Hi, all:

This is another collaboration with John Vaughan. It’s a song John started writing that I stumbled upon, then started messing with (as I tend to do), and ended up going in a quirkier, offbeat direction both lyrically and musically than I’m sure either of us quite expected. I guess you just go where the muse leads you. Anyway, this is the result, and I hope it’s worth the listen.

Here's the song:

I'VE GOT THE MOON

Here are the lyrics:

(V) Thump my pillow, start tossing and turning—
the night’s are kinda long when your mind keeps churning.
So I get on up and with my PJs on
I open the curtain and I gaze upon
that glowing face in the summer sky,
a midnight buddy for a lonely guy.

(C) Well, he’s hanging in the sky like a big balloon
and his arms are reaching for me in my troubled room,
and I find myself a-hummin’ a familiar tune,
so my worries in the end
are put to ease by my silver friend.
And she may not be coming back anytime soon,
but that’s alright because tonight
I’ve got the moon.

(V) All the good times that we shared together—
I wasn’t quite aware that it wouldn’t last forever.
I keep getting hung up on the things she did,
but Mr. Moon reminds me that’s no way to live.
He tells a joke about a mastodon,
and keeps me laughing all night long.

(C) Well, he’s hanging in the sky like a big balloon
and his arms are reaching for me in my troubled room.
I start thinking about a cow and dish and spoon,
so my worries in the end
are put to ease by my silver friend.
And she may not be coming back anytime soon,
but that’s alright because tonight
I’ve got the moon.

(V) All it takes to stop a heart from achin’
is a willing ear and a little conversation.

(C) And, he’s hanging in the sky like a big balloon
and his arms are reaching for me in my troubled room,
and I find myself a-hummin’ a familiar tune,
so my worries in the end
are put to ease by my silver friend.
And she may not be coming back anytime soon,
but that’s alright because tonight
I’ve got the moon.

Me and the moon are going to shine, shine shine.
Me and the moon are going to shine, shine, shine.

And here's the band:

Drums: RealDrumss JazzBrushes
Bass: Real 398, Acoustic, Jazz Paul
Guitar: Real 952, Acoustic, Rhythm Country Boogie
Ukulele: Real 1142 Strumming Folk Swing
Clarinet: Real 764 Soloist, Older Swing
Piano: Real 772, Acoustic, Rhythm Jazz

(C)2019 DJ Lekich/John Vaughan

DJ Lekich & John,

Beautiful collaboration. Really nice work on lyric arrangement and instrumentals. Mixed perfectly, warm and yet crisp clear. I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

Such an uplifting toe tapper, good write clear mix and loved the vocals.

I totally enjoyed my listen!

Really enjoyable (and the vocal really reminds me of Arlo Guthrie).

Loved the vocal and the overall write.

Excellent work.

Peter

Really catchy upbeat song, great old-style band, especially liked the clarinet solo - like from a Woody Allen movie. Vocals are enjoyable with nice harmonies and scatting. Nice way to end with some vinyl noise.

Lyrics are also clever, although I have always thought Moon as a female, so I googled it and found many interesting debates

Janne

Yep... Its definitely worth a listen...
Great collaboration, vocals, & production...
Reminded me of Old Man Moon...
Very nicely done...
I enjoyed it.

"Quirky" lyrically/musically...yes....not a style I could pull off by any stretch.

But...it was well "worth the listen".
The lyrics are creative and interesting.
I did feel a few of the phrases were a bit rushed but that's a non-issue and does not detract from the obvious originality and appeal of the song overall.
You have a good voice and your vocal performance was right on the money.
There's a carefree feel to your vocal style in this one....I like it.
I sure couldn't hit those high notes you're effortlessly reaching.

The mix....I hear the mando/vocals just fine.

This is a good song in all it's 'quirkiness'.
Well done.

Back to it....

Reminds me of earlier Harry Nilsson - Pandemonium Shadow Show/Ariel Ballet era.
The uke may be a bit loud for a bit too long - some variety like a Fender Rhodes may have been cool but I like it well enough as it is.
Cool.

Deej,

An interesting write, well-penned.

A nice selection of tracks - has a vaudeville sense to it that works well for the lyric - like a Leon Redbone number...

Good mix. Excellent vocal.

fj

What a catchy and cheerful tune! It's an earworm for sure. Lovely the stripped back nature and upbeat vibes on this. Shows some strong songwriting skills, and it has a solid groove too. Really well done - thanks for sharing

Really good job with this DJ.

Kind of reminds me of Harry Chapin a little bit.

Super song man! Backing vox are wonderful.

I love the nostalgia created with this upbeat and uplifting song,

Someone mentioned Arlo Guthrie, a great compliment I think.

The clarinet sounds so good, we don't hear one too often here.

You're in fine voice, solid harmonies

great song, one to be proud of,

enjoyed,

Kenny

Misha, Josie, Peter, jannesan, Jim, chulaivet, rayc, floyd, Deryk, David, and Kenny:

Thank you so much for stopping in and giving this one a listen. It was different territory for me genre-wise, so I’m glad it came off OK.

rayc: Good call on the ukulele volume and maybe something for me to think about in a revised version (dropping it down and subbing in some variation in the verses). Didn’t quite occur me to go that direction, but you may have the right of it.

Kenny: I think the clarinet is my favorite part of this song. I never would have imagined writing a song with it included. God bless, BIAB! (Oddly enough, I was actually considering using a kazoo on this tune—but I didn’t have one handy--good thing!).

My best to each and all of you,

Deej

Deej , I liked the vinyl scratches. Nicely written and a great vocal. Excellent production that reminds a bit of Randy Newman. Very catchy and a fun listen, Tom

Cool tune. I got the Harry Chapin vibe as well. I find the ukulele always picks me up. Well done

Arlo, Redbone...Yep for sure...but ultimately all you and John.

We much enjoyed the lyric and the vocals.

And, man, what a cool arrangement with a great RT mashup!!

Nice...

J&B

Nicely done!! Some really fine lyrics, a sweet melody, and a convincing vocal! Very well put together!! Take care. Greg

I really enjoyed this particular arrangement and felt it was really nicely done. Thanks for sharing!

I love this! Lyrics, vocals, music--the whole package. You have my attention from start to finish on this one.

Deej56, man did you ever go the right direction on this! What a beautiful enjoyable tune! It has such a catchy melody! One of the best I've heard in a while here! Thanks, Torrey

tommyad, Scott, Janice & Bud, Greg, Ember, Ezekiel, and Torrey:

Really appreciate your taking the time to give this one a spin . . . and I’m glad it was worthwhile. It’s pretty awesome to get nice feedback from such a talented group of BIAB vets, like yourselves. Thanks so much!

My kind regards to you all!

Deej

What a fun song! Nice writing, infectious melody, great groove.

Killer job on the vocals! I especially like the background vocals, very well done indeed.

Enjoyed!

DJ,

This is such a cool song! A really great arrangement and mix with some very effective vocals...

Excellent!

Bob

Dave and Bob,

My apologies in taking so long to get back to you—unfortunately, a fair bit more work travel lately than usual and haven’t had a lot of spare time to spend visiting the board. So an long overdue note of appreciation for the listen and kind feedback.

Hope all is well in both your worlds.

Regards,

Deej

Liked the whole thing, voice, song, lyrics, production. Great voice, wish I could sing like that. Nice work!

TuneMonger,

Thanks much for the listen . . glad it was worth the spin!

Regards,

Deej