A while back, I asked Bud and Janice if they would be interested in being involved with the "Deciduous Love" project.

I was totally delighted when they said, "Yes"!

So I put together a backing that sounded a little bit like something from the days of Tin Pan Alley (BIAB really does make it all so very easy!) and sent it across to J&B. Janice worked her amazing magic and created a wonderful melody that she sang in a way that reminded me of very best of the 1940s/50s female crooners and jazz singers. When I first heard Bud's recording of Janice's vocals, the name 'Ella Fitzgerald' sprang to mind followed very quickly by 'Doris Day'.

Here is where our songwriting journey led us to...

• ♫♫ Deciduous Love (with a twist of Tin Pan Alley)

Please feel free to comment on any aspect of the song and its production.

Regards,
Noel

======


The BIAB Band

Style is _EZPNO85.STY (Slow EZ Listening Quartet )

1386: Bass, Acoustic, Jazz Ballad Sw 085 (Very Simple)
2192: Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm EZListening Sw 085
1984: Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm EZListening Sw 085
490: Sax, Alto, Jazz Ballad Sw 085

RealDrums: JazzBrushes#1: a: JazzBrushes#1b: JazzBrushes#1


Lyrics

Lost and lonely autumn leaves
My only friends tonight
We're tumbling down a road going nowhere
Forgetting once we had a happy life
We’re all alone where the bitter winds blow
Don't we deserve a home?

[Chorus]
Deciduous love
Deciduous love
Lives for summer sun and throws you away
When summer is done

I remember when spring began
The world was looking good
When summer came the days got longer
And I felt invincible and self-assured
But seasons changed, bringing trouble and pain
And the sting of autumn's blade

Deciduous love
Deciduous love
Lives for summer sun and throws you away
When summer is done

One day, one day
Will summer not go away?
One day, I’m hoping that one day
Someone will want me to stay

Deciduous love
Deciduous love
Lives for summer sun and throws you away
When summer is done

I guess it’s time to call it a day
My summer is done

©2018 Noel Adams and Janice Merritt. All rights reserved.

It's 1948, I'm in a jazz lounge sipping on a martini and listening to the best jazz combo and singer in the universe!

Now this is music!

Outstanding in every way. There is nothing more than I can say except that I loved this one.

Absolutely fantastic you captured that era brilliantly vocals amazing , Music incredible and authentically true to the time.

Well done to you all really BRILLIANT !!.

Wee nit.. I think you had more than enough range to adjust the key up more with a singer like you have, I know you where keeping with the era, I still feel Janice could have ripped it a bit more like singers did in that era.

But that's a personnel opinion/ choice .


This was one if not the best song, arrangement, co write I have heard on my time on this forum honestly.

Hi, Noel & Janice & Bud !

What a sweet song !!!!
Easy to fall in love
with these magic tones !

Congrats to all of you
for this gem !!!:))

Cheers
Dani

Noel & Janice & Bud

Lovely collaboration. Everything comes together beautifully on this, a lovely mix and choice of band, top quality songwriting and some stunning vocals (lived the harmony parts) and melody.
A totally professional piece.
Really excellent.

Peter

Hey Mario!

Wow! It seems like you had a very similar image to mine when I first heard Janice sing this. The only difference was that, in my mind, I saw Janice leaning against a piano, lit by a soft spotlight in that jazz club...

Thank you for having a listen! Much appreciated.

All the best,
Noel

P.S. I LOVE your tag line... "My mind is like my Internet browser: 19 tabs open, 3 of them are frozen & I have no idea where the music is coming from." I totally relate to that!!!

Hey Noel, Janice and Bud. This is just lovely. Well done to all of you. Those harmonies are wonderful,

Noel & Janice,

It just doesn't get much better than this, if it does at all. You have to know how much I love this style and gosh, Janice just makes electric. And Noel's lyric is so smooth and creative. This was real treat!

This sets the bar on this style. Not sure I'll ever get close to it - but I'll keep trying. best to you.

Alan

Yeah! I think this is my favorite version of the ones I've heard.

Love the arrangement! Very cool vibe happening. And of course Janice always sounds great, both the lead vocal and the harmonies.

Well done you two!

Mario, that is so kind of you. Thanks!!

Janice

What a wonderful exercise this has been in the forum! Yet another excellent treatment of Noel’s lovely lyrics. I thoroughly enjoyed listening, the vocal was excellent as always and completely captured the mood of the time...great collaboration!

Cool tune. First a just loved the backtrack and instrument selection. Janice's vocal and harmonies are just perfect for the song. Well done.

Nice jazzy tune and sweet smooth vocals. Good collaboration between you all.

Thank you for the positive and thoughtful review! Noel set the key based on my request. For years I had to sing in much higher keys in our bluegrass band but after we discovered BiaB Bud had encouraged me to explore more of my contralto range. So I’m never quite sure what key to pick! It could’ve gone either way Thanks again for the supportive comments!

Janice



Thank you so much Dani. We thought you might like this style!

Janice

Sweet singing Janice! The only thing missing is a Vodka martini! Very much enjoyed! Cheers to you all!

A great piece. The backing is as smooth and cool as the vocals. And the little sax solos bring just enough heat...kind of like Indian summer. Really enjoyed this.

beatmaster,

Thank you for visiting and having a listen. Thanks for the feedback, too. Really appreciate it.

Regards,
Noel

Noel & Janice,

This is a true delight.

It is amazing how many styles this lyric has been able to sit comfortably in.

A gorgeous production. So good you get lost in the vocal - and the background is "just...right!". Excellent mix.

An absolutely GORGEOUS vocal. Killer harmonies.

Out of the park.

fj

Lovely relaxed vibe and great vocal plus I like the vocal harmonies in the chorus. The saxophone interjections are great too and overall was wonderfully retro.

Floyd summed it up:
"An absolutely GORGEOUS vocal. Killer harmonies."
This is terrific- you guys really felt that style and it suits the lyric to a T.I hope you do more jazzy songs in future.
When do we vote on all the great entries for this forum challenge?

Robert

Noel & Janice,

Wonderful sound!
Very nice vocals and harmonies!
Wonderful lyrics match any genre song.
The blues of Janis are always wonderful, but these jazz-like songs are also very good.
Certainly, Doris Day.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Dani,

Hi there! It's always excellent to see you. Thanks for listening and thanks, too, for all those nice words. Much appreciated.

All the best,
Noel

Thank you Peter for the very nice comments about the vocals and, yes, Noel did a heckuva job with the production for sure.

Janice





Thanks Joanne. I’m glad you like the harmony. Noel arranged them!

Janice

Al, I had hoped you would like this. Bud and I enjoy your productions of this era.

Thank you!

Janice

Gorgeous!!!

A delight to listen to

amazing vocals, love the arrangement

and everything about this,

Kenny

Hi Peter,

Thank you for finding some time to have a listen. Appreciate it. Janice's lead and background vocals really made this version of Deciduous Love some very, very special.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Joanne,

Thanks for dropping by, listening and commenting. Appreciate it.

All the best,
Noel




Hi Alan!

My goodness! Thank you for all the kind words. And I totally agree, it's true that "Janice just makes it electric". When I first heard Janice's vocal track, her presentation blew me away.

Also... just for the record... I regard you as the master of this song style. You are an arranger 'par excellence'. I would love to have heard your big band and your arrangements for it. I bet you were a hit far and wide!

Best wishes to both you and Di,
Noel

Thank you Dave!!

Janice

Hi Dave,

Thank you for finding the time to have a listen and to comment. Appreciate it.

All the best,
Noel




Hi Tano,

Thanks for dropping in. Appreciate the comments.

In all honesty, I've found listening to what others have done to my lyrics totally fascinating. When I wrote the words originally, I had a specific sound and style in mind. In that regard, I was a prisoner of my own imagination (or lack thereof). Then, when others joined in and used the lyrics how they heard them, I couldn't believe that there were so many different possibilities that worked so well. I've also found it a "wonderful exercise".

All the best,
Noel

Thank you! It’s always fun to try different genres and I glad you liked it.

Janice

Wow Noel, what a great treatment of this song! I really love that jazz swing feel this has and that saxophone solo was just great! The vocal Janice provides here is perfect as well as all of the production and everything else going on! Thanks, Torrey

Great song guys, that song fits Janice's vocal like a glove!
Cool writing!
And we love the saxophone soloist.

Rob and Anne-Marie

Hey Scott!

I tip my hat to you. You are an incredibly supportive user of Users Showcase. Over the years, I've watched you welcome everyone and comment on the hundreds of songs that shuffle through here. Your commitment and dedication is amazing!

Thank you for jumping in and having a listen to another version of "Deciduous Love". I appreciate your comments about the backing. And I agree, Janice's singing is a perfect fit for this genre!

All the best,
Noel

Hi Donna,

Thank you for taking the time. Appreciate it.

Regards,
Noel




Here you go, Lawrence. Enjoy!



Thank for your continued support. It means a lot.

All the best,
Noel

Noel,

I have been following all the versions of this song...

I really love what you and Janice have done here. A tremendous arrangement, vocal and mix.

Just the best!

Bob

Hi Tangmo,

I'm glad you got a chance to have. Thank you for comments. Really appreciated.

All the best,
Noel

Hi floyd,

Appreciate the visit.

Like you, I'm a bit surprised at how comfortably these lyrics supported the different styles too. I wasn't expecting that at all. While I modified the lyrics slightly, in a couple of places, to fit this particular version better, 90-95% of the original lyric content is still unchanged.

Thanks for the comments on the production. I spent a bit of time trying to get this mix as good I could. I wanted Janice to have the best accompaniment I could assemble!

It's always good to see you!
Noel

Hi funkycornwall,

Thank you. I appreciate that you managed to have a listen to Soundcloud. I also appreciate the comments.

All the best,
Noel

Thank you!

Janice





Thank you Scott!!

Janice






Glad you like it Donna. Thank you!

Janice






Thank you. I love the description and I see that Noel added one

Janice

Hi Robert,

It's always good to see you. Appreciate the visit and the comments. How can we possibly vote on the best? I'm just grateful that some people managed to fit my words to music. The lyric flow didn't make it an easy task and I think everyone did a superb job!

All the best,
Noel

Hi Shigeki Adachi,

It's good to see you (again). I hope that all is travelling well in Japan. Thank you for having a listen and for passing on a few comments. When it comes to this style of music, you are one of the forum masters!

I appreciate the visit.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Kenny,

Thank you! It's always good to have your drop by. It was a pleasure working with Janice and Bud. They make making music a great experience!

All the best,
Noel

Thanks, Torrey. Really appreciate the comments.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Rob and Anne-Marie,

Good to see you. Thanks for taking time to have a listen. Appreciate it.

Regards,
Noel




Hey Bob,

Thanks for hanging in there and tracking the various treatments that my lyrics received. I appreciate it. It was quite an interesting journey!

All the best,
Noel

Hi Noel/Janice
Mario's bar discription is the most apt.I'd add a cigerette in a long holder and a couple of long white gloves .Its Sultry.Its a song that puts you right there.Great vocals and production throughout.Lyrics excellent as well .Thanks for the listen

Hi Hugh,

Thank you for listening and commenting. I always appreciate reading about how others hear my music and words... it helps me get better! I think that Janice's vocals added a ton of sparkle to my usual accomplishments, though! That helped heaps

All the best,
Noel

Thank you!

Janice




Thank you so much floyd. It was nice to be invited to do this and fun to work with Noel. He did a fine job arranging the harmony.
We appreciate you!

Janice

Thank you!

Janice





Thank you so much Robert!

Janice





Shigeki, I very much appreciate you saying that. I had hoped you would like it.

Janice

Thank you Kenny! Noel did a great job with the arrangement.

Janice



I very much appreciate that Torrey!

Janice




Thanks y’all!

Janice

Thanks for listening and taking time to comment!

Janice