Sound Cloud Link: https://soundcloud.com/topstan/the-music-box?si=3388ba37d7e34bc6b3b4343c3efda4ab&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Music Box
by Stan Young
All Commercial Rights Reserved

Listen to the music box
When it plays, you’ll hear it talk
It tells a tale... a winter walk
Through Christmas long ago

Wind it up and it will play
Memories from yesterday
A simple song for Christmas day
Is its gift to you

And you will hear the sound of Christmas
At every turn around
As the notes float out so softly
Like snow upon the ground. You just...

Wind it up and it will play
Memories from yesterday
A simple song for Christmas day
When you play the music box

{Instrumental}

And at the end of each December
We pack the box away
So next year we can remember
The love we share today. We’ll just...

Wind it up and it will play
Memories from yesterday
A simple song for Christmas day
When you play the music box

A simple song for Christmas day
When you play the music box
******************************

Merry Christmas 2022 to the BIAB developers and the greater BIAB community.
-- Stan Young

I wrote this song some years ago and found one of the styles included with BIAB 2022 to be particularly suited to it. It was finished in BIAB 2023, exported to Mixcraft 9 Pro. I removed the strings from the original arrangement because it is, after all, a “simple song”. My acoustic guitar and vocal were added along with some compression and reverb. Here are the BIAB specifics:

****** Song Summary *************
Title: The Music Box
File:Music Box.SGU
Key=A , Tempo 85, Length (m:s)=3:11
4 bar intro, 60 bar chorus, from bar 5 to bar 64. Repeat x1 chorus
No Melody
Soloist track has 327 notes, Soloist harmony is < no harmony >(0)
Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0,
Song is saved with bar changes for Volume Changes,
Soloist is saved with the song : Pop 16ths. Crusaders (135)
Style is _AIRCELT.STY (Airy Celtic Strings)

RealTracks in style: ~2483:Bass, Acoustic, Bowed HeldSimple Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 2870:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm CelticAirDave Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 1875:Mandolin, Soloist CountryAndy Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 2457:Strings, Rhythm CelticAir Ev 085 (Removed in final mix)
RealDrums in Song:NashvilleBrushesEasyBluegrass: a: Sidestick, Brushes b: Brushes, Stick

*******************

Stan,

That's a very pretty write. It allowed my mind wander to very nice places. I think you've got a nice, rich sound in the music you chose. I think it may sound even a bit better with some background vocals, though if over done that may take away from that simple sound you're shooting for. In my mind I could hear several children's voices, or even a single childs' voice to some of the BGV's if that's possible. This is a very nice piece of music in my opinion.

Brad

This is SO beautiful! Such a beautiful melody. That's what I personally look for, in a song ... stunning lyricism and melodies, if at all possible. The mandolin solo is stunning. Sincerest congratulations - great job.

Welcome aboard, Stan!

Pleasing song and arrangement. I like the melody. An excellent addition to the Christmas song canon.

Stan,

a nice Christmas song.
a really nice melody. a good write.
i like your vocal.
good band. well mixed.

welcome to the Showcase

fj

Nice melody and vocals. I would've liked to have heard an actual music box to begin or end the piece. But fine without it. Well done!

Thanks Brad. I thought about BG vocals, but I wanted to get it out the door before Christmas. My 11-year-old granddaughter who is a future star is coming for Christmas, so maybe I'll give her a shot at it and it could be the 2023 version. The beauty of Christmas songs is that like a Music Box, you can pack them away after Christmas and bring them out next year and they are fresh again.

Thanks to all for your comments. Glad you like the song. The mandolin player is of course Andy Leftwich. He's an A session player and hard to get. Somehow I was able to book him included in the price of a BIAB upgrade. Inserting the sound of a real music box is another good idea I already thought about, but finding the right samples and getting them into the mix would have prolonged the project. As the saying goes, sometimes "better" is the enemy of "good enough".

Stan...what a lovely, tender song...I love the instrumentation you chose and the mandolin solo was so nice...lyrically and melodically so well crafted...so glad you joined the forum and gave us this beautiful song for the season...keep them coming...Merry Christmas...Dan

what a lovely xmas song.

lovely lyrics. and sentiments.

eg 'we pack the box away etc...'

have a great xmas.

om

Stan, welcome to the forum and post one heck of a great song.

Loved those lyrics.

You have a very good voice.

You picked the perfect instrumentation for this one.

A really super Christmas song.

Have a very Merry Christmas.