It Ain't Fair (collab with Bronco)

Joanna

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Description

Bronco sent me some 12 bar blues, allowing me to do whatever I wanted with it. To me, it was the ultimate chance to indulge my Billie Holliday fantasy. I used my bluesiest voice, wrote some hard luck lyrics, and started singing. I hope you enjoy the results, because boy howdy, did I ever have a good time with this song! Bronco is an absolutely fantastic person with whom to collaborate. It was a wonderful experience for me, and I hope it was for him. I adore all the wonderful touches he added to this piece. It started with him and it ended with him.

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Lyrics

You pay me a nickel when I'm worth more than a dime
Why you keeping me down all the time
I sweat and I slave to give you what I got
And you slap me down, leaving me to rot
It ain't fair. Life ain't fair. But what am I gonna do?

Heavy burdens on my shoulders
Get these weights right offa me
Dangerous fire around me smolders
It ain't the way the world oughta be
But it is. It just is. It always is.

You drag my name through the muck and the mire
Why are you hating? Why do you never tire?
I never did you a single wrong
And you slap me down and silence my song.
It ain't fair. Life ain't fair. But what am I gonna do?

::bridge::

Heavy burdens on my shoulders
Get these weights right offa me
Dangerous fire around me smolders
It ain't the way the world oughta be
But it is. It just is. It always is.

You make me promises and feed me big dreams
But nothing you say is ever what it seems
I fly on a thought, heaven bound
And you slap me down, leave me on the ground
It ain't fair. Life ain't fair. But what am I gonna do?

Heavy burdens on my shoulders
Get these weights right offa me
Dangerous fire around me smolders
It ain't the way the world oughta be
But it is. It just is. It always is.

Song Stats

Hits: 2042
Comments: 54
Fans: 6
Plays: 400
Downloads: 95
Votes: 23
Uploaded: Jun 13, 2005 - 05:25:32 PM
Last Updated: Jun 13, 2005 - 04:31:36 PM Last Played: Jun 04, 2009 - 04:14:27 PM

Song License

Creative Commons License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial

Song Actions

Hardware:

All of Bronco's stuff, and my Shure SM58

Software:

GarageBand

Comments

SlimGirlFat	SlimGirlFat said 1622 days ago (June 13th, 2005)
	Bluesey JO! wooo.. what a great track guys. Nice singing Joanna. love that husky timbre you got going on in here. Fantastic lyrics. Great songwriting, and playing.. Nice one you two. D/L Slimmie Check out my latest song called Not Enough

Joanna	Joanna said 1622 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Bluesey JO! Thank you, Slimmie! This was such a joy for me. Bronco was the perfect collaborator. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Rebsie	Rebsie said 1622 days ago (June 13th, 2005)
	Very classy You two make a really good team ... it's amazing what happens when two people with similar musical ideas get together and pool their resources. Joanna, you sound like you're having a great time! The instrumentation is great, bronco. Much credit to you both. Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)

Joanna	Joanna said 1622 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Very classy Thank you, Rebsie! One of the biggest joys of Macjams is the way we can pool our talents with others to create something uniqe. You're right - I was having a lot of fun. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

mandolinquent	mandolinquent said 1622 days ago (June 13th, 2005)
	Lovely meeting of talents. bronco's in really fine form here on instruments and voice. Beautiful playing, Tom. And what a great partner he's got here. Great singing and writing, Joanna. You can hear what fun both of you had doing this... Class act. Check out my latest song called Had We But World Enough

bronco	bronco said 1622 days ago (June 13th, 2005)
	Lovely meeting of talents. Thanks Slim, Rebsie, Mando. Joanna was so much fun to work with. Love doing collaborations. Just send me a file and I will make it mediocre in no time at all. Nope, couldn't even do that with this one. She's too good! Check out my latest song called Strange Feeling

Joanna	Joanna said 1622 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Lovely meeting of talents. Thank you, Mando! Bronco did most of the work on this one. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

stevel	stevel said 1622 days ago (June 13th, 2005)
	Sultry blues Great vocals..yes very reminiscent of Billie Holiday in places. Nice backing vocals too. This just has a great feel...although its blues you cannot help but be cheered up by this! S Check out my latest song called Electricity

Joanna	Joanna said 1622 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Sultry blues Thank you, Steve! Even the blues can be uplifting. The magic of music. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Mystified	Mystified said 1622 days ago (June 13th, 2005)
	Sometimes it aint fair... But this collab is more than fair...I'd say fantastic! What a great combination of talents. :) I'm waiting for the next collab, you two! Excellent! Thank you. Check out my latest song called Father Time

Joanna	Joanna said 1622 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Sometimes it aint fair... Thank you, Mysti! That bronco sure can play that guitar! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

thetiler	thetiler said 1622 days ago (June 13th, 2005)
	Billie Holliday has come back I really liked how well you did the Billie Holliday singin. I enjoyed you both together. You really have a nice talent Joanna for singin in the Jazz-blues fashion. And your songwriting is suprerb. Thanks much for this tune. Check out my latest song called The Bluebird Cafe (with two other guest)

Joanna	Joanna said 1622 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Billie Holliday has come back Thank you, Tiler, I'm so glad you liked it! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

snowdragon	snowdragon said 1622 days ago (June 13th, 2005)
	Tellin' the truth Ah, Chicago, south side, late '40s. Smokey bar, cheap liquor. Made me want to dig out the old upright and slap it silly. Check out my latest song called The Wolf 7

Joanna	Joanna said 1621 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Tellin' the truth Ooh, Snowy, great imagery! I'm so glad you liked it, thank you! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

bronco	bronco said 1622 days ago (June 13th, 2005)
	Great Job Joanna! Beautiful job writing and singing. I knew whatever you came up with would be creative and cool. Check out my latest song called Strange Feeling

Joanna	Joanna said 1621 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Great Job Joanna! Thank you so much, Bronco, for letting me sing on your song! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Mcboy	Mcboy said 1622 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	o h.... yeah.....this is so kool.....love your phrasing Joann......and tonal inflection.......truly in the Billy Holiday spirit ......crispy git playing Bronco......truly fun to listen to..... Check out my latest song called Heros( aclarke/mcboy)

Joanna	Joanna said 1621 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	o h.... Thank you, Mcboy, coming from someone as talented as you are, it means a lot to me. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

	Anonymous said 1622 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Good soul! nice tune! thanks your uprod!

Joanna	Joanna said 1621 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Good soul! Thank you, AJ! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

caroline	caroline said 1622 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	What a privilege Joanna, it can't believe that such talent is available for me to put on my computer and to listen to again and again and again! I shall boogie on down all day - thank you for sharing your talent x Check out my latest song called clink that link mjrf

Joanna	Joanna said 1621 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	What a privilege Thank you, Caroline! You're such a nice person. So supportive. I'm so glad you joined Macjams. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

caroline	caroline said 1622 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Boogie on down! Love the voice! Love the music! Thank you for sharing this work - I can't believe that all this talent is available to listen to and boogie round the house to! Thank you Joanna x Check out my latest song called clink that link mjrf

	said 1622 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Billy "Jo" Holiday! The two of you work very well together! This has the great qualities that bring me to the era! Yet, has a "today" feel to it! JS, your voice just keeps getting better! Bronco, you are very talented!

Joanna	Joanna said 1621 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Billy "Jo" Holiday! Thank you, Alimar! I love that "today's retro" feel. I really appreciate you giving the song a listen. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

trebbia	trebbia said 1621 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Nice Joanna!!! :) Great singing... you catch the BH spirit:) Check out my latest song called The Great South

Joanna	Joanna said 1621 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Nice Joanna!!! :) Thank you, Trebbia!! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

	said 1621 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Very good Cool tune and great vocal. i could have done without the backup vocal totally. I was in key and all but just didn't fit in the vibe and lead.

Joanna	Joanna said 1621 days ago (June 14th, 2005)
	Very good Thank you, Rob! I liked Bronco's background vocals on it because it gave it that club feel, like a member of the band joining in. But I understand if it doesn't work for everybody. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

btransue	btransue said 1621 days ago (June 15th, 2005)
	Fake trumpets...now fake harmonica... damn girl...how do you do it? This is great...and ya, I know they're real. It's all real. Nice honest piece...the real deal! Two picks up! Nice collab folks. Check out my latest song called srepsihwavonknomelcitrap

Joanna	Joanna said 1621 days ago (June 15th, 2005)
	Fake trumpets...now fake harmonica... Thank you, Blaine! When I collaborate, I don't have to use my arsenal of fake instruments -- I love that! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Cameron

Cameron said 1621 days ago (June 15th, 2005)

GREAT Billie style
Joanna, your voice sounds so much like Billie Holliday in
the opening phrases that it sent chills down my spine.

Then as the song progresses, your own style shines
through more strongly which creates a very good mix,
your own personal "stamp" on the blues.

Bronco, your accompaniment is imaginative and
interesting; lots of little "sound gems" to be mined. I
particularly like your use of cymbals. They accentuate the
singer's intense emotions perfectly. Your vocals add a
certain "live" and authentic quality to the song.

This song is a very good combination of forces. I
thoroughly enjoyed listening to it.

Check out my latest song called EPONYM

Joanna

Joanna said 1621 days ago (June 15th, 2005)

GREAT Billie style
Thank you, Cameron! I knew that I couldn't do an exact impersonation of
Billie because our voices have very different qualities at the root. So I tried to
capture a small piece of her ineffable qualities. Because the lyrics mean
something to me in my own life, I was also able to put a lot of myself into the
performance. You've a keen ear to hear that blend.

And I agree with everything you said about Bronco's wonderful, intimate
arrangement.

Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

	said 1620 days ago (June 15th, 2005)
	Blues is da color of my true love's hair Yes, this is quite good. From what little I know of da Blues, this sounds pretty durn good. You have a nice sassy twang in your authoritative "tellin it like it is" voice. I am liking this. Let's collab. I've paid my dues. Good layout and supporting vocals/instrumentation, bronco.

bronco	bronco said 1620 days ago (June 15th, 2005)
	Blues is da color of my true love's hair Hey Richard where you been? I'll be ready for some more production advice and backing vocals in a couple of weeks if you want to do it? Check out my latest song called Strange Feeling

Joanna	Joanna said 1619 days ago (June 16th, 2005)
	Blues is da color of my true love's hair Thank you, Richard. I know blues is not your usual mien, so I really appreciate your having given this a chance. It's very gratifying to hear that you liked it. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Emily Rohm	Emily Rohm said 1620 days ago (June 16th, 2005)
	My dog Ernie loves it! (So do I!) I just got a 10 week old dachshund puppy, and he slows down for nothing! But I played this song and he sat so quiet and listened to the whole song! Thanks for the moment of peace... Check out my latest song called Monica's Waltz

Joanna	Joanna said 1619 days ago (June 16th, 2005)
	My dog Ernie loves it! Thank you, Emily and Ernie! I love that story. One never knows what will appeal to furry members of the family, but it's always a delight to find something. I'm so pleased that it soothed his rambunctious nature. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Mr. S	Mr. S said 1618 days ago (June 18th, 2005)
	... take me down South, and give me one of those harmonicas please. Nice blend of sounds. S Check out my latest song called MacJammer's Tribute

Joanna	Joanna said 1616 days ago (June 19th, 2005)
	... Thank you, Mr. S! You'll have to ask Bronco about the harmonica, though. Sure wish I could play like that. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

drakonis	drakonis said 1617 days ago (June 18th, 2005)
	Woohoos for Blues! Very nicely sung & played & written. Loved it, both of you! ttfn, Drakonis -- wallowing in blues Check out my latest song called Lullaby for the Inner Child

Joanna	Joanna said 1616 days ago (June 19th, 2005)
	Woohoos for Blues! Thank you, Drak! There's been a lot of good blues here lately. A fine time for those of us who love to hear some blues. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

listen	listen said 1617 days ago (June 18th, 2005)
	...cause I'm a woman! well done - feels good to sing the blues like BIlly Check out my latest song called Bossy girl in the staircase

Joanna	Joanna said 1616 days ago (June 19th, 2005)
	...cause I'm a woman! Thank you, Listen! There's no one quite like Billie, but it sure is fun to give her a nod. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

alley-oop	alley-oop said 1616 days ago (June 20th, 2005)
	Blues, baby I don't know how I missed this! Congrats on a great collab. Great Bronco blues bed for the smokey, raspy Joanna vocals. Love it! Check out my latest song called anymore

Joanna	Joanna said 1615 days ago (June 20th, 2005)
	Blues, baby Thank you, alley! I'm so glad you found it! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

TennesseeVic	TennesseeVic said 1615 days ago (June 20th, 2005)
	Is it Bilie or is it memorex? Your voice is very different from Billie Holliday, but within that limitation you're doing very well in catching her spirit. Cool! Check out my latest song called Tecmo Superbowl 2009 w/ Dead End (MJRF 2004)

Joanna	Joanna said 1615 days ago (June 20th, 2005)
	Is it Bilie or is it memorex? Thank you, Vic! As you discerned, it was the vibe I was trying to capture, as opposed to doing an imitation. Our voices are too different for me to recreate hers, much I'd love to be able to. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Macaudion	Macaudion said 1605 days ago (June 30th, 2005)
	Excellent Very nice work Joana. I can't say anything as intellegent as most comments here, but my ears inform me that you are an extremely talented singer/ song writer. This is a very nice and solid piece here. Great lyrics! Your vocal work here is absolutely right on and as well, every single note of the accompaniments are on too. Congrads! Cydniko Check out my latest song called 123 iGetU

Joanna	Joanna said 1605 days ago (July 1st, 2005)
	Excellent Thank you, Cyd. You made my day! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

	Alan M Hall said 1574 days ago (August 1st, 2005)
	Wow, Collaboration! Just getting to know this place, MacJams, and that was a great collaboration. Beautiful instrument and voice work. I love those lyrics. Gotta download this one. Alan M Hall Check out my latest song called Fifty

Joanna	Joanna said 1573 days ago (August 1st, 2005)
	Wow, Collaboration! Thank you, Alan! And a big welcome to Macjams -- be careful, it's very addicting! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

	vicrodrick said 1399 days ago (January 23rd, 2006)
	excellent Comfortable voice. Could listen to lots of that! Sing with me, baby. Loved the arrangement too. Very sparse, which is a good thing. Possible mprovements? How about some harmony on the chorus instead of singalong? Excellent nevertheless.

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