I was looking through some loops and stumbled across this piano section. I worked up an approximation of the chords and added a chorus. The whole time I had Janice in mind for the vocal. She agreed to work on this and along with Bud's indispensable observations we came up with this. We hope everyone enjoys this. Comments/ Suggestions are welcome as always.

http://tommyadamsmusic.com/music


http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12748108

Style MIDI Instruments are : Fender Bass (34),
RealTracks in song: 1883:Piano, Acoustic, Soloist Country12-8John Sw 065
RealTracks in song: ~970:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CountrySwingCleanPedal Sw 085
RealTracks in song: ~688:Organ, B3, Background Pop Ev 065
MIDI SuperTracks in song: 1886:Piano, Solo-Accompaniment Bluesy12-8John Sw 060
RealTracks in song: ~743:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Jazz Ballad Sw 060 (A:simple)
RealDrums: RealDrums in Style: Nashville128^08-a:Snare, b:Ride

Vocal- Janice Merritt
Guitar- Tom Adams
Piano Loop - Logic Pro9



I Don't Want To Hear You Say Goodbye


You don’t have to say a thing it’s written on your face

i don’t understand it how we’ve gotten to this place

But once i learned to love you

and let you take my heart

Now I can’t stand to watch us fall apart

looking at you now a piece of me just died

i don’t want to hear you say goodbye


Guitar


you don’t have to stay and talk I can’t change your mind

there’s miles of smiles and years of tears in what we leave behind

I guess I’ll have to straighten up to keep from falling down

It’ll take some getting used to not having you around


There’s nothing left to say so please don’t say a word

Won’t you just walk away away from all this hurt

looking at you now a piece of me just died

i don’t want to hear you say goodbye


Guitar

There’s nothing left to say so please don’t say a word

Won’t you just walk away away from all this hurt

looking at you now a piece of me just died

i don’t want to hear you say goodbye

looking at you now a piece of me just died

i don’t want to hear you say goodbye

©2014 Thomas Adams / Janice Merritt

Hi Janice and Tommy,

Where to start????

The minute the piano began playing I thought, "Wow! That's a great piano loop". When the guitar came in I thought, "Nice. Very nice".

Then Janice started singing against the piano and I was mesmerised, transfixed, glued to my headphones. My ears were overwhelmed with the velvet luxuriousness of the sound. It was such an amazing and outstanding combination - Janice + piano.

The production and the arrangement, Tommy's playing, Janice's singing, the melody, the lyrics, every single thing about this work is solid gold quality through and through.

Oh, one last thing, I absolutely love the chord progression.

Overall ... stunning!

All the best,
Noel

WOW!!! Just great! This would be a great one to pitch to Bonnie Raitt, although her vocal couldn't be much better than Janice's. Killer stuff!
there’s miles of smiles and years of tears in what we leave behind (one of the best lines I've ever heard!!!) Take care. Greg

That is very kind of you Noel. Tom had an idea for the melody and it was easy and fun to work with the arrangement. I really appreciate your comments.

Janice

Tom and Janice...

This is STUNNING. BEAUTIFUL. GORGEOUS. DELICIOUS!!!

What an incredible production. The opening piano sounds like you've known it all your life. It grabs you immediately and never lets you go.

The guitar sings. Like the best of Jeff Beck. Tom - you seem to have blossomed before our eyes into some Guitar Superhero.

Gotta know how you processed the drums. Every piece of the kit sounds PERFECT! Big, full. The organ - perfect. There's that guitar again - gorgeous... And the pianos - details please - 2 RTs, a midi, the loop - what's where?

and... Janice... OH! MY! GOD! - a vocal that careers are made from. I couldn't hear a single word - all I could hear was THE VOICE - SINGING. In a league with Linda Ronstadt. Honestly. I do not say that lightly. Pure Joy To Listen To. WOW. Pure emotion. Like it came from your very soul.

A beautiful song - lyric and melody. The sound of an instant classic.

Stunning.

floyd

Noel, thanks very much for your kindness. We all look forward to what you have to say. We actually said that we wondered what Noel will say. Now we know. Thanks again.

Greg, I thought of that line in the middle of the night and almost got up to write it down. Then I second guessed it and Bud talked me into keeping it. This songwriting thing can get a little tricky. Thanks for the compliments.

Floyd, thanks for all the nice things that you come up with to say. We hold your opinion in high regard. There are 15 tracks, the loop is the intro and outro, midi piano throughout, midi piano for little fills, 2 generations of real track piano all separate tracks faded in and out to make one instrument, organ, bass, drums, real track guitar 2 generations sliced and diced, lead guitar and 3 tracks of vocal comped to 1. All instruments were run through alloy2. The vocal is a natural and soulful setting in Nectar2. Last but not least the drums were run through alloy2. The big bottom sound was used. The toms were so hot they are dropped 3.5 db in every fill and they're still pretty loud. I also used nectar breath control on the outro vocal. I think all of us here on the forum recognize that Janice has got something very special. Something that you only run across a few times in a lifetime and I am glad that I was able to work with her on this. Thanks again. Tom

That song is so good in so many ways.

Yup.. loved the clarity and fatness of the mix, the chord progressions and the unexpected chords, the drums are my kind of drums, the guitar tone is to die for, sweet and tasteful picking, amazing B3 in the background just rocks this to a different level, the piano is classic, the vocals are spot on and of the finest quality, and the writing..... without the writing, none of the other matters.

Simply saying "good job" to this seems insufficient.... so...

Damn Good job.

Nice arrangement, my compliments for finding inspiration based on an idea (loop) and then working around that limitation.


Mix holds up @ 100% power captain on this end with no damage to report!


Best wishes on new projects.


DA...

Hi Janice and Tommy,

everything has been said.
What a song! Great piano and guitar. And Janice
seems to get better from time to time. What a voice!
The overall mix is just superb.

Guenter

Hi again Janice and Tom,

Sorry! I couldn't stay away

Since I first heard it this morning, your song has been on my mind. Right now, it's just on midnight here and, only seconds ago, the song finished playing for the ninth or tenth time (I haven't kept count).

A question that has been ringing around in my head is, "After it's stripped back to its bare bones (i.e. ignore performances, arranging and production), What is it about this song that makes it work so well?" There's something (or some things, even) that really appeal to me and I'm never satisfied until I can understand the 'why it is so!' (to paraphrase Prof. Julius Sumner Miller).

Firstly, the form complements the lyrics perfectly. From a lyric perspective, it's pretty much a 2-verse composition with a 2-line refrain at the end of each verse. I interpret this as a truncated variation on the AAA form that Janice and Bud are extremely familiar with from their folk/bluegrass music. Maybe that familiarity has helped brighten the feeling of competence that is an aura around every aspect of the song.

After multiple listens, I think the fact that many of the melodic phrases start after beat 1 is what really makes these lyrics tug at my heart strings. I also like the way you've mixed perfect rhymes and other rhyme types in the lyric structure.

In addition, the two characters in the song are vividly real and it's so very easy to see the singer looking at the other person and singing. Emotional truth and honesty stand tall in these lyrics. They are 100% believable. I also compliment you both on your strong verse development with verse 2 becoming just a little more philosophical and, as a consequence, gaining just the right amount of emotional weight to make the listening journey satisfying.

Lastly, repeating the back half of verse 2 as the song's third lyric section packs a great emotional punch (at least that's how I felt it). My observation is that repetition, when used wisely as in these lyrics, nearly always strengthens and amplifies meaning.

Anyway, you've both given me lots of food for thought when I sit down to write my next song. Thank you for that.

All the best,
Noel

Wow!! Great Job!!
Janice's vocals are spot on perfect.
The guitar is great and I love the way you use it to build the dynamics of the tune.
In fact, the dynamics really make the song. This is a piece worthy of greater attention.

Hi Tommy, Janice and Bud
This is just spectacular. I love everything about it. I love the guitar solo and the piano and of course Janice's vocals are, as always, outstanding

Herb, I was hoping to hear from you on this one. I am glad that we won your approval. You no doubt have excellent ears and a wealth of knowledge about recording, so we feel real good to get a thumbs up from you. As you well know all these different hats that we wear make this an ongoing learning experience. It's nice to know we are heading in a good direction. Thanks for the comments.

DA, Thanks for the mix power report. The loop was in the right key for Janice and seemed to be about the right tempo for what I had in mind, so that was just plain old blind luck. Rather be lucky than good. Thanks again.

Guenter, Thanks for your kind words. Yes Janice has got quite an instrument.

Noel, I don't even know what to say about your observations except this is the kind of thing we have come to expect from you. It is always an education in song structure when we read your comments. Although I find it all very interesting I must confess I never think too much about it. It's kind of how I feel about reading music, I know just enough not to hurt me. I do hope to continue to learn more from you. You certainly are a wealth of knowledge when analyzing a song. Thank you so much for coming back again and taking the time to comment. We all appreciate it greatly. Tom

Hi, Tommy, Bud and Janice !

I fully agree with everyone else !
This is really outstanding in every
possible way ! Really don´t know
when or if I´ve heard such a perfomance
ever before ?

My sincerest gratulations for
this outstanding collaboration !:))

Cheers
Da ni

David, Thanks for listening and commenting. The dynamics were also the product of a well played piano loop and Janice's control on the intro and outro. Her soft low range is packed with emotion and the mix was tweaked to help bring that to life. Thanks again and welcome to the forum. i will be by to comment on your remixed song. By the way i listened to Bloomfield's Blues on your sound cloud page. Nice guitar work- he was one of my guys.

Josie, Thank you for your generous comments. I again want to applaud your activism on the Rhino song. That is so cool.

Dani, Thanks for your kind words. Bud and Janice are so easy to work with. We seem to share a common vision and we are all willing to compromise, listen to suggestions and make the necessary changes for the greater good. It has been all my pleasure to be associated with such wonderful people. Thanks again Dani, we can always count on you to take the time to listen and comment. Tom

Thank you Greg. Your mention of myself and Bonnie Raitt in the same sentence is very kind. Isn't that a good line? It felt right when I sang it. Thanks again!!



Floyd, you are just too kind. You know how much I admire your writing and your voice. I have learned so much lately from listening to your phrasing. It is and will continue to be an inspiration. Thank you!!

Janice



Thank you Herb very much. When Tom sent me the first draft I knew he had created something special. I tried very hard to do it justice.

Janice

Thank you so much Guenter!




I appreciate that! And, yes, dynamics are everything in music for me.



Thanks! This one was a lot of fun and Tom did a great job on it.

Beautiful song. Excellent playing and awesome singing.

Scott, thanks for checking this one out. We appreciate your kind words. Tom

Tom & Janice,

You two have just raised the bar for all of us! Like Herb said, this is good in so many ways. I pretty much like everything about it. Janice, your vocals are as good as I have heard from you on this, and Tom, your guitar is impeccable. The arrangement really works from start to finish.

Excellent!

Steve

Great mood and song development. Janice bluesy voice is real nice. Heartfelt lyrics.Cheers.

Tommy and Janice,

Late on this one - we've been really busy playing for the geeks.


Real nice blues here - diggin' it. As usual, guitar tone is killer, as is Janice's voice.

Sweet.


Regards,


Bob

Steve, It's always great to hear from you. Thanks for the very generous comments.

Richard, Thanks for checking in and commenting. We appreciate it.

Bob, We're happy you made it by. Glad you're staying busy. This is a good state for the gigging musician. I always wondered after playing almost 50 yrs, why haven't we got a raise? Thanks for your comments. We're grateful that you took the time to listen. Tom

Hey Tommy,

Great arrangement and pro sounding production. Like that Billy Joel vibe.

Beautiful vocal by Janice.

Josie

Well I love sad lyric tunes, so this one started off in credit with me.
Plus I have a thing for 6/8 so make that double credit!

Very nicely constructed song and convincingly sung.

The organ part in particular sits very nicely in the mix and adds body.

So overall, well done!

Josie, You always seem to come up with things I haven't thought of, but I can definitely see what you are saying regarding BJ. Thanks for listening and commenting.

Marc, I am not a particularly sad person. In fact most of my life I have spent laughing. But I do have a penchant for writing sad songs. Thanks for taking the time to comment. We appreciate it. Tom

I can't help it. Can't stop listening to this.

THIS is SO good.

Step 1: Re-read every compliment.
Step 2: Go to Step 1.



Standing ovation!

Floyd, Thanks again!
Scott, glad to see you back. Looking forward to your next song. Thanks for the O. We appreciate it.

Wow! Almost missed this one!What can I say? Superb production, playing and an excellent choice for the vocals. Congratulations for this very well accomplished collab. Thanks for posting it.

Mike B.

Glad I dropped by today, life has been hairy for the past 3 months.
BUT THAT cheered me up!

Janice has one hell of a voice to match your excellent guitar playing.
marvellous

Alyn

Mike, thanks for coming by and commenting we're grateful.

Alyn, every now and then life can sure get in the way of having a good time. Hang in there. Thanks for the kind words.

To ALL of the below folks: my apologies to you for being so late in thanking you.....I deeply appreciate all of you for taking the time to listen and comment. It means a lot to me. You folks are wonderful.
Janice

This song is great! It needs to be a backdrop in a movie or tv show. It just has THAT type of sound...to me anyway. Love it!

Hi Janice and Tommy,all been said great production thanks for sharing eric

Beautiful!!! Love the guitar tone and the guitar/piano interplay intro!!!

and Janice's intimate and warm vocal, wonderful!

HTL, Thanks for listening and commenting. We appreciate it!

Eric, Glad you checked in on this one. Thanks for the kind words.

Lawrence, I'm happy you came around for a listen. I agree that Janice absolutely nailed the vocal. Thanks, Tom

Beautiful song, beautiful voice.

This is an excellent song and production. It's always something special when everything just falls into place. You find the right loop, it's in the correct key for the perfect vocalist to sing, the lyrics work beautifully. The guitar tone is great and completes the mood and feel of the song.

This is a song that was meant to be sung and it was in all the right hands to be molded into a masterpiece.

Fantastic job.

Regards,


Charlie

Rob and Ann-Marie, Thanks for you kind words. It means a lot to us.

Charlie, Glad you made it by for a listen. We got lucky in a number of ways on this one. Thanks for your generous comments. Tom

I hope y'all are getting these masterpieces nailed down legally so somebody else doesn't get rich over them!

Every time I'm ready to post something, everybody raises the bar so high I can't even SEE it from here, let alone reach it or surpass it!! And of all the people who are raising the bar... all I can say is that Tommy and the Merritts must have sore arms! Either that or they have a bar-hoist. Yeh, that must be it. Normal arms could never raise the bar that high...

I don't know what I could add that hasn't been said already, but here I am, typing anyway. This song was just that good. I would put this recording against 90% of the stuff out on the airwaves right now. It is rare to find good music and rarer still to find great music. I would say this is on the verge of greatness at a minimum. Very well written and recorded, and the song really says something meaningful in a very articulate way. I couldn't find one word, phrase, or instrument that didn't belong and have purpose in the song. Excellent!!

Pat, I was surprised to see this one get bumped up again, but I'm glad it did. We all thank you so much for your comments. They are very meaningful to us. This is my personal favorite of all the songs we have worked on together. Thanks again. Tom

JG, Thank you so much for taking the time to listen and for offering such generous comments. We're humbled by your words. Tom

What a surprise to both see the song here again and to hear from you Pat. Bud and I always enjoy your comments and have missed them for a while. You are way too kind but we all appreciate it so much.

Janice




Wow, that is very, very nice of you. Bud and I both agree that Tom did wonderful work with this song. Thank you so much.

Janice