The Groundhog Day

This is my first song written completely during this year. It was inspired by birding, my latest hobby, and long unsuccesful walks during dark or rainy days. The point is that sometimes it is difficult to give up your quest, thinking that the prize lies always behind the next hill. There are many other similar situations in life - it would be better to leave than to fight nature, but you are stuck in the moment. I had difficulties to find a word to describe the situation, finally I realized the movie Groundhog Day describes it very well, I hope you notice the similarity I'm trying to express.

I made also a chord video. Vocals and video are probably bit rushed to find time for my CoVid song, hopefully I get it finished during this year, or next year

RealDrums: RockThrashHalfTimeEv16
Loop: gl_tomtoms 100a ev16

RealTracks:
Electric bass #1009
Electric piano #2906
Electric guitar #875, #3230, #3343
Electric guitar solo #3348
Vocal Oohs-Aahs #3552
Vocal Gospel #3627

MIDI:
Elysion, TheOrchestra

Other:
Hand Claps from a real concert, melodyned to 80BPM

Vocals by me

Mixed in Cakewalk by BandLab

Lyrics:

Birding in a drizzle,
if I turned around now, would I miss a whistle?
I've decided, no more regrets
I just know that the rain doesn't choose who it wets.
Can't see a bluethroat, a beauty, any rare
only my own shadow follows me anywhere
is there a graceful exit from this lair
I'm repeating this same long day of wait and despair.

I'll never know the right moment to admit
that I have done my best it's time to ease off my grit
when to leave my shadow, the quest for crests and jays
when to break away this groundhog day.

Climbing up devotion
in the lasting tempest, can I keep the motion?
I've been struck down, felt bursts of hell
I just know that the wind doesn't care who it fells.
am I a fool man because I still believe
the peak of my fulfillment I could achieve
the ghost on the ground won't allow me to see
I'm repeating the same long day of being naive.

I'll never know...

Life is wilderness, not a feeder in the backyard
it won't give me titbits for trying hard.
I'm persevering, I won't seek justice,
I'll swallow each loss, I'll stand up to nature
I'll carry her cross.

I'll never know...

-------
Janne

We love birds and that made it easy to fall right into this song.

"Life is wilderness, not a feeder in the backyard
it won't give me titbits for trying hard.
I'm persevering, I won't seek justice,
I'll swallow each loss, I'll stand up to nature
I'll carry her cross."

That is a lovely sentiment!

We enjoyed it.

J&B

Janne,
fun tune. Excellent and challenging arrangement! A bit dark, but I have a feeling that is partly done for fun. Birding can be tricky.
Especially when you go out trying find them. They usually "appear" in random places at random times

P.S. Last week there was a pair of Bold head eagles flying by my place. I was lucky to have binoculars ready, so got to watch them up close.

Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Janne,

I love the dark mood you set with this! Nice changes and well written lyrics as always.

Groundhog Day is one of my favorite movies BTW.

Loved the eerie backtrack. Cool lyric and vocal. With the title I thought you were going to write about being locked in the house and doing the same thing day after day. Well done

Thanks Janice and Bud for your nice comment I knew you are into birds, so I'm very happy to notice that you are the first to comment You probably have much more different species there to see every day, I usually manage to see slightly above 100 species in a year…

Janne

Thanks Misha for your uplifting words I wouldn't say it was done for fun, although it's always fun to compose a new song. The "fun" part in the song is the solo, it's kind of a dream sequence describing the feeling of success. Yep, birding wouldn't be fun if you could just push a button and the selected bird fly to you. Or you had a map to find the next big one. So the fun (and the pain) is really in the randomness, something that has to be accepted (as I wrote "I'll swallow each loss, I'll stand up to nature").

Congratulations for seeing that eagle, I have only seen a white-tailed eagle here. Your area is probably full of big birds of prey

Janne

Janne

You are the master of chord changes that completely work and yet are so uncommon!! Makes your music always very interesting to listen to, and this is no exception!! Love the sound of the band! Very imaginative and cool music!! Take care. Greg

Hi Janne, very interesting chord changes indeed. Very good production all around.

Mike B.

Janne

Enjoyed the song, it's development and rousing ending. Liked the chord video - some very interesting changes and chords used.

Top quality composition.

Peter

Hi Janne,

Wonderful backing track with a fabulous solo.

Loved the lyrics which you can listen to on two levels - either
at face value, or if you consider the whole piece to be a metaphor, it
takes on a whole new and intriguing meaning.

Yes, we're longtime members of the British RSPB and spotting isn't predictable!
The only thing you can predict is that the best sightings are when you haven't
got a camera with you!

ROG.

Your lyrics are great, Janne. I sympathized with you right from the title. I love walking through the woods, so picked up the photography hobby. Eventually I came up with a saying: When it rains, shoot rain.

Janne,
A very cool darkly Hendrix-like intro leading into those dense,introspective lyrics...I always enjoy the seeking for meaning in little things and there are some original insights in your writing here.
Catch the joy as it flies!
As your songs often bring chord sequence surprises, the subtle changes here are a hallmark of a Janne composition. The arrangement ( especially how you integrate the guitars, is very good).

Robert

Thanks Dave for your kind and positive feedback I like Groundhog Day also very much, great inspired idea and Bill Murray is a great actor.

Janne

Thanks Scott for your nice comment Well, you could apply the message also to being locked in the house nowadays, being stuck, writing new songs one after another without getting the recognition you are after - but luckily we have this forum that helps us to escape outside, virtually

Janne

Terrific production, it started so ominously I wasn't sure what to expect, but eventually it settled into a Janne song, and a nice Janne song at that. When our cats died, we finally put up five bird feeders and we love them. We've had one rare sighting already. So you may want to rethink eschewing feeders. Nice work on an esoteric subject.

Thanks Greg for your heartwarming words They really mean much to me, especially when they come from a super-talented songwriter like you. I usually compose the chords before the melody, so the chords including the inversions almost contain the melody. When the lyrics are finished I can just put the words in and just finetune the melodical details.

Janne

Interesting inspiration!
Certainly an unusual song topic.

Well done.

Janne,

Very nice song!
As always, your device for the chord progression is wonderful.
I'm always wondering how you can ship your boat to the music ocean.
It is great D note pedal point, and the chord progression after key change to Fmajor.
Excellent!
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

The musical introduction is magnetic. Wow.

A wow on the chord structure too. I found the whole musical aspect/production of the song thrilling. I know some people associate thrilling with upbeat or virtuosic pieces but this was really appealing for me.

Thanks Mike for your nice feedback BIAB makes it really easy to test different chord changes, some may work when played on the piano but not in BIAB, but sometimes it's the opposite, for some reason, the BIAB makes some odd chords sound just perfect - but I have to find them by trying...

Janne

Thanks Peter for you kind words I'm glad you enjoyed my effort and also the video.

Janne

Thanks ROG for your very positive comment I really like that hazy ballad solo guitarist, it has partly inspired the whole song. I tried to use a talkbox effect for it, but it is barely audible, because I couldn't make it work as I wanted.

I'm really glad you found another level in the lyrics. Yes, it is not just birding, it can be interpreted to describe relationship (should I suffer and wait for a better day?), also the second verse could be read also as handling mountain climbing and its challenges. And on the high level it's about life and its ostensible unjustice.

I always carry a camera with me so I don't risk losing any chances. But even with a camera, it is difficult to take good pictures in a hurry. This year I've been trying to take a picture of a wren, very small, for many months, it has been singing almost next to me but I haven't seen it. Now I finally saw it but couldn't set the focus before it flew away. Second time the focus was little bit better. The third time, day later, I finally took a satisfying picture

Unfortunately, these are not good times for birds, mankind has destroyed many of their natural habitats. Hunting, pollution and the climate change are other threats. I hope the conservation helps.

Janne

Very nice chord progression. Your vocal is very good. Your instrumentation is excellent and your mix is outstanding.

Great job!

Hi Janne,

'the ghost on the ground won't allow me to see
I'm repeating the same long day of being naive'

This line in your lyrics I picked, because I liked how you express this. and it is also related to your (somewhat dark) introduction in your first post. It is about you.
Your song, with that 'metalfactory-like' rhythme, strengthened my feeling of that. But a dark feeling can easily come together with a good song, and that is the case here. You made an intriguing, nice song. The band, the lyrics and your voice made this song sound impressive to me.

Something else; I had to look up what a Groundhog day is: I learned it's a holiday, it has to do with a woodchuck and it's also a movie. I missed the birds...

Hans

Janne,

A good lyric - covers your subject well.

A coo Theater Rock sound.

Interesting music.

fj

Thanks Marty for your nice comment and understanding my lyrics And I really like that saying and I can use that with birds also, if I see just ordinary birds, I can take pictures of them and usually it pays off, they are very vivid in building nests and feeding their little ones Enjoy your walks and photography, very good hobbies especially during these times (unless you are in quarantine...).

Janne

Thanks Robert for your very kind and heartwarming words They make me smile and blush I'm glad you find those insights and chord changes, and that you have time to scratch out those little things below the surface

Janne

Thanks TuneMonger for your nice comment, pleasure to read about your bird feeders, they certainly are one big reason that many rare species have not yet become extinct. I hope you see more rare ones

Janne

Terrific backing. I think you are one of the most talented harmonists on this forum. Your progressions are an entertainment in themselves. Powerful lyric wrought from a simple hobby. Much enjoyed.

Thank you Sir for your positive feedback

Janne

Thanks Shigeki Adachi, your comments are always so rewarding You understand my strange progressions which makes me smile. "Ship your boat to the music ocean" that was very nicely said

Janne

Thanks Ezekiel's Storm for your wows and other very thrilling words

Janne

Thanks Mario for your very nice comment I like the adjective progression from nice to outstanding

Janne

Thanks Hans for your kind words The idea for the title (expressing the dilemma related to birding or any other 'being stuck' situation) came from the movie, the shadow in the lyrics refers to the groundhog tradition (continuing winter).

Janne

Thanks Floyd for your positive feedback I'm glad you liked the lyrics.

Janne

Thanks Tangmo for your very heart-warming words I'm really glad you think my progressions are entertaining, although I wouldn't call trial-and-error based method very talented, I'm just trying different chord combinations until something works for me

Janne