One of those standard "son vs. father songs"...
(doesn't every writer have one?)

WHAT MORE COULD I NEED

daddy was a simple man
very simple tastes
never seemed too interested
in joining in the race
i could never fathom why
he didn't long for more
a bigger house, a nicer car
a newer coat than what he wore
we argued over money
we argued over dreams
he never understood me
at least that's how it seemed
i asked "don't you wonder
where other roads might lead?"
he settled in his chair
"son, what more could i need"

(chorus)
   i've got the day god gave me
   laughter fills the air
   i've got my own opinions
   if anyone should care
   i've got a family raised on love
   tho' nothing's guaranteed
   it seems to me i've got it made
   what more could i need

i was not content
to hang in that small town
my dad's simple philosophy
was not about to hold me down
so i took on the world
without much more than a song
determined i would make it
just to prove him wrong
but those other roads led nowhere
the world put up a fight
after many years of wandering
i proved my daddy right
i called to say i've finally come
to understand your simple creed
he said "son, you're always welcome back
what more could you need?"

   repeat chorus

now i live just down the road
from that house so full of love
my life is filled with the simple things
my dad always spoke of
i've got a loving woman
my son's growing like a weed
and when he argues "there most be more"
i'll ask "son, what more could i need?"

   repeat chorus




The BAND:

Style is _HROCAMP.STY (Amplitube HrdRockLA Bass&Guitars)
RealTracks in style: 995:Bass, Electric, HardRockLA Ev 120
RealTracks in style: 999:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm HardRockLAFuzzyA-B Ev 120
RealTracks in style: 996:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm HardRockLACrispA-B Ev 120
RealTracks in song: 659:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm TexasRockChop Ev 120 (B:8ths)
RealTracks in song: 1520 Guitar, Electric, Soloist CountryWorkinBrent Ev16 090
RealTracks in song: 1169 Guitar, Electric, Soloist RockMediumBrent Ev 120
RealDrums in Song: PopAmerican
RealDrums in Song: PopCalypso^1-a:Snare, Closed HiHat , b:Snare, Ride


Comments welcome.
Have at it.

floyd

Something a little different from what I'm used to hearing from you!

Great write, lots of good lines. My favorite:

"so i took on the world
without much more than a song
determined i would make it
just to prove him wrong"

chorus is great too.

Bass sounded a little low, *but* I'm not on my music computer with the good monitors at the moment so that could be the reason. Other than that, band sounded good!

Awesome Floyd!!! Another hit!


Really, really, really outstanding lyrics. An extremely strong write. Way to go.

***

"When I was 16 years old, I felt that my father was the stupidest person on the face of the earth. When I turned 21, I was shocked to see how much he had learned in only 5 years."

--Mark Twain (attributed)

As usual this tune is on point.
Enjoyed the contagious chorus.
Captivating powerful ballad.
Harmonies excellent.
Top score.
Rob

The story of the prodigal son set to rocking music

These are probably some of my favourite lyrcis written in the showcase so far. Amazing job. <3

Right from the first moment - this tune is infectious! That guitar riff just makes me feel energetic. I really enjoy the lyrics on this too - they do a great job of painting a vivid story.

Thanks for sharing Floyd

Typical Floyd Jane... Brilliant!

My first impression matched Herb's.

Floyd

Superb writing - wonderful lyrics - catchy tune - sung with conviction.
What more could we need?

Great stuff.

Peter

Nice groove and great story. Rock on!

You remain the eternal optimist

at least to my ear

just a great mix, it's so good

very strong write as always, strong vocals

this is super storytelling, so glad that you're here to share

your talent and great songs!

those guitars rock!

enjoyed,

Kenny

Great song Floyd!
It really rocks, very good lyrics.
Captivating from beginning to end!

Rob and Anne-Marie

Thanks, Dave. The bass in this gave me considerable difficulty (it was actually mixed some time ago). It had a "boominess" to it that I could not tame no matter what I tried, so I finally removed all processing (compressor and eq are typical for my choices) and set it to the level of the other guitars - similar to how many Punk songs are mixed. That was the best choice I could find. Good ear...

Floyd,

Energy pulses through on this, especially on the chorus.Not many singers can really deliver that kind of presence - you are on Springsteen levels here!
I enjoyed the full circle of the story.
Excellent work.

Robert

hi Floyd its all been said extremely creative good energy and vocal love it thanks for sharing eric

Thanks, David. That Twain guy had it goin' on...

i've got the day god gave me
laughter fills the air
i've got my own opinions
if anyone should care
i've got a family raised on love
tho' nothing's guaranteed
it seems to me i've got it made
what more could i need

WHAT A CHORUS!!! This song is a lesson in the craft of songwriting. It makes a great point that is crystal clear and so eloquently told. AMAZINGLY GOOD Floyd!!

One of my dad's favorite little fables went something like this. When I was 18, my dad knew nothing, and was completely out of it. When I was 21, I realized my dad was a pretty smart guy. I couldn't believe how much he'd learned in only 3 years! Love the song Floyd! Take care. Greg

That's a road we all travel at one time or another, Floyd, but few have said it any better. Wonderful job.
I am a little jealous of the way you always seem to make your vocal seem to set in just the right spot in your recordings. That is a struggle I'm still having. Great job!

Holy crap, that was fantastic, very, very cool tune, right up my alley. Man that was a punch in the face, none better, and my style too. Congrats on that one WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Appreciate that, Rob...




Indeed. Classic storylines make interesting songs generally...

Cool tune Floyd. Awesome vocal and lyric. Loved the story in the lyric. Very wise words from the dad to the son..

Floyd, as I was listening to another great song from you, it dawned on me what sets you apart from a lot others singer/song writers posting material. You have a tremendous gift for vocal phrasing in your lyrics. Never too much/never too little! Everything always just fits right in the pocket! It's noticed and appreciated! Take care, Torrey

Lots of great lyrics in this one. Very well produced as usual and some very nice vocals.

Enjoyed it,
Bob

Thanks, Ember! That certainly brought a smile to my face....




Appreciate that, Deryk....




Curt - nice to see you drop by!

Thanks, Peter...




Thanks, Sammy...

Good job Floyd, like the lyrics

Floyd,

I'm not sure who said it but it goes something like this: The older I get, the smarter my parents are.

My father and I did not have a close relationship ... other than baseball and music. We could talk about either all day and night. But everything else was almost out and out war.

Driving beat, super lyric, vocal to die for ... the complete package. Very impressive, my friend!

Alan

Winner winner chicken dinner,another masterfull piece of writing and production.whenever your name appears on the showcase I feel like a kid on Christmas morning,cant wait to hear whats on offer.
I love the vocal sound on all your recordings and this one is no excepection.just when im thinking your on a james taylor vibe Bang here comes a springsteen truck to knock me off my feet
thank you for sharing Fj

Hello, floyd

Very powerful tune!
Your vocal is really energy.
RealDrums switching is very cool and splendid.
After listening to this song, I thought I would also like to write a song of "son vs. father" someday on a theme such as the return of a prodigal son.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Thanks, Kenny... I'd say the same thing about you - "so glad that you're here to share your talent and great songs!"...






Thanks, y'all...

Thanks, Robert. Been a Springsteen fan from day 1 - got to hear a promo copy of "Greetings From Asbury Park" - and attended one of the first stops on the Born To Run tour (right before the record was released) in a small venue... good memories..





Eric - always appreciate you stopping by....

Janice and I were talking about you letting your inner Springsteen out and then we read the reviews and realized that we had been preempted. So what. Let it out!!

I have an old friend who would return from Springsteen shows and talk for the next three days about how powerful the energy was. I think you captured it with this song.

All the fj signature markers are here:

- great write -- nice to hear one about somebody that is satisfied
- powerful vocal
- an arrangment clearly designed to enhance the lyric
- outstanding imagery
- pro production

What did we leave out? Oh yeah, we much enjoyed it!

J&B

Great write and performance. Pro production as usual. Good use of the two drum sets. Key West was a ghost town two days ago. I gotta run. Work to do. Stay safe. It's gonna be a big un. Tom

I got a bit waylaid by some weather...




Thanks, Greg. I always appreciate a vote of confidence from you on the songwriting aspects...





Thanks, Gary. Often, getting a vocal to sit right on a mix only requires subtle tweaks in the processing... A touch more reverb. Adding an analog delay helps, too. Another aspect that folks sometimes don't realize is how the drums level balances a vocal level. Bass, too.




Hey, Steve! Thanks for that. Glad you liked it...

Glad to see you made it through the storm, my son lives in Westchase just out side of Tampa, haven't heard from him since I think Saturday he went to Orlando with the family in a hotel, I assume cell service is still messed up.

Steve - You should surely heard from him soon. Things are returning to "normal" across the area. Though there are still many without power...




Thanks, Scott...





Torrey - what a nice thing to note. Thank you...

Wow, this is good! So many good lines in this one. Very well put together. Nice rocker, with a great message! Just typical Floyd Jane.

Steve

Great job all around - vocals, mix, lyrics - as everyone has already said. Kudos FJ! I think this song would also work really well in a traditional country arrangement - not that there's anything wrong with the arrangement you've done - I'm meaning it as a complement on the write. (Plus I wouldn't mind hearing it that way. LOL!)

Bob - thanks for stopping in for a listen...




Thanks, Graham...




Thanks, Alan. Hope you both are doing well...




Really appreciate that, Brad...

LIstened earlier and thought I'd posted a reply --

First class write, production and performance. What more could we need? About the only thing I can think that you may not have covered is a MIDI based song.....

Good stuff here. I think you did a really good job on the vocals on this one.

Charlie

Shigeki Adachi - as always, thanks for the nice comments. I look forward to your Father/Son song...




Y'all always give me a smile... The Springsteen concert that I saw in '75 remains THE best show I ever saw - cool thing is, they recorded a show from that tour and released it on DVD (Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Hammersmith Odeon, London '75), so I can "relive" that show anytime I want...

I'm very late to this party but I'm super glad that I gave this a listen.

As usual, this is excellent and I agree with all that has been said.

This is another FJ keeper.

Thanks, Tom. I hope you are getting things back in order. Let us know if you need anything...




Appreciate that, Steve.





Thanks, Josie... interesting... I originally wrote this as a typical country/folk thing - had sort of a John Denver vibe... but it seemed a bit too typical (or "tame") that way. When I changed it to more of a Rock song, I thought it had more "life"...

Thanks, Charlie - I always look forward to what you might have to say about these offerings...




Glad you stopped by, Mario...

Wow, don't how you keep coming up with so many great songs........seems like it takes me forever to get one that I"m semi happy with..... Great job!

Rob

floyd,

This is excellent!!! It completely slipped by me. Only as I was travelling back through the forum today did I notice that I'd missed it.

I love the drum intro.... very, very effective. It's a doorway that opens up into a spectacular arrangement. What you've put together is really something way above average!

The driving rhythm, your driving vocals and such a powerful arrangement all join hands and shout out 'top notch'. This is music making of the highest calibre!



All the best,
Noel