This is the first and very likely the last time I write a song about a punctuation mark! I appreciate any and all comments. Tom


https://soundcloud.com/tommyad/the-dash


http://tommyadamsmusic.com/music



RealTracks in style: 691:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming AcRockBright Ev 120
RealTracks in style: 2541:Pedal Steel, Background ModernPopCountry Ev 110
RealTracks in song: ~2494:Piano, Acoustic, HeldChords 120
Royalty Free Loops, Multitrack Instrument and Song Files and Multitrack Drums from Drums on Demand

Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Tom Adams


We used to spend our nights
Beneath an autumn sky
looking at the stars
And simply wondering why

There’s nothing quite as cold
as a graveyard late at night
We’d dream about a world where no-one ever dies


It’s the dash that counts that’s the only thing that’s real


make the most of what little time you’re here

I don't care when you were born or what year you will die
What matters most is in between those years


Every other year
We’d pledge to meet again
a bottle of cheap red wine
Go back to where we’d been

Take a midnight walk
just like we used to do
A cemetery talk
Reminds us we’re not through


It’s the dash that counts that’s the only thing that’s real

make the most of what little time you’re here

I don't care when you were born or what year you will die

What matters most is in between those years


Written on your tombstone between the years there is a line

That's the place your lifetime is defined


It’s the dash that counts that’s the only thing that’s real


make the most of what little time you’re here

©2017 Thomas Adams

Wow, so good! Loved everything about this. Killer job on the mix too, wish I had your skills in that department! Nice looking tele in your profile pic over there BTW.

Hi Tom.

Now that is one extremely sophisticated piece of arranging. And then, just when you think you've heard it all, you're left with that wonderful unresolved ending. Any professional producer would be proud of work like that.

On top of all that, it's such a brilliant song.

This simply has to be some of your best work to date.

ROG.

Yep, I came here to mention that amazing ending. The way the guitar climbs up and then vanishes is just perfect! Great example of "always leave 'em wanting more." The vocals in this are such high quality, too, really wonderfully layered and recorded.

That repeating guitar lick in the chorus is just phenomenal, too... such nice tone, and it really stands out as a creative addition.

Hi, Tom !


You know, your song made me think
how funny it is that as we reach
a certain age, those things you´re
writing about really starts to count
and we are getting more interested
in what we still can do before our
departure !

I am awed at what you achieved here
What a superb tune and so superbly
performed too ! that goes for those
deepdiggin´lyrics too - a masterpiece !

Cheers
Dani

Really nice listening.
Everything is right, great production and performance.

Excellent guitar playing

Sergio

Loved this tune Tom. Super vocal and arrangement. Love the guitar as well, Super tone....

Tom,
Terrific song! My favourite of yours to date.
I`ve just spent the afternoon with a 93 yr old friend who`s full of cool stories about all he`s packed into his "line"... you`ve really captured something essential here.

Robert

Tom,

An excellent write. A really clever idea for a write. The thing that struck me most about it (the writing) was the strength of the verses - and how you advanced the thought in the second verse. Strong.

Nice arrangement. Excellent mix. The DoD drums are nice. Another strong vocal. The harmonies are so well done that they almost slip by "unnoticed" (yet add so much). Nice guitar work - tasty fills. Nice ending.

More and more, your songs stick in my head long after I hear them - in a listen or two.

Another top-notch-er.

fj

Tom,

WOW! This is GREAT! I really enjoyed it. The mix, vocals, guitar... Everything is very polished. Outstanding!

A fine write.

Greg

Tom

You never disappoint - fabulous song, wonderfully arranged, melodic, and a nice set of lyrics.
Great stuff.

Peter

It's not the dash that counts, it's the quality of this song
And it's a high level as always!

Rob and Anne-Marie

ROG said it so well, you make the sounds your own
very Pro, very good
Enjoyed

Kenny

Hello, Tom

Very catchy and very pop!
The melody and the chord progression are the royal road of the pops.
Vocals and Guitars are superb.
The eighth notes of Bass engraved throughout the music are very pleasant.
The unresolved ending chord is also wonderful.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Dave, This mixing thing is an ongoing process. This forum has been an invaluable resource. I am always trying different mixing and mastering techniques and have come a long way from several years ago. Your stuff sounds great now and I'm sure it will sound even better in the future. Tom Professor, I've been meaning to tell you I have been using the ROG technique on vocals. I record the chorus and harmonies on separate tracks from the verses. As you pointed out this allows different processing and is a real time saver by copy and pasting the choruses. Simply a great idea that works like a charm. Thanks for fine review, Tom

Great work Tom! This one has some of the best sound (production) that I've heard on this forum. So clean! By the way the song was great too. Thanks, Torrey.

Will, Glad you came by and thanks for the nice comments. Tom Dani, You're right. The older we get the more we think about these things. Glad you liked it. Tom

Thanks, I appreciate it. Tom Thanks for the nice words Scott. Tom

"It’s the dash that counts that’s the only thing that’s real."

It's the most profound of punctuation marks. We've walked through many an old family cemetery that we often find long since abandoned in forests and pondered what that dash might represent for those that lived out there lives there.

And speaking of profound you again show how a powerful, perhaps even spiritual, concept can be distilled down to relatively few finely crafted words.

Then surround the write with your trademark playing and vocals and production value and voila another Tommyad tune worthy of many listens.

Outstanding!

J&B

His "line". I like that. Thanks Robert, glad you came by. Tom floyd, I read that line "the dash" somewhere in an article about music producers. Then a few weeks later I saw it again in an interview with Dr J the basketball great. I thought I don't think I've ever heard a song about that. That was the inspiration. It dropped in my lap out of nowhere and then was dropped again from a very different source. It was like they were saying, You didn't get it the first time dummy now listen up! Thanks for the fine review. Tom

Back again. Went on a longish bike ride this morning and couldn't get this tune outa my head. It's an inspired write and yields an inspirational message. Bet this would hit the top of the soundclick charts in a heart beat.

J&B

Wow that just blew me away.. Great recording , lyrical content and musicianship ...Your voice kinda has a Charlie Daniels taste to it....

oh did I mention some very nice kick butt geetar Mojo

Dawg it !!!!

Greg, Thanks for the nice words. I appreciate it. Tom Peter, thanks for giving it a spin. Tom

Great write! I love the space you crate in the soundstage. It's quite remarkable.

Another hit!

Great Tom! Everything about this song is really special... Love the lyric and delivery - outstanding production as well.

Bob

Such a great write, arrangement, mix, performance and production. Another Tom Adams song... Really enjoyed this. Lyrically one of best.

Charlie

Thanks guys. Tom Thank you Kenny, Tom

Shigeki, Thank you for the very nice review. Tom

I love how you turn a phrase.

Also, a very unique look at the dash on a tombstone. So often we look and think about the two dates but the story lies in the dash. Glad you saw that and wrote about it. A simple dash that encapsulates one's life and everything in it.

Good job on the production. Cool idea to use a minor as the last unfinished chord.

Thanks for stopping by Torrey, Tom

Hi Tommy,

Every time we think you've done your best work yet, you come along with a new one and prove us wrong.

Other than the original lyric (way cool!), what jumped out at us is the arrangement and mix - about as good as it gets. You have a special talent with the technical side that most of us would like to have.

Going to the 6-minor chord for the ending always leaves the song with a resolution that leaves the listener wanting to come back for the next some - a tasteful teaser.

I guess we better wrap this up before we bankrupt the English language of its best superlatives. This is as good as it gets outside of Nashville (maybe better than a lot of songs out of Nashville).

Wishing you the very best,

Alan & Di

Another great song Tom, I love this arrangement and the ending was a great touch. bravo!

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this one! In fact, your entire SoundCloud playlist just became my "soundtrack" for the day!

This is today's Hot Forum Topic!

So... no more songs about punctuation? What about a song about a font? Helvetica even has its own documentary!

Awesome. My hat is off to you sir.

Stellar lyrics. GREAT concept. Brilliant.

Simply love it from start to finish.

Great song from a great concept! Inspiration is all around us if we keep our eyes, ears, and hearts open to it. From there, taking action is just as, if not more important. All the way around, great job!

Mark, glad you liked it. Tom Lawrence, I'm always glad to see you around here. Thanks for coming by. Tom

Hey Bob, Glad you liked it. Thanks, Tom

Tom,

Great song! Great production, and I always enjoy your vocals. Strong message, well written. One of your best!

Steve

Thanks Charlie. I always look forward to your comments. Tom Herb, Thanks, I do appreciate it. So glad you liked it. Tom

Happy Sunday to you, "tommyad"...

I've got the most incredulous smile on my face as I scratch my head in utter amazement over the fact that I just listened to a song that included the following words: "graveyard", "tombstone", "cemetery", "die", and yet the cumulative impact of the song is as positive as the sight of the first hummingbird of Spring!!!

"tommyad", I think you've pulled-off something rare in songwriting (and performance), which is singing about a subject that most of us would consider morbid, but then somehow making it sound life-affirming.

And the title -- "The Dash" -- is as transparent as your lyrics are double-edged. It all adds up to something unexpected, which makes it all the more stunning as you lead us by the hand through some dark thickets of despair, only to deliver us into the light of life.

Lyrically speaking, this is one of THE most unique songs I've ever heard in the "User's Forums". Production-wise -- as I'm not skilled in that department -- I'll gladly agree with the opinions of those listeners who are more knowledgeable, 'cause everything sounded good to me.

Concerning your vocals, I don't know precisely how to explain this, but your singing voice is declarative, meaning that it had the effect of "leading the charge" of the music behind the lyrics. Does that make sense to you?

Most sincerely,

LOREN (a.k.a. "bluage")

P.S. I also appreciate that you explained how you recorded "the chorus and harmonies on separate tracks from the verses." Very instructive and practical.

Thanks for the great review, Tom Paul, Thanks for coming by. Glad you liked it. Tom

Really cool song Tom!! At my dad's memorial service, there was a poem read by this title with the same idea. You did a great job recreating the emotion in song form. Beautifully done!! Take care. Greg

Callie, It's so great that you were listening to my playlist. Thanks for coming by. That was interesting about Helvetica. Tom David, many thanks. Tom

Tom,

This is outstanding! I've read through all the above posts and you deserve every one of the many accolades and compliments. Everything about 'The Dash' gleams.

The idea of creating a song about the hyphen between dates was really fresh to my ears. I've never heard any lyrics like these before. And such a powerfully true statement, too. To my way of thinking, this composition epitomises talent, creativity and musicianship.


I can't remember hearing any philosophical thought that has resonated so much with me as the above.

I'm heading back to listen again!

Regards,
Noel

Caaron, you are right. Inspiration is all around us. Thanks for commenting. Tom

I appreciate you stopping by. Thanks for the nice comments. Tom

LOREN, Thank you so much for your wonderful; review. Tom

Greg, I was unaware of the poem. Thanks for giving it a spin. Tom Noel, These philosophical songs can be a little tricky to navigate. It's possible to come off sounding like a pompous know it all. I try to avoid that at all costs. Glad you enjoyed it. Tom