A Johnson & jane joint effort. A Greg/floyd collaboration.

Greg sent me some stuff. Based on advice he received from an old friend.
I added some stuff to it. Then threw some more stuff at it.
Then piled some BIAB tracks on top of it.
I asked Greg to sing it, but he felt it was more my thing (meaning "country")...

There you have it. Recipe for a co-write.


IT'S ALL IN THE HEART

she was the cutest thing i'd ever seen
my very first crush, jenny bernstein
she caught me staring, i hung my head
a nervous wreck, 10 shades of red
dad saw it all, gave me a wink and a nudge
then he sat me down when i refused to budge

   if you're gonna catch the big ones, boy
   you gotta think like a fish
   while you gotta keep your hope alive
   don't bet the farm on a wish
   beauty's in the eye of the beholder
   with women and with art
   but when it comes down to love, son
   it's all in the heart

i've had my share of mistakes and close calls
not sure it was love but there were plenty of falls
but now I know I found the one
i've been dreaming of all along
scared to make a move, i'll mess up everything
there was dad, to sit me down again

   if you're gonna catch the big ones, boy
   you gotta think like a fish
   while you gotta keep your hope alive
   don't bet the farm on a wish
   beauty's in the eye of the beholder
   with women and with art
   but when it comes down to love, son
   it's all in the heart

it's in the way you feel deep down
can barely breathe, you're gonna drown
an endless fall it seems
every moment like a dream
indescribable
it never lets go
you're all in
heart and soul

   if you're gonna the big ones, boy
   you gotta think like a fish
   while you gotta keep your hope alive
   don't bet the farm on a wish
   beauty's in the eye of the beholder
   with women and with art
   but when it comes down to love, son
   it's all in the heart

©2016 Greg Johnson and floyd jane


The boys in the BAND!:

RealTracks in song: 1190:Bass, Electric, ModernRnBRock Ev 065
RealTracks in song: ~1676:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking CountryBrent Ev 065
RealTracks in song: 1946:Mandolin, Rhythm ModernCountrySync Ev16 100
RealTracks in song: 910:Piano, Electric, Rhythm SmoothBallad Ev16 065
MIDI SuperTracks in song: 2060:Strings, Rhythm PopCountry Ev 120
MIDI SuperTracks in song: 2058:Strings, Rhythm CelticAir Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 1835:Guitar, Electric, Soloist PopModernGrooveGritty Ev16 075
RealDrums in style: NashvillePop16^4-a:SideStick, HiHat , b:Snare, Hihat


We hope you enjoy it.
Give your dad a hug.

Have at it.

floyd and Greg.

Whew... now this is a good one. Great collaboration. Great performance and arrangement.

Lyrically, this is an excellent candidate for a contemporary, modern country song and to my ear, without too much tweaking.

Not suggesting any changes or that any are needed. Just saying that to me, by several lines in, I saw potential for a good (aka Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, etc) song. It's all part of my analytical process when I listen to a song. No matter what manner I dissect this song, it will work. So, I know it has that certain quality that stands the test of time. Good job to both of you.

Well written and executed. To my ear what sounds like an electric piano is a little over the top in the mix, but I'm nitpicking.

Good vox, theme, could be performed by several artists in the new flavor of country.

Good job

rob

Nice one.

Loved the lyrics and that hook in the chorus just plain works.

Hi Floyd and Greg,

beautiful song. Beautiful delivery.
Beautiful collab.
I'm still enjoying my listens.

Guenter

floyd & Greg, With you two teaming up, I knew what to expect. You exceeded my high level of expectation. Killer chorus.
" beauty's in the eye of the beholder
with women and with art
but when it comes down to love, son
it's all in the heart"
I don't know if those lines came early in the process, but if they did I would bet the story fell right into place. A nice little story of Dad's lesson of love taught to his son. Great lyrics all the way through and a melody that supports the feel. Good arrangement and very well sung. Mix is spot on. It doesn't get much better than this. Tom

Very very cool song! Both the lyrics and the music are great, such a breath of fresh air from a lot of the pablum and nonsense on the radio today. Great writing. And as usual, the production and overall sound quality is top notch.

Kudos!!!

Hey Floyd,
great song and collaboration.

Just a good song could be born of a collaboration between you.

Really pleasant.

Sergio

We thank you for the listen, Charlie. You appear to be defining a "good song" as what Luke Byran or Blake Shelton do (how it reads anyway). I have to admit I don't much care for what either of them has been doing for quite some time - so I would not want to make this sound like them. Listen to some Billy Currington - I find that much more to my tastes and I could hear Billy doing a song similar to this. That "Luke Bryan sound" wears out quickly for me, so it is not something that I strive for...though I get that a lot of people like... Thanks for stopping by - always like to hear your thoughts...

Floyd and Greg
Really good song - catchy chorus - great vocal (trademark) and top set of lyrics.
Hard to go wrong!

"You appear to be defining a "good song" as what Luke Bryan or Blake Shelton do "

Well, yes and no. Regarding Bryan and Shelton, I define the songs they release as singles to be "good songs" relative to the influence they tend to have on the current country genre and where their songs usually peak on the charts as opposed to my perception of the quality of how it's written. Even someone who does not particularly care for the genre would likely acknowledge Shelton's #1 single "Home" to be a good song as on the strength of the song itself also was a #1 single for the writer Michael Buble in a completely different arrangement in a completely different genre of music. I was not addressing your or my taste for the songs of that particular genre but the quality of "It's All In The Heart", its theme, lyrics, message and such.

My defining "It's All In The Heart" as a "good song" was to mean the same as I consider "Home" to be a "good song." My intention was to say "It's All In The Heart" has the strength to be a hit across several genres of music. <grin> you and Greg will have to decide what to do if Luke Bryan calls to ask to record it....

I have nothing but good feelings and good things to say about "It's All In The Heart", the write, production, arrangement and performance. What I lacked in clarity initially is an understatement to the enjoyment of my several listens.

Floyd & Greg

Another masterpiece! No question.

I always enjoy Greg's vocals, but he was right on the money here with choice of singer. You nailed it Floyd, your vocal is absolutely perfect.

This is a winner. Fantastic lyrics. Deserves airplay. Perfection.

Another gem from FJ, great as usual...............

Absolutely loved the arrangement on this one Floyd and Greg. You both just keep on delivering. It is awesome!

Hi Guys.

Well, it's obviously a cracking song. (Does "cracking" translate, or is it a bit Yorkshire?)

A brilliant piece of writing, both music and lyrics and the vocals are just heartfelt and perfect.

But what about that mix! This has to be one of the best mixes I've heard in a while and I'm guessing that it's your work, Floyd, basically because of the drums. Like you, I often want the drums louder in some of the mixes we hear, but the drum sound on this track is wicked. I had to put it up on the big Tannoys and I watched as the kick drum bounced the cones around!

But it's not just the drums. This is a BIG sound and the stereo wash is beautiful and very in keeping with the style of the song.

Did I say I liked it?

ROG.

Charlie - thanks for the follow up and the clarification. I hadn't heard "Home" - is it, indeed, a fine song - it was released in 2008 - Blake used to do really good stuff...

Do you know "Austin"? one of his earlier ones - I love this song!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb1DTsxBOfE

We've gone around several times about "modern country" in other threads, so I don't want to get into that here. I've just grown weary of those who are constantly saying "well.. that sounds 'dated'" simply because it doesn't sound like bro-country. There is a lot more to "modern music" (and modern country, for that matter) than that particular sound... Pretty much anything that falls in the Americana category these days would likely be labeled "dated" by someone who only turns on Country radio for 5 minutes and then leaves because it isn't for them. There is a lot of good music out there...
Again - thanks for the thoughts...

Awesome tune Floyd and Greg. Excellent vocal and lyric.

Thanks for dropping by, Rob. The e. piano is the foundation of the mix - and intended to "be heard". Listening on phones, monitors and small speakers (so a variety), it sits pretty much right where I want it - never "taking over". I appreciate the opinion, though...





Thanks, Herb.

Hi Floyd and Greg,

This is a beautiful collab with beautiful lyrics too!
We get why Greg preferred to have it sung by you (country timbre in the voice) just like we did with Little young Pretty

Rob and Anne-Marie

We appreciate that Guenter.