Hi floyd,

I’ve listened to this song a number of times. It’s an outstanding creation. Seriously! I love the riff. I have never once thought about using an ostinato to underlie any of my musical arrangements. When I listened to this, though, I was incredibly impressed. Apart from a few notes that change in the fourth bar, the guitar riff remained constant throughout. To my ears, this is impressive ostinato-based arranging!

One famous ostinato that I recalled as I listened to your song is “The Theme from Peter Gunn” by Henry Mancini. In this work, it’s the bass that takes the repeated riff. The clip below shows the Qatar Philharmonic Brass playing this theme. How the tuba player manages to keep the ostinato going is beyond me. He’s awesome.



As is often the case, your lyrics also captured my imagination. The first thing I noticed was the use of perfect rhymes. These definitely give a more settled aural feel and rhyming lines 3 and 6 in each verse gives good closure. I found myself wondering if such balanced rhyming acts to bring some stability to the tension created by the ostinato as the chords change. I don’t know. It’s just a thought that came to mind.

At every one of the many Pat Pattison, weekend workshops sessions that I’ve been to over the years, Pat always says, “Verses show and choruses tell.” This is Pat’s show-and-tell approach to lyric writing smile “Lover’s Secrets” is a perfect example of how songwriting show-and-tell works. In the verses, you show the listener specific list-items that are unique to an intimate relationship. Then, in the chorus, you provide the listener with the context that surrounds these items. I like it a lot! It’s very effective writing.

I’m always excited when I come across a song that has so many good features that it can be used as a template for songwriting and song-arranging. “Lovers’ Secrets” is definitely one such song.

I thoroughly enjoyed my listen!

All the best,
Noel

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