Hi, all:

First off, I hope everyone is safe and sound and staying healthy. I’m wondering if it’s the shelter in place environment we are in that are making you all so prolific, but the great tunes keep coming. A pleasure to listen to you all this morning, on a rainy day . . . though I’ve got some more catching up to do.

Anyway, here’s something new . . . actually a song I’d written a couple years back that I’ve wanted to try out using BIAB. Hope it came out OK. Thanks in advance for the listen!

My best to you all,

Deej

Here’s the song:

GOT TO LET YOU GO

Here are the lyrics:

Sometimes love, well, it’s not enough—
do we care so much we don’t see it’s true?
It’s an easy plan to be a selfish man,
but understand I want what’s best for you.

It’s hard to hear it, I know;
and even harder yet to believe that it’s so.
Yeah, it’s hard to get, but I’ve got to let you go.

I know it’s sad—I thought we’d always last;
but your Mom and Dad say I’m holding you back.
And it ain’t no slight because I know their right—
your future’s bright, and my future’s black.

You’ve got such potential to grow.
There ain’t no limit to how far you can go.
Well, it’s hard to get, but I’ve got to let you go.

You’ve never seen yourself on that stage—
you’re a star in the making, I know.
So, baby, find the strength to walk away;
I’d be the worst kind of man to stand in your way.
Listen, now’s your moment to shine.
You’ll live your life now and I’ll live mine.

Maybe one day, you’ll be on stage about to play,
I’ll shout and wave, and catch your eye,
then you’ll play that sweet sad love ballad
that you wrote back then to help you say goodbye.

Then you’ll crank it up and rock the show;
then walk off stage, arm in arm with your boy and your beau,
and that’s when I’ll regret that I ever let you go.
That’s when I’ll regret that I ever let you go.
It will hurt and yet I’ve got to let you go.

And here’s the band:

RealTracks: 1255 Bass, Electric, PopShining A-B Ev 120
RealTracks: 2494 Piano, Acoustic, HeldChords 120
RealTracks: 3184 Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm GrungeSlowQuinn Ev16 060
RealTracks: 785 Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming CrossoverSnappy Sw16 090
RealTracks: 795 Guitar, Electric, Rhythm ModernCountrySync Ev 100 (A:strum)
RealTracks: 2444 Guitar, Baritone Electric, Background PopCountryBrent Ev 085
RealTracks: 2690 Guitar, Electric, Soloist Slow16thsPopBrentSimple Ev16 075
RealDrums: PopRock16ths^01-a:Snare, HiHat, b:Snare, Ride

Beautiful song. The lyrics really take it "over the top", so to speak ... based on lyrics alone, far and away the saddest song I've ever heard from you. Particularly heartbreaking for me, personally, as I've been there. But, howsoever that may or may not be: the music is really beautiful and ensures that the pain described and felt by the song persona is not overwhelming but, in some strange way, rather serene and somehow accepting of the situation. Just my two cents' worth, coming from (and most probably coloured by) a personal perspective.

In any case: good job; well written, well sung, all the things we take for granted with a Deej56 production. Just that the lyrics make it go those extra miles and make a good song really great, I feel. I'm going to go chop some onions now :-) - but thanks!

Hi Deej ...

A pretty cool tune! i really enjoyed my listen. A lot of folks say you shouldn't put an upbeat backing to a sad song. I disagree ... sometimes the contrast adds a great dynamic that compliments the whole work. This is a good case in point.

I liked the tremolo guitar on the right pan ... and the lead guitar was a perfect fit. I like the slightly "softer" EQ on your vocal compared to a few of your previous songs.

All said ... great song and a super listen!

Take care and be safe ...

Alan

You've done well with this song. The lyrics tell a very sad story but not in a maudlin manner.
I like the backing - it fits the song perfectly.
Cheers,
Mike

It's a cool song.
Why does it lean so heavily to the right? The L channel seems to hold the bvox and, perhaps, some reverb ghosts only...every now & then something else pops but the snare pulls hard to the right.
Need louder vocals apart from the stereo image thing.
Really nice song.

James,

Thanks for the listen and feedback. Yes, a sad song and story, but like you, I feel there's a strange sense of acceptance and closure; like the singer knows he really is doing the right thing by her and he's OK with that in the end. Glad you enjoyed it.

Regards,

Deej

Alan,

Thanks for the listen. I agree, a sad song doesn't necessarily need to go with a sad melody, though maybe a little harder to do otherwise. Hope I struck the right balance here. Appreciate the call out on dialing down the high EQ . . . I'm trying. . Though I think Rayc has the right of it and I was a little too gun shy on the volume of the lead vocal. So a new version posted.

Regards,

Deej

Mike,

Thanks much for stopping in and giving this one a spin. Glad it worked for you. Stay well!

All my best,

Deej

rayc,

Good set of ears as always! As far as the overweight on the R channel, for some reason I had the drums to far over--not sure how I got there or how I missed it. And then I think moving the main rhythm guitar a little bit closer to center might help. I also shifted over the electric guitar, which really only has a small part later in the song, to the left side. Hopefully that gives it a little more balance. New version attached.

I also upped the vocal a bit. Oddly enough, I had it even a bit higher when I first posted to Soundcloud, but dialed it back when I posted it here. I think, though, I went too far with that. Here's hoping I didn't go too far the other way in raising the Vox volume in this new version.

Great comments--really appreciate them.

All my best,

Deej

Wow - I thoroughly enjoyed my listen. Very poignant, and simply put - beautiful. I agree with Alan above as well. The upbeat tempo contrasts perfectly here, and really does add a unique and captivating dynamic.

You should be proud of this one - thanks for sharing

Deej,

Everything about this is working.

I've gotten to it after the "fixes". Whatever they were, they worked.

As Alan mentioned, you have really "dialed in" your vocals. Nice job!

Well written song. Personally, I think your songs are significantly stronger when you are writing the lyrics yourself. These are really well done. Focused.

Good mix. (I did think the bass could have been just slightly "beefier").

Nice. I like it.

fj

Love your vocals and really cool write. The lyrics are bittersweet with an innocence about them.

Deej,
The balance sounds good to me (and that includes the upbeat feel of the music set against the pain in the story).
Ace vocals! For my taste your voice sits in the sweet spot between clarity and affectation- instantly recognisable with unique phrasing that never slurs the lyrics past understanding.
A good simple arrangement with the snappy acoustic driving the song.
Very enjoyable music!

Great tune!!! So naturally written and delivered....comfortable and passionate!! Reminds me of Lindsey Buckingham a little. Everything works......you don't want it to end!! Take care. Greg

Hi DeeJay,

what a cool tune... great lyrics wrapped in a brilliant song impressively sung.

very well done, Deejay, very well done,

Stay well,

Stefan

Deej,
I only have rubbish headphones at the moment, (my usual ones are hanging for a few hours to get some kinks out), so I can't offer a decent comment from close listening BUT on these things the songs shines through...always a good sign when a song triumphs over the technical stuff.
Well done.

Deryk, Floyd, Belladonna, Robert, Greg, Stefan, and rayc:

Wow, thanks so much for the kind comments, all. So much appreciated. I'd like to think it among my better lyrics, so glad it came off well enough in BIAB. Glad you all enjoyed the listen.

Floyd: The challenge to writing my own lyric is that it comes hard and slow. These days I find it much easier to come up with a melody than a lyric I'm happy with. And it's always fun to take up someone else's lyric and give it a whirl. Sometimes having that extra creative mind to partner with help get the engine to turn. But, yeah, I need to discipline myself a little more when it comes to sitting down and grinding out my own.

Robert: Very kind words on the vocal. Thanks for that.

Greg: Lindsey Buckingham? . . I'll take that any day of the week and twice on Sunday!

rayc: Well, I think I discovered another flaw in my mix. I had one plug in I was using on vocal that had a stereo and mono option, and I think I was unknowingly using the latter--which may have caused the vocals to pull more right than left. Unfortunately, my DAW seems to have dropped some tracks from my last version--Grrrrr!--and I don't think I can go back and toy with it. Hopefully, it's well enough along with the additional adjustments I made (fingers crossed).

Thanks, again, all.

Deej

Enjoyed it. Your vocal mix is spot on. Love the chord progression and as Donna mentioned it has a sweet innocence about the lyrics that's charming.

I got pulled into the rhythm of the arrangement right from the start.

Nice write, strong singing, no issues with the mix from me.

I'd say it came out more than just OK.

Sundance and David,

Thanks for giving this a spin and taking the time to comment--it's much appreciated. Happy everything seems to work for you both.

Best regards, and stay healthy!

Deej

Loved the intro. Also love your vocals. Very timely lyric. Well done

Man, that's a nice mix of guitars, Deej. Love the story, and your voice is outstanding. Such emotion and range. A wonderful presentation all around.

I really like the balance between the lyrics and the band. Although it's bouncy and catchy pop rock, the chord progression and your interpretation bring forth the inevitable sad truth of the story, yet regret occurs only in the final words. The instrument selection is perfect and I especially like the use of the solo guitarist. This song would fit perfectly in some songwriter related movies I've seen recently.

Janne

Al said, "A lot of folks say you shouldn't put an upbeat backing to a sad song. I disagree ... sometimes the contrast adds a great dynamic that compliments the whole work. This is a good case in point."

A great point. One Tom Adams has made before during our collabs.

It's all been already said. Everything is hittin' the note...the write, the vocals, the band and the mix.

Excellent use of RT/RD tracks.

It sounds great on the KRK's. Super soundstage.

Well done!

J&B

Deej, clever use of that baritone! Nice little chord structure in the verses and harmonies! Excellent lead vocal again! Great carryover on influences from different generations of artists! Great job! Thanks, Torrey

I've got a lot of catching up to do too. I'm two weeks late on this one.

The whole sound. feel, and the vocal performance really grabs you.

Really effective transition into the guitar solo from "...I'll live mine."

Scott, Marty, Janne, J&B, Torrey, and Ezekiel:

Thanks much all for the listen and kind comments. Glad this one resonated and seemed to work for everyone. Appreciate the support as always.

My best to you all--stay safe!

Deej