A little swing thing.

With Mrs. Merritt.


STARTED AGAIN

sometimes i regret
the promise that we made
when our love ended
we swore we would stay friends
true to our word
we've kept in touch and we've stayed close
a little too close for comfort
from where i stand
   
   look what we started again
   i feel it when you touch my hand
   we're hugging hello a little too long
   you know what that does to a man
   we spend all our time together
   then we say we're only friends
   but i couldn't stop this ol' boy's heart
   once it got started again

you call, i come met you
we share a drink in some cafe
it's been a long day
you need a friend, a little small talk
we share some laughs
we share a dance and then a kiss
i'll go crazy if all this sharing doesn't stop
   
   look what we started again
   i feel it when you touch my hand
   we're hugging hello a little too long
   you know what that does to a man
   we spend all our time together
   then we say we're only friends
   but i couldn't stop this ol' boy's heart
   once it got started again




The BAND:
Style is _MNDSSHF.STY (CountryShuf. MandolinSolo[120RS])

RealTracks in style: ~1547:Bass, Electric, CountrySwing Sw 110
RealTracks in style: ~372:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Hank Sw 120
RealTracks in style: ~1139:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CountrySwingCleanA-B Sw 110
RealTracks in song: 2124:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm CountryShuffleJohn Sw 120
RealTracks in song: 2123:Piano, Acoustic, Soloist CountryShuffleJohn Sw 120
RealTracks in style: 2121:Mandolin, Soloist CountryShuffleAndy Sw 120
RealTracks in song: ~1116:Fiddle, Background CountryBoogie Sw 110
RealTracks in song: 2120:Fiddle, Soloist CountryShuffleRob Sw 120
RealDrums in style: NashvilleSwing8^1-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride

Harmony: Janice Merritt


J&B - thanks for making music with me!

https://soundcloud.com/floydjane/started-again

Have at it, y'all.
Comments welcome.

floyd

Excellent song and great swing in it Floyd
Great listening.

Sergio

Very nice guys!
The verse (chord progression) reminds us of The Green Green Grass of Home.
A good collab again!

Rob and Anne-Marie

Beautiful, love it

so good,

Kenny

Hi Joyce and Janice,

Some great old country swing here - totally loved it! Production was spot on and the lyric is classic country all the way. Janice's harmony is always so danged good - no exception here. It kind of reminded me of something Joe Stampley might have done back in the mid seventies. I was two-steppin' across the floor in my mind!

Thanks for a really great listen!

Alan & Di

Hi Floyd.

Masterful as ever.

It seems that your professionalism knows no limits.

Classic Country with a nice loud mix which still doesn't sound over-cooked.

And of course, the essential ingredient - Janice.

Brilliant.

ROG.

Floyd / Janice,

Love the feel of this - great melody and lyric combined with two great voices - excellent! Outstanding mix & production as always.

Bob

Nice one, Floyd!
Good write, I especially like the chorus. I like the tight harmonies you always achieve with Janice, such a great sound!
Musically the instruments trading off during the solo is a nice touch, also really liked the way you ended with the fiddle, very effective.
Always enjoy hearing your music, and having Janice on board is an added bonus!

Eloquent and exquisite writing and production fueled by retro rockets propelling yesterday into tomorrow. I'm enjoying sitting static in today and seeing classic sounding songs fly by that will surely influence tomorrow's writers.

The song, the arrangement, mix and production are all here. Excellent across the board.

Enjoyed this from start to finish and always marvel at the talents of Floyd, Janice and Bud.

Charlie

Well it seems you've done it again. Great mix. I loved the lines "we're hugging hello a little too long
you know what that does to a man". Well written and the vocals are right in the wheelhouse of you both. I was surprised at the mando solo but it works and adds a more modern touch to the classic swing band sound. The piano sound and solo are killer. Well written as usual and I can't think of any way to improve anything about it. Tom

Thanks, Sergio. Good to see you around..



Thanks, y'all...

What a nice pick me up. Love this style of music. As always super vocal and awesome harmonies from Janice... Well done Floyd and Janice

Thanks for sharing Floyd Jane - love the groove of this, great harmonies too! Really getting the old school country vibe here, great job!

Very well-crafted and clever write!!

we share some laughs
we share a dance and then a kiss
i'll go crazy if all this sharing doesn't stop

Just one of my favorite examples of some great lyrics. Very catchy melody and the perfect arrangement! And what song is not made better with some vocals by our premiere forum vocalist, the amazing Janice!! Great stuff! You did it again Floyd!! Take care. Greg

Great song and vocals you two!

I really love the old school vibe on this. Classic country from back in the day and an excellent production!

Thanks, Kenny... (you are hitting on all cylinders these days...)




Alan & Di - thanks... thought you might like this one...

ROG - I do appreciate your continued support! We'll make a Country fan of you yet....

Well, you know I love this one, floyd, and I've been singing my part again all through two listens. I always love singing with you, and especially so on the old country style songs. Some of my earliest memories are of listening to country swing music with my Daddy and he would truly love this song. So, a big ole "thank you" for letting me be a part of it! Now I've gotta try and get Bud to dance with me on the next listen.

Janice

Oh, I like it too. But she'd have to be shooting at my feet to see me dance

You move effortlessly around these country genres and sub genres with each production sounding like you'd been just at that one spot for decades. Amazing.

Bud

Floyd & Janice

Beautifully done - really nice mixture of soloists and lovely superbly in sync lead and harmony vocals.
All round pro recording and write.

Peter

Nice work and mix on this. The piece works well!

I love the piano intro - it perfectly announces the song.

This has the familiarity of a classic I've heard a thousand times, but without sounding derivative. And this style fits you so well - it sounds natural, from the conversational lyrics to the clever lines.

An enjoyable listen!

Thanks, Bob... appreciate it...




Thanks, Dave... Singing with Janice is always a joy...

Charlie - thanks for such a nice review... we appreciate that...

Very nice, catchy tune. Well written (as always). Nice harmonies with Janice in there (as always). The piano really works well. Has a little bit of a Ray Price feel to it, and that's a good thing.

As you know, I always like your work. And this is no exception!

Steve

Tom - thanks for such a nice review... those BIAB guys know what they are doing, eh?...

fj,


Solid. In the pocket.


Regards,

Bob

Thanks, Scott..we appreciate that...




Thanks for having a listen, Deryk...

Thanks, Greg. Thanks for noting that particular group of lines.... and for noting Janice's participation, too - she is a joy to sing with!

I always love me some walkin' bass! As always a great song, a great mix, the perfect instrument selection and a collaboration to envy!

Thank y'all for mentioning the harmony! It was fun to play a part in floyd's production.

Janice

Floyd, your vocal works so with Janice's voice.Both really compliment each other. Great song with such a clean great mix. Another very good from you. Thanks, Torrey.

Thanks, Dude!




Y'all are both... the BESTEST!!!

Thanks, Peter... appreciate the listen and comments...




Nice of you to drop by, Rich. Thanks...

hi Floyd you guys did it again awesome job love the bass on this to thanks eric

David - nice to see you around again. Thanks for the thoughtful review...




Thanks, Steve. Always appreciate you stopping in for a listen...




Appreciate that, Bob...

Glad to see you stop by, Pat! Thanks...




Thanks, Torrey. We appreciate that...




Glad to have you drop in for a listen, Eric...

Sounds great. Honky-Tonk music. Really like the melody.

Hello, floyd and Janice

A great collaboration again!
The use of piano is very cool.
Your vocals and harmonies are superb as usual.
As Rob and Anne-Marie said, the verse reminds me of The Green Green Grass of Home, too.
Very classical and traditional but the sound is modern.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Charlie - thanks for stopping by...




Shigeki Adachi - Thank you. I appreciate your continued support...

I've seen the reboot of $100,000 Pyramid. I could see this happening...

Host-"and you picked the category "For Pete or Peter's sake"

Clue giver-"Average. Too wordy. Not catchy. Poor sense of tension and release. No sense of writing. "

Contestant-"Things you wouldn't say about a Floyd Jane song"

Host-"Correct! What an easy one! Should we just hand you the cash now? (laughter from the
audience) And what category would you like next?"

Contestant-"I'll take 'Too good to be famous'"

Clue Giver-"Amazing! Chills! Feeling! Voice of an ang..."

Contestant-"Things we all think of Janice Merrit's voice!"

$100,000 WINNER!!!!!!!!

Ok, that wasn't exactly constructive, but all I could do at this point is repeat what others have said. It's obviously a well written, performed, and produced song...again;)

Would you ever consider just throwing a real clunker on here so the rest of us feel better about ourselves?

"you call, I come met you
we share a drink in some cafe
it's been a long day
you need a friend, a little small talk
we share some laughs"

This is incredibly relatable. I think everyone will or has gone through this at some point in their lives. Great writing and vocals.

Can't wait for more.

Hi floyd,

As I was scrolling back through the forum, I discovered that I completely missed this song when you posted it. As late as I am, and I sincerely apologise for being so far behind the 8-ball, I’m thankful that I managed to stumble across it.

As with all the works you post on the forum, this is outstanding! Your writing, your arranging, your performing and your producing consistently cross over into the realm of “ this sounds really, really excellent”. In all honesty, I never cease admiring your ability.

The way that you’ve constructed these lyrics was really eye-opening for me.

What really got me thinking was your lack of rhyme. Normally it is your rhyming that drives the flow of lyrics. In this song, however, it’s your lacking of rhyming that controls lyric movement. How impressive is that! With these lyrics, you’ve taken the concept of conversational tone to whole new heights (from my perspective at least).

I’ll try to explain what I mean by stepping back in time a little bit….

When I first started learning to write lyrics in the early 2000s, I found it one of the most challenging things that I had ever done. Looking back at that time, I now realise that part of the reason that it was so challenging for me was because I didn’t have an ‘ear’ for lyrics. As a consequence, I had no sense of how to link words together so that their sounds flowed smoothly, effortlessly and conversationally. Over the years, little by little, my ability has slowly developed in this area. Something that has also developed as I have become more and more attuned to the sounds of consonants and vowels is my appreciation of rhymes that occur naturally in conversation. These days, when I listen to people talking, I can hear various rhymes scattered throughout what they are saying. There is no obvious structure nor pattern to these rhymes.

When I listen to these lyrics of yours, that is how I hear them. The rhymes that occur seemingly lack structural design and, because of that, they flow in exactly the same way that they would were this is a conversation. It truly is amazing how you’ve managed to do this. Ever since I first heard these lyrics for “Started Again”, I’ve been going over and over in mind about how I might be able to write a song that has lyrics with no structured rhyme. I haven’t quite got my head around that one yet! (It’s a work in progress.)

While I ponder this, here are some songs that I’ve been listening to in the hope that they will inspire me…


Sweet Violets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtnLvrmyh3E

“Sweet Violets” is an oldie but a goodie! I find it particularly clever in that it continually sets up rhymes that never come to pass and it uses this to create humour.


He Aint Heavy He’s My Brother
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svOX9dy0hyw

It wasn’t until after listening to “Started Again” that I discovered that “He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother” also only has conversational-like rhymes set in amongst prose. My thoughts are that it is because of this lack of obvious rhyme that the song’s lyrics are so very powerful.


The Lord’s Prayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-LMVen7_X4

Sister Janet Mead’s version of “The Lord’s Prayer” is also quite minimalistic in relation to rhyme.


America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFAoWwUwknc

Perhaps the most famous non-rhyming song that I know of is "America" by Simon and Garfunkle.


I can see that this journey that you’ve started me on is going to last for a while yet! Thank you for showing me this path! I’m looking forward to travelling where it leads me.

All the best,
Noel