A long, long time ago I used to write songs about events in my life or people I knew. Some time back then (1978), there was a story in the St. Pete Times about a woman named Clare, who spent her life collecting aluminum cans to recycle to "get by". Her dream was to take one last ocean voyage, like she and her husband Jack used to do. It was "heart-wrenching". So I wrote a song about Clare. Because of the story, she ended up being a guest on the Johnny Carson show. He was so taken by her (she was a "character") that he offered to pay for her "last voyage". This is her story.

Clare and the Wonderland Waltz

Since there was no concertina track. I EQ'd an accordian to try to emulate one.

Hope you enjoy it. Comments welcomed. as always

RealTracks:
RealTracks in song: 1181:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking PopWaltz Ev 120
RealTracks in song: ~984:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CountryWaltzCleanHeld Sw 140
RealTracks in song: 1110:Mandolin, Rhythm BluegrassWaltz Ev 140
RealTracks in song: 1298:Pedal Steel, Rhythm CountryWaltz Sw 140
RealTracks in song: 1173:Accordion, Rhythm PopCalypso Ev 100
RealDrums in Song: NashvilleWaltzSw^1-a:Snare, Hihat , b:Snare, Ride
RealTracks in song: ~825:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Country Waltz Sw 140
RealTracks in song: ~1178:Bass, Electric, PopWaltz Ev 120

Wonderful. Great accordion sound, good voice and harmonies.
And I like the touching story.

Guenter

Fantastic. I love the story and the lyrics

Floyd,
Great storytelling in this song. Excellent performance and production. Thanks for sharing.
SD

Floyd, always great to hear a 3/4 done so nicely. I hope Clare and Jack, in some way, hear this. Harmonies were great..I liked the little minor chord in there, stuck in a generally "major" type of tune. Also, I really liked how "less is more" -- not unnecessarily crowded with other stuff, just what was needed to showcase the story and your vocal. Real nice!

I Love it Floyd Jane, great job of mixing!

boehm, Joanne, SD, Tommy - thanks, appreciate the listen and the nice comments.

Tano - Glad you liked this. Clare and Jack are, no doubt, waltzing together "somewhere over the rainbow". The minors are, actually, a couple of m7b5's. I was both amazed and grateful that the RealTracks all seemed to handle that without a hitch...

Floyd,

Wonderful story, heart wrenching lyrics.
Great work on this piece. The music itself contributes
to the entire story along with your vocals.

Great Job!

Story songs are so hard for me to write. I see why. It takes skill and you've got it. Another well produced song featuring BIAB.

This is very well done. I like it.

Frank - thanks for listening, as always - and the comments.

jpt3 - this one almost wrote itself. most of what's in the song was part of the story in the paper...

Pretty song Floyd. I like "the wish going up to the north star." I thought the accordian fit really well. I liked the arrangement and great mix.

Floyd,
You just blew me away. Great lyrics, arrangement, mix and vocals. Thanks for posting this, it is inspiring to all the relative newbies like me.

Hi Floyd,

This songs was a wonderful journey both musically and lyrically. I'm with Sundance in that the line "And her wish goes up to the north star" really appealed to me. Coupling that line with the underlying chords and melody gave a feeling of both hope and hopelessness (maybe hopeful hopelessness!). Very cool indeed.

I loved the way the chorus changed its color and developed with each verse from "wishing before leaving the ballroom" to "wishing before leaving the ship" to "wishing before dying". Each of the three song sections pulls the camera lens further and further back and, because of this, the lyrics take on an increasingly philosophical feel which, in turn, causes an increase in emotional intensity. The net result for me was that I experienced a very satisfying lyrical journey. I've also got to say that these lyrics are showcased against an equally satisfying music arrangement.

Awesome!

All the best,
Noel

Josie - thanks for the listen. glad you enjoyed it.

OleDog - appreciate it. BIAB makes it as easy as it can be.

Noel - you continue to amaze me about how you "see" lyrics. Amazing...

Yep, I enjoyed it.

Lovely, especially the harmony on the chorus.

hi floyd jane loved it great vocals mix and blend of intruments well done thanks for sharing eric

It’s all been said! Great backing tracks, super vocal along with outstanding lyrics.

I can see Neil Young doing this song!

Two super big thumbs up!

David, eric - appreciate the listen.

Mario - Neil Young - not someone that I would ever thought of... may have to pull out my old Neil imitation and try it...

Top Notch!

Wonderful story put to music.

Later,

Hi Floyd
just dropped on this by chance.
What a beautiful, if sad story and what great music.
Loved the singing voice and the backing is just right.
I'm not a Country player or a particular fan but I'm getting to be persuaded with class music like this.
cheers
ian

What they all said. I've been waiting to hear an accordion used like that. The lyrics are outstanding. Spot on story telling w/o being maudlin. Hard to do. Great mix too.