Who's Online
Invisible Members: 4 Visitors: 47
Past 7 Days
Song Uploads: 181
Song Votes: 344
Song Comments: 3390
Forum Posts: 766
New Members: 93
Participation Points: 12009.60
|
Get Flash to see this player.
Having playback trouble, try the Quicktime player:
  
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial
|
|
|
|
|
Keywords:
Joan of Arc (1), obsession (16), romantic (32)
|
|
Description:
Thought it was time to lighten up a bit!! So here's a song about romantic obsession.
This song has been hanging around for a few months without verses – just the chorus. We have a poster of Rouen, circa 1972, in the bathroom – it’s looked at quite often – and in that poster is a young, long haired young man in what look like velvet pants (flares of course!), sitting with a coffee, unaware of the looks he’s getting from people walking past. I’m not sure what his story is, but, after visiting Rouen (where Jeanne d’Arc was burnt at the stake) and Domremy (her birthplace), these lyrics came to life. The chorus was originally for my wife, but the nature of the song and romantic lyrics didn’t really gel. Last year, in Domremy, we came across a very bizarre sight in “Joan’s church” – a couple dressed in mediaeval clothing (apparently part of a Jean d’Arc “fan-club”!) – this resulted in the third verse.
Guitars, bass and keys with drum/percussion loops.
The song is fairly “up” – please play it loud for the full “wall of sound” effect!
Lyrics:
Something About Her
© 2005 Neil Porter
He was sitting drinking coffee
In a café on a corner
On the ancient footpath leading to the square
He was listening to Dylan
Singing “Visions of Johanna”
Stirring pictures of a mediaeval fair
Sometimes, he would lie awake at night
He had loved her at first sight
He’d been thinking
“One day I would love to make her mine”
Thought about her all the time
He’d been drinking
Chorus :
There was something about her eyes
There was something about her smile
He pictured her with long brown hair
He’d loved her from afar
He’d loved her for a while
He couldn’t believe that she might care
He drove across the country
To her birthplace in Domremy
Turned left into the parking ‘cross the stream
He followed signs that pointed
To the “Visages de Johanne”
A modern exposition on the theme
This day he’d been wakeful through the night
He’d arrived there at first light
Why I don’t know
Something he’d been planning for a while
Just to catch a little smile
I don’t think so
Chorus :
He was thinking about her eyes
He was thinking about her smile
He was thinking about her long brown hair
He’d loved her from afar
He’d loved her for a while
He couldn’t believe that he was there
INSTRUMENTAL - bridge and chorus
At the church he saw her clearly
A realistic apparition
Till she turned and faced him squarely in the aisle
She was dressed in mediaeval
Flowing robes in imitation
On a pilgrimage to visit Maiden Joan
Sometimes, he would lie awake at night
He had loved her at first sight
He’d been thinking
“One day I would love to make her mine”
Thought about her all the time
Too much drinking
Chorus :
There was something about her eyes
There was something about her smile
There was something about her long brown hair
He’d loved her from afar
He’d loved her for a while
He couldn’t believe that she was there
There was something about her eyes
There was something about her smile
There was something about her long brown hair
He’d loved her from afar
He’d loved her for a while
He couldn’t believe that she was there
Hardware:
Maton 12 string acoustic
Seagull S6 acoustic
'71 Fender Precision Bass
Yamaha PSR300 midi keyboard
Shure DM1000D mic
Behringer US802 mixer/preamp
Software:
GB
|
Renaissance man &mdash 11/19/05 - 12:03:45 PM
That's what you are, sir - you're doing it all... Neil I recall that you left a
statement in one of your comments on a song of mine; you said, 'Wish
I could translate ideas to musical entity like that', I just copied and
pasted your words, as it seems that your wish has always been true.
Maybe you just needed to see it in black and white...
Neil, you have just taken an idea, a poster in a bathroom mind you,
and you have taken your's and many others' life experience and
translated them into a musical entity! A mighty fine translation I'd have
to say. BRAVO!
With your music, there's always a great depth of textural elements, that
create a vividly colored picture, of which they have always been quite
tangible in my mind. The pictures, they are sometimes brilliant with the
colors of life, and sometimes they are as 'brilliant' as the darkeness of
night, but they always reflect a trueness of life - They will always live
beyond the limits of time...
Thanks Neil, for sharing yet another, timlesss work of art...
Dion [ Reply to This ]
Renaissance man &mdash 11/20/05 - 11:59:25 PM
Thanks for the very kind comments Dion! This song was really difficult for
me - I had the basic acoustic riff for a while, then the chorus came, and lyrics
for the chorus - then A BLANK! Started writing three separate sets of lyrics
and three different melodies, but wasn't happy with any of them. Finally
decided to mix them up after the "bridge" appeared late one evening.
Really appreciate your ongoing support!
Neil [ Reply to This ]
So crazily good! &mdash 11/19/05 - 12:06:08 PM
Such a crazily good music!
Sometimes I wonder if the reason I like your music so much, is that I've
come to sort of learn to like it, and leaned to like you as a person and
begun to consider you as a kind of (net) friend ...
In those moments I use to make the experiment to imagine how I
would react if I heard this on the radio in the middle of the day ... The
answer I get is that I would jump up as stung by a bee, turn up the
radio and say ... Ahhh .. they're finally laerning to send good music
again ... Who is this? ... they MUST tell afterwards, otherwise I'll have to
call in and ask ...
Completeley inconceivable to give anytning else than 10101010.
Your eternal fan
Curry [ Reply to This ]
So crazily good! &mdash 11/21/05 - 12:03:39 AM
Thanks so much Curry! What can I say? I'm really glad you enjoy my music
so much, and I'm even more happy that you consider me a friend. MacJams
sure is a strange, wonderful place - music bringing people from all over the
place together. Fantastic!!!!!
Cheers, Neil [ Reply to This ]
Yeah &mdash 11/19/05 - 04:55:33 PM
Good work, as always! Neil, you got your own style, the hypnotic bass, the throaty vocals and the intelligent lyrics: that`s your recipe for really good tunes! Tasty...
High marks!
I.G.M. [ Reply to This ]
Yeah &mdash 11/21/05 - 12:08:41 AM
An epic &mdash 11/19/05 - 08:34:17 PM
Can't find a damn thing to complain about either.
Lots to like in this one. [ Reply to This ]
An epic &mdash 11/21/05 - 06:24:51 PM
Well &mdash 11/19/05 - 09:56:05 PM
Well &mdash 11/22/05 - 03:00:01 PM
I concur..... &mdash 11/20/05 - 02:41:19 AM
Wholeheartedly with the first comment on this song. On lyrics and
music easily 10's across the board. There's a couple skips in audio,
could just be my Mac. Also, I'd have liked the lyrics to be amore in the
foreground. Such dynamite lyrics, don't let them hide in the
background like that. On my third listen now. GREAT song. I'm going
to have to read along again this time. [ Reply to This ]
I concur..... &mdash 11/22/05 - 03:04:31 PM
Cheers Bob, glad you enjoyed it - not sure about the skips (just pausing playback for a few seconds works). Have been fiddling with vocals, should have new version ready soon. Thanks for your email. Neil [ Reply to This ]
Nice full sound &mdash 11/20/05 - 04:31:41 AM
..this almost European pop/rock feel to it. A really effective
combination of instruments you have going there - it is a 'wall of
sound'. I wouldn't have minded hearing the vocals a touch louder in the
mix to give more lyrical clarity at certain points, particularly as the
lyrics are so involving. Great song !!
Steve [ Reply to This ]
Nice full sound &mdash 11/22/05 - 02:29:44 AM
Thanks Steve - yes, the vox are a bit of a worry. I suspect I put this up a bit
soon - I have had it on the boil for so long that once I got the lyrics sorted I
just wanted to sing it and get it up - in hindsight I could have spent more
time on finishing it off. There will be another version coming up soon with a
guest vocalist - something a bit different. btw - when it surfaces, check out
ziti on "Eggshell Walk 2" - mind boggling guitar!!! [ Reply to This ]
stories &mdash 11/20/05 - 02:14:02 PM
I love these stories. Some great melodies intertwining in there. Really
nice job on this. The arrangement produces a nice full sound and rhythm. [ Reply to This ]
stories &mdash 11/22/05 - 02:47:44 PM
Thanks for the listen and comment Peter. I have a long way to go with performance, production, writing etc, but I feel things are getting better (which is the main thing really!). Glad you liked the story. Neil [ Reply to This ]
There is an impact in the center. &mdash 11/21/05 - 06:09:48 PM
Friendly melody.
Beautiful composition.
The melody to ride on the wave of the rhythm dances. [ Reply to This ]
There is an impact in the center. &mdash 11/22/05 - 03:52:01 PM
Great psychedelia.... &mdash 11/22/05 - 06:57:00 AM
I'm getting some skips, too, but it may be MY Mac or Internet.
I love the way that you do layers, Neil. For instance, that they all have
their space... and they all line up on the beat.
Something that I think helps that is your distinctive bass playing. It's
got a McCartneyish feel and thump to it.
And 'distinctive' applies to a number of key elements of your sound:
the way you layer guitars, the way you 'double' vocals, the bass pulse...
Very recognizable, and in an enjoyable way...
Ed [ Reply to This ]
Great psychedelia.... &mdash 11/22/05 - 02:58:50 PM
Thanks Ed, The skips can be easily fixed by pausing the playback for a few seconds and then letting it run. Not sure why it does that. The layering is lots of fun, but sometimes it can get in the way of tightness - the next new post will be a simple song, just acoustics and vox at this stage. I like to stay as much on the bottom 2 strings and in the bottom 7 frets as possible when playing bass - not much point to me playing lead lines on such a clumsy instrument (although I do love virtuoso bass playing - when others do it).
Glad you stopped by,
Neil [ Reply to This ]
good textures &mdash 11/22/05 - 04:06:39 PM
I really dig the textures and groove on this. I dig the space in the vocals, you set a nice trancy mood. I hear a bit of a almost Boo Radleys thing going on which I'm really into. Great choices in chord arrangement, they flow nicely. Good song....keep it up!!!! [ Reply to This ]
Dreamin' &mdash 11/23/05 - 06:23:14 AM
Long dark hair. Can't beat it. And good women in your life. Like a
dream. [ Reply to This ]
I've tried twice &mdash 11/25/05 - 02:34:54 PM
to comment on this and have managed to lose them before submitting.
This is an extremely cool song. The unusual vocal harmonies add a
hypnotic quality. Everything about this song is just right.. perfect really.
Great story and well told! [ Reply to This ]
man, this is great!! &mdash 11/27/05 - 06:23:02 AM
This was really a pleasant listen! What can i say that havent been said before?Just great! [ Reply to This ]
"Something About" This Song &mdash 12/15/05 - 08:17:28 AM
I believe this to be the Finest and Most Complex Tapestry to date. The
Bridge, alone, is a Wild Thicket of Light and Shadow sounds, and
timeless Roots of reference.
Great Story.
Fabulouly Told.
New Comfort with a Higher Level Production Value, made to Look Easy.
You've Raised the Bar, here.
Best,
Cooper [ Reply to This ]
love the crazy bridge! &mdash 08/21/06 - 10:51:35 AM
i was already enjoying this and then the bridge came in and really got me.
so creative and just the right length going into the guitar solo which is
also a perfect fit. my favorite part of this is the "he loved her at first
sight...thru "he'd been drinking". the phrasing/melody is really good and
i'm so glad you chose to repeat this section. at times, it seems like
there's an effect on your vocals or maybe it's just the harmonies and
doubling and i'd like to hear your voice clean at some point to break up
the textures. it slides you off pitch a tiny bit in the chorus. all in all,
quite enjoyable-i enjoy the medieval/contemporary feel of this. thanks
for sharing! p.s. the flutes are calling your name! [ Reply to This ]
love the crazy bridge! &mdash 08/21/06 - 06:51:17 PM
Thanks Heather for this unexpected comment, which made me come back
and listen to this again after quite a long break from it - I was pleasantly
surprised by it, and am now planning to tighten it up a bit and get a better
mix. I did this at a time I was experimenting with my voice, which I had only
recently started using when I did this. My style has changed somewhat since
then, but maybe this is worth re-visiting.
Cheers,
Neil
---
<a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/23596"> Guantanamo Vacation w Cydniko</a> & <a href="http://www.macjams.com/song/23350"> Blown Away w ziti</a> [ Reply to This ]
|
|
Friends
iLounge - All things iPod, iTunes and beyond
|
Dish Network - the dish
network limited time bonus offers - get all three
|
|
statement in one of your comments on a song of mine; you said, 'Wish
I could translate ideas to musical entity like that', I just copied and
pasted your words, as it seems that your wish has always been true.
Maybe you just needed to see it in black and white...
Neil, you have just taken an idea, a poster in a bathroom mind you,
and you have taken your's and many others' life experience and
translated them into a musical entity! A mighty fine translation I'd have
to say. BRAVO!
With your music, there's always a great depth of textural elements, that
create a vividly colored picture, of which they have always been quite
tangible in my mind. The pictures, they are sometimes brilliant with the
colors of life, and sometimes they are as 'brilliant' as the darkeness of
night, but they always reflect a trueness of life - They will always live
beyond the limits of time...
Thanks Neil, for sharing yet another, timlesss work of art...
Dion
[ Reply to This ]