Kinks ‘Dedicated follower of fashion’ – which I used to sing in a band – so I left it in as a nod to the great Ray Davies.

Thank you so much for all your comments! This forum is a very encouraging community where members are willing to pass on their expertise and insights – thank you for welcoming me in!

Regards,
Andrew D
Adelaide, Sth Aust
Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/SQE4btVvNVkLq74e9
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@andrewoftheantipodes