Julia

A song about the one who got away...

This is a remix of an older song. Used the original FX chain for the vocals instead of the one I'm using now since I like the more vintage sound for this song. Yes, I know to many of you this will sound like a song from the 60s. Oops, there I go again.. Ha!

Thanks in advance for any time spent listening and providing your thoughts!

Key=C , Tempo 135, Length (m:s)=3:04
Style is _JOLT.STY (Jolt Brit Blues Rock)
RealTracks in style: 1717:Bass, Electric, TexasBluesRockStraight Ev 120
RealTracks in style: ~674:Organ, B3, Background Blues Roadhouse Ev 120
RealTracks in style: 3360:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm BritBluesRock70sChoppy Ev 110
RealTracks in song: 2533:Guitar, Acoustic, HeldChords
RealDrums in style:RockHardEven8^1-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride

*******************

Lyrics: R.W. Davis
Vocals: D.A. Hughes
Pretty much everything else: Me

Yeah, you’re just standing there
A smile on your lips
Books on your hip
And sneakers of a shade that hurts my eyes

Yeah, you just walk away
I forget to speak
Makes me feel weak
When I suddenly realize
That you’re gone

J-J-J-Julia
From the very first time I laid eyes on you
I knew I shouldn’t waste my tries on you
Cos you were just too beautiful
And you looked just too happy standing there, not knowing me

Yeah, you just walk on by
Your eyes straight ahead
Lips bloody red
And making me fade from existence

Yeah, you’re just standing there
The world at your feet
I can’t compete
So I just stand off in the distance
Until you’re gone

J-J-J-Julia
From the very first time I laid eyes on you
I knew I shouldn’t waste my tries on you
Cos you were just too beautiful
And you looked just too happy standing there, not knowing me

You leave me perplexed
I don’t know what’s next
I try to speak
But words are hard to find
I try to forget
But you stay on my mind

J-J-J-Julia
From the very first time I laid eyes on you
I knew I shouldn’t waste my tries on you
I knew there’d be no more skies of blue
And I would stay paralyzed, it’s true
Cos you were just too beautiful
And you looked just too happy standing there, not knowing me

J-J-J-Julia
J-J-J-Julia
J-J-J-Julia

Oh...

Ron,

Yes, it has a great 60s sound. Not a bad thing at all - this is cool retro pop. Love the vocal and the song. You really have a great mix here as well.

Bob

Hi Ron,

You are absolutely right; a 60ths song!
But a very nice one too. That j j j Julia reminded me of a song from Robin Gibb, it's called Julliet. He also sang it like; j j j Julliet, oho Juliet
Whatever...
Your song is very beautiful and filled with the all the doubts boys have when trying to connect with a lovely girl.

And after this 60s song you have to make one for generation Z.... They have problems like these too, but because their demands are higher they can't find the perfect match.
Nice story for a song???

Hans

Excellence Abounds.
The Write.
The Vocals.
The Production.
The Mix.

Damn Good Pop Music.

Love It.

fj

Thanks, Bob!


Hans, thanks for the listen! Just looked up Robin's Juliet song. Seems it was a huge hit in Europe but never charted here in the USA. Lovely song, and Robin could of course really sing. The version I listened to did not have a "J-J-J-Juliette" line, so maybe I didn't hear the same one you are thinking of.

Agree the theme on Julia is universal across generations as you suggest. Like your idea for a complimentary song. Our kids are Zoomers, so maybe there's something there. Hmmm....


Gee, Floyd, THANKS a lot!

Just a really, really good song all around. 100%.

Excellent! I love this retro-like song. Great vocals! The lyrics made me smile. Well done!

DC Ron,
The distorted guitars give this a 60's sound to me with a Beach Boys/Beatles vibe! Your vocals sound great including the processing used! The modulation is effective! Everything sounds super to me, especially the little stutter used in the chorus!
Thanks

Hi Ron,
Another top notch pop song from you!
Lyrics are fun, and I love the J-J-J-Julia bit.
Great retro sound.
Enjoyed!

Thanks, Chay!


James, ha! Making smiles is more profound than making music. Glad you liked it!


Torrey, yeah, that's a cool guitar RT. I often use more than one guitar and layer or pan them, but this one guitar RT carries most of the song. The modulation was a fun way to energize the bridge leading to the final chorus. The stutter lyric gave me some pause at first but ended up sounding really cool to me, too. Glad it all worked for you, thanks for the feedback! (You also reminded me that I neglected to credit the lyricist and vocalist in the original post. Now corrected.)

Sounds old-fashioned, but in a good way.
I love those harmonies and the catchy chorus.
Good lyrics, good vocals and a really good production, perfect for that time.

It DOES have a 60s thing going on, but it also brings in the best of the 50s. Good one, Ron. Excellent harmony and vocal. Perfect band. Good write. If she looked like that depiction pic, it's no wonder you stuttered.

I agree about the 60's sound.
Vocal reminds me of Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits.
Well sung and put together.

Vic

Yes, definitely 60s!

Keep this in mind for sync if they ever do Austin Powers IV_ The Return of Dr. DC Ron and the Final Insult.

You don't look like a woman-man, you look like a MAN MAN! Yeah baby!! And I dig it! You look like million bucks!!

Hmmmm. Mmmmmm. You're not supposed to say that anymore Mr. Powers. And a million dollars really isn't a lot of money anymore.

Brain, thanks, glad you liked it!


Thanks, Marty! Now about that silhouette depiction...


Vic, yeah, Dusty can nail any genre from death metal to lounge jazz. Peter Noone would be a good fit for this song. Thanks for the input!


D-d-d-David, [speechless]

Well, there are some things one just can't unsee, aren't there? Thanks for the listen!

Everything about this screams sixties. What a trip down memory lane! The vocals are excellent, the stutter adds the juice, the modulation is very cool. Two thumbs way up, Tom

Hi, Ron,

You've got a knack for the making poppiest of pop.

What's not to like about '60s pop? Yummy bubble gum!

Catchy song, fun listen. I didn't hear the earlier version, but I certainly liked this version!

Tom, thanks for the listen! Glad you liked it! Ron

Ron, this is fantastic.
A real 60's vibe in this one.
Great vocal.
Super backing band.
Great mix.
One of your best for sure.

Great toe-tappin' groove, and I loved that bass - it reminded me of Marty (BabuMusic)!

Thanks, David! The earlier version wasn't posted. It was an older demo quality arrangement that I was finishing up. Appreciate the listen!


Mario, THANK YOU, glad you liked it!


THANKS, Brad! Yeah, PGMusic should put out a Marty bass RT for sure.

Fun retro song!!! The vocal sounds really good and the mix is tight!! Very catchy and well done in every way!!! Take care. Greg

Thanks, Greg! Glad you enjoyed it.

Sounds very familiar, maybe I have heard the original? Anyhow, this is REALLY catchy pop song, reminding me of Crowded House at their best. Lyrics are easy to relate to, interestingly music is very upbeat but the story is not "happy" in reality, but dreamingly happy, because being in love. Those minor chords add perfectly some nostalgia to the mood. Many clever lines like "sneakers of a shade that hurts my eyes".

The combination of the electric guitar and organ works very well. Great vocals and the mix is perfectly poppy.

Janne

Janne, thanks for the listen and the thoughts! The original version was never posted, so must have been a similarity to another tune you've heard. Love everything the Finn brothers did in Split Enz and Crowded House. Those guys were amazing, and any comparison is highly flattering. Thank you! I agree that the happy part of this tale is the dream of what might be. That's a cool way to think about it. Glad you liked the song!

Very 60s Mersey groove. Sounds great. Like the Dave Clark Five or British Invasion. Nice drum work, guitars and vocals. Solid Mix and production. Nice job

I like the 60s sound. Keep it coming. I can identify with the song. I had my Julia, or should I say Julias.
All sounds good. Vocals. Catchy groove. Catchy chorus. It's got a good beat and you can dance to it.

Thank you, Elliott!


Ha! Think Julias are part of the journey for many of us. Yeah, I can see this playing over an American Bandstand dance video for sure. Thanks, Ezekiel!

"Yeah, you’re just standing there
A smile on your lips
Books on your hip
And sneakers of a shade that hurts my eyes"

Well that'll grab you right from the get go!

This has a very enjoyable early Beatles vibe with the topic and the great harmonies.
The organ sounds very good and the mix sets up a nice soundstage for us.

Y’all are a great team!

J&B

Janice and Bud, why...THANK YOU! I'm more of a mid-period Rubber Soul/Revolver era Beatles uber fan, BUT...their early stuff is still stunningly fresh and thoroughly enjoyable. So I'm really flattered by any distant comparison.

I'll thank my lyricist for the hook friendly lyrics. If it weren't for him, none of our songs would exist. Agree this is a great team, though I'm by far the least talented of the group. We're coming up on our 8th anniversary of working together. Still seems like only yesterday...

THANKS for the listen!

DC - it's tres cool. All I'd mention is that I think the vocal could use just a little sparkle added. Cool mix of a cool song.

Ray, glad you liked it! I did go back and forth with the vocal FX chain, but my newer chain (which has more sparkle) didn't sound as good with the harmony vocals (which I really like), so I kept the old chain. Vocals are definitely the part of a mix I work on the hardest and am satisfied with the least. Thanks for the listen and the advice!

Hi Ron,

Very pleasant and well-paced song. I particularly like the well-constructed musical choruses and the vocals. Well done. I appreciated.I also listened to your composition "a walk in the snow" which is well done

Kindly regard
Derochette alias JaniJackFlash

Derochette, THANK YOU for digging this post out of the forum timeline! And thanks AGAIN for doubling down on the listens with A Walk in the Snow. Glad you liked them! Looking forward to hearing many more of your songs. Ron

Ron,

I would have sworn I left a comment on this a couple of days ago. I've listened to the song several songs. It's a winner!

It took me back to the early sixties when I was in high school. It was a much simpler world (other than Vietnam) back then. For the most part, People were respectful of one another. Anyway, I digress.

I enjoyed this song immensely! Dusty certainly has the voice for this - and everything else I've heard. Great write, arrangement, and delivery. If I were still teaching, I'd give it an A+.

Best to all of you,

Alan

Ron...the 60's is one of my decades so I'm loving this...the vocals are so good and the harmony is killer....the band is so perfect in the production...I trained as a speech therapist so I think I can help you with that stutter however the song will suffer greatly....a very fun song and if I weren't afraid of bodily injury I might try to "twist" to this!

Alan, THANK YOU for the kind remarks. The 60s still look pretty cool through my rose tinted granny glasses despite the obvious dark parts. Hey, if you were still teaching I'd go back to school. Ha!


Thanks, Dan! Funny stuff...think a lot of us need to be thoughtful about how much twisting we do any more.

Ah the one that got away. We all have been there. Really cool vocal. Excellent backtrack. Loved the mix. Well done

Hi Dc Ron love this tune well mixed excellent vocals really well done!! Fmm

Thanks, Scott! As I review our catalog, we are more than slightly skewed to the "one that got away" topic. Might have to make an effort to mix these up a bit more. Glad you liked it!


Eric, THANKS for the listen! Dusty's vocals raise the bar for sure. His participation forces me to work harder to come up with melodies, arrangements, mixes, etc. that approach his vocal excellence. (This is still obviously a work in progress. Ha!)

Sounds like a Beatles type song. I love it!!

Ronnie, THANK YOU for the big smile on my face. So glad you enjoyed it! Am reminded of this quote from John, "“I would like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we’ve passed the audition..."

If only. Ha!