A simple love song.


The Players:
RealTracks in style: 366:Bass, Electric, Country Ev 065
RealTracks in style: ~364:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 065
RealTracks in style: ~368:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 065
RealTracks in song: ~~1676:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking CountryBrent Ev 065
RealTracks in song: ~~369:Pedal Steel, Background Ev 065
RealTracks in song: 1841:Synth Pad, PopModernGrooveHigh Ev16 075
RealTracks in song: 1856:Cello, Background PopCountry Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 2335:String Quartet, Rhythm PopHall Ev 085
MIDI SuperTracks in song: 2254:Piano, Rhythm CountryBalladJohn Ev 120
MIDI SuperTracks in song: 2100:Piano, Rhythm PopModernGrooveSync4s Ev16 075
RealDrums in style: NashvilleEven8^2-a:Sidestick, HiHat , b:Snare, HiHat

Harmonies: the janettes (featuring Janice Merritt)


ONE TRUE HEART

tender words and touching moments
don't come easy for a man like me
i don't talk soft, i don't send flowers
and i don't recite poetry
if what you need comes wrapped in lace
i can't be in your plan
but if what you want is one true heart
then, baby, i'm your man
   
   if one true heart can be the mountain
   that you build your dreams upon
   if one true heart is all that matters
   what you've been looking for all along
   if one true heart can make you happy
   and i'm quite sure it can
   if one true heart is what you're after
   then, baby, i'm your man

i can't bring you diamonds
i can't buy you fancy clothes
i can't be depended on
to let my feelings show
but i can give you this man's word
i can give you this man's hand
if what you want is one true heart
then, baby, i'm your man
   
   if one true heart can be the mountain
   that you build your dreams upon
   if one true heart is all that matters
   what you've been looking for all along
   if one true heart can make you happy
   and i'm quite sure it can
   if one true heart is what you're after
   then, baby, i'm your man


J&B - Thanks!!

Hope you enjoy it.
Have at it.

floyd

1st view, 1st listen on here...I caught it at the right time!

Now...

Wow! Someone knows how to build a song! It's pretty AND powerful. Talk about kickin' in a chorus for a bit of emotion! Dang!

The tension and release techniques you use in lyrics, melody/harmony, and rhythmic didn't go unnoticed with me.

That may be the best I've hard your voice too! Powerful and emotional!

A shout out to that studio female vocalist you got as well! I'm not sure how you got her, because I know with skills like that, she's been in high demand. You must know somebody

Great job!

There's a couple of moments in my life I won't forget.

The night I out-countried David Allan Coe.

The afternoon I took Charlie Daniels' guitar out of his hands and made him hang his head and weep like a little baby.

The day Billy Gibbons said "I give up, you play it then."

The morning Willie Nelson said I can't party no more man, you're insane.

The day I wandered out of Sloppy Joe's with underwear on my head and passed out in the street then woke up and found out I hadn't even been in Sloppy Joe's after all.

And the moment I heard this song and realized it may be the most country dang song I ever heard.

You guys made me cry.

This was country.

Hi Floyd.

As you know, I'm not an expert on Country matters (wrong side of the ocean maybe) and I'm always suspicious of anything without a guitar solo, but I DID like that.

It displays all your usual craft in songwriting and performing, all wrapped up in a beautiful mix - powerful but not over-compressed. Janice? Well what can I say that I haven't said before? I'm just a fan.

Hey, I didn't even mind the lack of a solo!

Cheers, ROG.

Fantastic!
(Check at .39 though)
Cheers.

Floyd

A simple love song superbly written and sung. Great chorus - instantly memorable.
Janice backing vocals and your lead vocals go hand in glove - lovely harmonies.
A really professional job.

Peter

Floyd,

After having commented on so many of your songs, we're simply out of superlatives. "WOW!" is what came to mind - like your song, it's simple and to the point. If talent were money, Floyd, you'd be a very wealthy man.

Some songs are good.
Some songs are great.
And some songs are Floyd.

Alan & Di

Floyd I'm sure you captured the heartfelt emotion of many, many men out there who have trouble saying what they feel with this one! That chorus is fantastic. Sound is great, especially they vocals (lead and background).The strings coming on later in song really give this a nice polish! Another great one from you. Thanks, Torrey

I thought it was my computer, but just listened on a different one, not that you also commented on it. Just a little fix

Floyd,

This is a great country song and one of your best vocals. Love the track selection and the way the pedal steel follows you throughout the song. Beautiful mix as well.

Excellent!

Bob

Wow! This is country music at it's absolute best. Love your vocal! Powerful and emotive.
Love the chorus too! Totally pro mix as usual.
Outstanding!

This is a write and performance to hang your dreams on.... This what a purist wants - One true country classic.

Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Charlie

What he said ^^^^^^

Janice just said, "I love everything about this...I love the band, his voice and I loved singing with him and it's a great lyric."

And Bud throws in with accolades for the choice of RT's and the ever present high bar production and the heartfelt performance.

You may call it a simple love song and perhaps at a certain level it is but there's a boatload of beauty in that simplicity.

J&B

Jeez what a beautiful song Floyd. Loved this. I must agree your vocal was one of your best. Harmonies accented so perfectly. Just awesome

Oh, you wrote a song about me. Thanks

This is excellent, I agree with all thats been said

it hits all the marks, dead on

wonderful song and performance

love it

Kenny

I guess I'm a sucker for a simple love song!!! This is what I'd call a perfect write! Lyrics and music are simple and elegant. The message is crystal clear and delivered in a way that is direct and touching. When I read John Steinbeck, I always ask "How the hell does he say so much, so well, with so few simple words?". That's how I felt about this song. And the melody was a perfect match-simple, pretty, predictable enough to grasp on first listen but complex enough to be engaging. This is a master write! And, the vocal is also GREAT! One of my faves by one of my faves. Great stuff Floyd! Take care. Greg

floyd,

Once more you take ordinary, everyday superlatives such as "outstanding, terrific, first class, top notch, fantastic, etc." and give them vitamin shots and redefine them! This is a superb listen. I particularly enjoyed the feeling of lift associated with entering the chorus.

Everything about this weaves together to create a really engaging listening experience. Your melody is beautiful and twists and turns in exactly the right places to maximise the emotional resonance of the lyrics. You captured my wholehearted attention. This particular melody sounded very considered and well planned, and very skillfully written to my ears. Then, when you performed it, you added vocal enhancements that take it well beyond that often-referenced 'next level'.

From a lyric perspective, a couple of things grabbed my attention and made me ponder. These were...

ONE
You've used a two-line refrain at the end of both verses and choruses.


This is very unusual.

As I'm sitting here typing, for the life of me, I cannot think of any other song in which I've come across this technique of using the same two-line refrain at the end of verses and choruses. While many textbooks would not encourage such a lyric approach, in "One True Heart", you've shown very convincingly that such repetition can be powerful and can strengthen a lyric journey when lyrics develop strongly and so offer the listener an increasingly more emotionally intense view of the refrain.

To explain what I mean, I’ll use Pat Pattison’s concept of lyric boxes.

For me, the lyrics of “One True Heart” develop through two boxes as shown below.



So at the end of the second chorus, the refrain has been sung four times and it has been used to amplify increasingly more important personal traits of the lead guy. At no time does the repetition of the refrain sound over-used. This is powerful writing indeed!


TWO
The second thing that stood out to me was the way you used the third person perspective in a song that is written using the 'direct address' point of view. This was very clever and made me think “yes…. that’s DEFINITELY something that I’m going to try!”.

In the second verse, when you say…


… the guy talks about himself as if he is another character in the song.

To my ears, this added freshness to the lyrics as well as boosted their meaning. Moreover, the words used in these lines radiate with “wedding ceremony” where those getting married give their hands and make solemn promises. This is mighty writing and ratchets lyric intensity up a few notches. These lyrics come across as straightforward. Underlying them, however, there is precision and strategic complexity.

To my way of looking at songwriting, the above epitomises expert writing… it comes across as natural and simple yet, on analysis, it is crafted and skillfully woven into a fine tapestry of words, their meanings and the way they interact with listeners’ experiences.

As always, I really enjoyed what you brought along.

All the best,
Noel

A very beautiful song Floyd

I really like the way you created the build at several levels, including softening and strengthening. This further worked to give the song such great dimension.

Your choice of players is superb. They all played in time too

Very professionally written, performed and produced. Thanks for another excellent contribution.

"tender words and touching moments
don't come easy for a man like me"
Talk about getting to the essence of a song quickly! Those opening lines leave no doubt what this song is about. The style is right in your wheelhouse vocally and melodically. The piano sound is outstanding. Janice is impeccable on harmony. A fantastic ending that shows how advanced your Biab skill set is. There are no weak spots in the lyric and your production and mix are top level as always. I always enjoy what you post. You are just a great songwriter! Tom

Hello, floyd

Very traditional and beautiful country tune with great vocals and harmonies.
I will love the lyrics of " baby, i'm your man".
As Torrey said, you captured the heartfelt emotion of many, many men out there who have trouble saying what they feel with this one!
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Caaron - nice to see you here "early on"... You often note aspects of the writing that others do not... and I always appreciate that... I know that chick singer will appreciate the notice, too... Thanks!

What can I say to that!? - except...thanks for SUCH a cool review!! (I think I SAW you at Sloppy Joe's!!!)

ROG - thanks!... I think you are doing just fine on the "Country matters" - if you've been listening to a little B&D lately, it doesn't get much Country-er than that...(don't you love their drum sound!?!?...)

Thanks, Richard.... at :39 - there is a kick that comes in there - is that what you are referring to?





Thanks, Peter - appreciate such nice comments...

What he said.


Regards,


Lefty

- That's one of my all-time favorite reviews... Thanks, y'all!

Torrey - thanks for that very nice review...




The kick?

Thanks so much, Bob...




Dave - always appreciate hearing things like that!... thanks...

Interesting that you should say that, Charlie... for a few moments in time, I did just that...

The Oak Ridge Boys had this on hold for a brief period in '95 shortly after I wrote this. It wasn't a long time (most holds don't last long), but it was my first, so, I have to say it was hard not to get quite excited about it. It would have likely only been an album cut since they were not getting much airplay then, but, still... The band went through some stuff around then and I believe that project was sidetracked (scrapped, I think) - though by then, this one was out of the picture... on to other dreams...

I had to go back and listen again after hearing the Oak Ridge Boys considered recording this song and imagine how they would have done it. Easy to imagine, sounds very much like something they would record. I was always a big fan and saw them many times in concert.

Charlie

Hi Floyd

Thanks, Richard.... at :39 - there is a kick that comes in there - is that what you are referring to?

I get a click just before "what you need".
If it's meant to be there or it's just my computer or hearing aids
please accept my apologies.
Otherwise fantastic song. Cheers.

Appreciate that, Herb...



"...a boatload of beauty..." - I really like that! you need to use that in a song... Janice - thanks (as always) for helping to raise this to a new level...

Floyd (and Janice),

If ever someone here on the forum manages to almost emulate the Garth Brooks (ballad) sound, it is you guys.
We're in awe of it.

Rob and Anne-Marie

Thanks, Scott...




Appreciate it, Kenny...

A great write and song!

Wonderful production and mix!

Speaking of good lines... I love every one of these! Thanks, Greg!... (Steinbeck has always been a favorite!)

Noel - I very much enjoyed your analysis of this song. You touch on the key aspects of what I believe make this song "work". It was, in fact, an effort to write a truly "simple love song" that "really sings" - meaning the melody write was an important part of this. This one happened quickly - one of those that "writes itself" and as the melody evolved it just seemed to "go where it needed to go". I've always enjoyed singing it - from a "singer's perspective"... it is always satisfying to hit that mark...

The use of the main phrase at the end of the verse and the chorus was "a happy accident". After I had done that, I, too, thought it unusual - but it seemed to work, so I quickly forgot about questioning it at all (or even wondering where else I might have heard it done)...

Thanks. Your thoughts on "One True Heart" truly gave me a smile!

Thanks, Trev... always appreciate you stopping by...




Tom - I certainly appreciate such a nice review... it sounds very much like what I might say about your songs... so "right back atcha..."

Shigeki Adachi - thanks as always for your support...





Thanks, Lefty!

Yeah, I always thought it would have been a good one for them. Or any number of others. It was pitched to the Statlers, too - they were even more "passed their prime"... At the time it was just a guitar/vocal - I often wonder what things would have been like if I could have had BIAB 2017 back then.... the studio demos we did, even then, were $400 per song...




Thanks for checking back, Richard... I still think it is the kick you are hearing.... and, of course, all the sound is upside-down where you are, isn't it???

Thanks, y'all!




Always good to have you drop in, Lawrence..