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A Penny For Your Thoughts


by

Joanna

 Genre: Ballad

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Description
Just felt like singing an old-fashioned ballad with an orchestral bed.
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Lyrics
You sit enclosed
Calm and composed
I cannot find
The way inside your mind

A penny for your thoughts
A quarter for your dreams
A dollar for the words of love
You cannot say, it seems

Tell me
What I've done wrong
I'd pay a nickel, I'd pay a dime
I'd pay a fortune anytime
Just tell me
What's in your heart and mind

A penny for your thoughts
A quarter for your dreams
A dollar for the words of love
You cannot say, it seems

Tell me
I can't guess
Tell me
Please confess

A penny for your thoughts
A quarter for your dreams
A dollar for the words of love
You cannot say, it seems

A penny
A quarter
For your thoughts and dreams

Song Stats
Hits: 4467
Comments: 59
Fans: 16
Plays: 1061
Downloads: 178
Votes: 28
Uploaded: Feb 05, 2006 - 10:10:14 AM
Last Updated: Feb 05, 2006 - 05:23:46 AM Last Played: Nov 10, 2009 - 03:04:10 AM
Song License
Creative Commons License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial

Creative Commons

Song Actions
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Keywords:
Joanna (39), vocals (124), singer (23), orchestral (100), penny (1), love (1150), clarinet (36), harp (71), strings (277)
Hardware:
Shure SM-58, eMac
Software:
GarageBand, Jampack 1 and 4
Comments
caroline said 1387 days ago (February 5th, 2006)
hurrah!! s'bin too long!!
lovely - just what we ordered - i'm reminded of all those great singers singing all those great songs and now here's another - thank you for being inspired, making it and sharing it - xoxox
Check out my latest song called clink that link mjrf
Joanna said 1386 days ago (February 6th, 2006)
hurrah!! s'bin too long!!
It's been way too long. I've been going crazy not to be able to play on GB, but
I finished a project and rewarded myself this weekend.

Thank you for your kind words, Caroline! I love those old songs and all those
great singers of yesteryear. They're such a treat to listen to. I just wanted to
play in their sandbox for a bit.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
thetiler said 1387 days ago (February 5th, 2006)
love the
bringing back to the 50's dinner jazz type sound. Very interesting, love
the orchestration, those subtle effects are very smooth and creative. Keep
going with the orchestration. It brings out your wonderful Julie London
type singing. Which I think is outstanding for you to sing like. Great gift to
sing like that!

Way to go
Check out my latest song called The Bluebird Cafe (with two other guest)
Joanna said 1386 days ago (February 6th, 2006)
love the
Thank you so much, Tiler! I adore Julie London. And good ear on the era I was
trying to capture. You pegged it -- I was going for the sound of those lush,
50's ballads. They're so much fun to sing!
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
Boris the Bull said 1387 days ago (February 5th, 2006)
thoughts from the bull...
it's amazing how one person here can be so good with looping sounds
together, while another person can rip the guitar like nobodies
business. joanna, you once again prove, with a wonderful treat for the
ears, that you are among the select few who have got the vocal
instrument down solid.

very happy to see a new Joanna piece again. always special for me!

peace and thank you! great, great work!
Check out my latest song called What You'd Be Like
Joanna said 1386 days ago (February 6th, 2006)
thoughts from the bull...
Thank you, Boris! I had a lot of fun trying to piece together loops that weren't
made to fit together. I also decided to focus on real instrument loops, as
opposed to midi (though the percussion was midi -- couldn't find any real
percussion that fit). You can't do as much fiddling around with them (no pun
intended) but they sound so nice. Without my loops, I'd be singing a capella!
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
Boris the Bull said 1387 days ago (February 5th, 2006)
thoughts from the bull...
it's amazing how one person here can be so good with looping sounds
together, while another person can rip the guitar like nobodies
business. joanna, you once again prove, with a wonderful treat for the
ears, that you are among the select few who have got the vocal
instrument down solid.

very happy to see a new Joanna piece again. always special for me!

peace and thank you! great, great work!
Check out my latest song called What You'd Be Like
Boris the Bull said 1387 days ago (February 5th, 2006)
more thoughts from the bull...
sorry for the dupe. i guess that's just how much i liked it!

ugh. ;o)
Check out my latest song called What You'd Be Like
Alannah said 1387 days ago (February 5th, 2006)
SPOT ON !!!!
... with the vocals again .... this one is immediately going into my Joanna Folder !
Joanna said 1386 days ago (February 6th, 2006)
SPOT ON !!!!
Thank you, Alannah! Must admit, the idea that you have a 'Joanna folder'
thrilled me to no end. So don't tell me if it's not true, okay?
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
said 1386 days ago (February 5th, 2006)
You Would Be Famous For Singing
If this were 60 years ago. And then it would have been you and not Dinah
Shore who has a TV talk show and dated Burt Reynolds. ;)
Excellent singing and song.
Joanna said 1386 days ago (February 6th, 2006)
You Would Be Famous For Singing
lol, Mungo! Born too late, drat! Then again, if that were true, I'd be very old or
dead, so maybe it's not so bad after all. Truth is, even as a kid, my tastes
were old-fashioned when it came to music. Perhaps I was born too late, after
all.

Thank you for sweet comment, Mungo!
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
Mystified said 1386 days ago (February 5th, 2006)
Nostalgic nuances
Joanna, so nice to have another lovely jazz tune from you!
Your voice is so warm and confident in this. And yet it drifts in that
wistful way to convey the message of uncertainty in the lyrics.

wonderful :)



Check out my latest song called For the Beauty of the Earth
Joanna said 1386 days ago (February 6th, 2006)
Nostalgic nuances
Aw, thank you, Mystie! That means a lot coming from you. I probably
should've polished this piece a bit more before posting, but I decided to keep
it a bit raw to capture the emotion of the first pass. Most of the vocals are
from the initial melody-finding improvisation.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
snowdragon said 1386 days ago (February 6th, 2006)
I'm pretty sure
I could listen to you singing the phone book.

another keeper Joanna.
Check out my latest song called The Wolf 7
Joanna said 1386 days ago (February 6th, 2006)
I'm pretty sure
Wow, Snowy, that's one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to me. Thank
you so much!
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
Stun Nutz said 1385 days ago (February 6th, 2006)
Hey, Joanna!
What a nice contemplative tune this is... and the lyrics sing with
just the right amount of drama... with any old plain delivery, this
tune might be too sleepy, but your voice kept me hanging in
there, attentive...
Check out my latest song called Gossamer dissected
Joanna said 1383 days ago (February 9th, 2006)
Hey, Joanna!
Thank you, Stun! I'd wanted to do a down-tempo song because it allows me
to play more with the phrasing and coloration of the vocals. Besides, I do so
love drama!
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
John Stebbe said 1384 days ago (February 7th, 2006)
Wonderful
Sounds just great, Joanna. I love the orchestration (especially the
clarinet and the harp), and I love your vocal delivery even more. Your
vocal style reminds me of Rosemary Clooney.

And thanks for your kind words about my "Oh Susannah" track.

This track reminds of of an old Linda Ronstadt tape I have of her
singing old standards with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, from around
1984.
Check out my latest song called NECAP Test song
Joanna said 1382 days ago (February 9th, 2006)
Wonderful
Thank you, John! I remember that Linda Ronstadt album, and the great
Rosemary Clooney. High compliments, indeed (humbling as well). I also thank
you for noting the harp and clarinet, as I hoped those would work for others
as they did to my ears.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
stacey said 1384 days ago (February 8th, 2006)
GORGEOUS VOICE
I'm brand new to Macjams, so forgive me if I don't have the protocol down
yet! Having said that...

BEAUTIFUL VOICE! This voice deserved better instrumentaion though! To
me, the arrangement clouds the sentiment. I understand what you're
going for (and trust me, I am in LOVE with the loops on GB), I hear the
standards influence loud and clear and it's great, but, and this is just my
humble opinion for this song, I'd so much rather hear the lyrics with a
piano and maybe a sweet jazzy drum. Something that would set your
voice free to set the mood and tone. Because it's all there!
Check out my latest song called tick tock
Joanna said 1382 days ago (February 9th, 2006)
GORGEOUS VOICE
Thank you, Stacey! Strangely enough, I specifically wanted to try an orchestral
bed because I've done the piano-bass-drums thing several times. If you look
through my list for jazz songs, you'll run into quite a few examples. I'm sort
of running out of piano loops that I haven't already used to death. So I
decided to go in a different direction this time, just to see what would
happen.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
Macaudion said 1383 days ago (February 8th, 2006)
Nice landscape
When I first started listening, I don't know why I had the attitude of "oh
I wonder when I'll jump ship" - I don't know your music Joanna, so it
was nothing personal, one just gets in a mood of jumping ship
sometimes.

Yes, I REALLY did enjoy this. What a wonderful warm and textural voice
you have. Loved the orchestration of course. You did a great job of
putting this together. I don't know much about 50's music or much of
anything else back then except, I love the architecture and design of
that era. While listening, I imagined a scene with you and a orchestra
peppered throughout the back pool area of one of the more grand 50's
modern home. It was just you the orchestra and the mate that you
were singing to. It's was quite the luxurious 'scape and certainly, your
music resonated w/ the surrounding area quite well.

Thanks for sharing this, Joanna - Dion
Check out my latest song called 123 iGetU
Joanna said 1382 days ago (February 9th, 2006)
Nice landscape
What a beautiful note, Dion, thank you! And I appreciate your not "jumping
ship" (although I completely understand the mindset, as we all tend to do
this, I imagine). I loved your scene setting!
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
loyd vader said 1383 days ago (February 9th, 2006)
da bomb
right between dinah shore and a little bit of nina simone (articulation and phrasing).........bass clarinet? as solo instrument is sweet sounding bliss.....................well done on re-creating a classic vibe...............top marks.
Check out my latest song called im not lazy, im just tired
Joanna said 1382 days ago (February 9th, 2006)
da bomb
Thank you, loyd! The clarinet was a jampack 4 loop, and I was very happy
when I found it. I tried several other solo instruments, but nothing else
worked anywhere near as well as that one. I thank you for the very kind
thoughts about my singing, as well. Those are both very talented women.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
ledebutant said 1383 days ago (February 9th, 2006)
OH WOW!
Joanna, if this is "playing on GB," I'm scared to see you get serious.

This is just stunning. I'm stunned, I can't speak and have an
outrageous urge to go to bed in full make-up, sprayed hair and a
bullet bra under my nightgown. I'm fairly certain I might wake up to
Rock Hudson. The world you've created with this song is so complete.
The fictional dream is so real.

This is one of the most gorgeous vocal performances I've ever heard on
MJ, beautiful tone, sensitive interpretation and such phrasing! OOH!
Check out my latest song called Black Star (MJ Live Aid w/jgurner)
Joanna said 1382 days ago (February 9th, 2006)
OH WOW!
Wow, thank you, ledeb! Of course, your description of your Rock Hudson
fantasy gave me a big laugh. Ah, if only life were like the movies, huh?

On a more serious note, I thank you most sincerely for your very kind
comments on my vocal performance in this piece. I was enmeshed in one of
my torch singer fantasies and perhaps that freed me up a bit.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
alley-oop said 1383 days ago (February 9th, 2006)
Such a classic....
Everything about this track propells the theme and emotion of the
words. Very lovely. You sing sooo smooth.
The composition is perfect, the chord changes, your voice, the lyrics,
how you phrase them.Thoroughly enjoyable. Lovely execution. A
keeper.
Check out my latest song called anymore
Joanna said 1382 days ago (February 9th, 2006)
Such a classic....
Aw, thank you, Tom! I always adore seeing your name in the comments.
You're so darn good to me.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
bronco said 1383 days ago (February 9th, 2006)
She's Back
She's back, she's still great and this is a super song!! Love those 50's
torch songs, oh yeah! You do the best job on making loops sound like
real backup that I have ever heard! Another tremendous job on the
arrangement and orchestration. And your voice? Smoky, sultry, wistful,
romantic,sexy, sad, suggestive, soaked in the blues and hot as fire!
Check out my latest song called Strange Feeling
Joanna said 1366 days ago (February 26th, 2006)
She's Back
Gosh, thank you, Bronco! I never think I'm doing anything special with the
loops. I don't change them or anything (well, these loops were almost all 'real
instrument' loops, and therefore not malleable like midi loops). I do think
vocalists have a real advantage in the loop debate, as loops don't take center
stage in our songs. Loops do make for excellent backing tracks.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
Cori Ander said 1382 days ago (February 9th, 2006)
Very nice and original
Very nice and original. For reasons I dont know, the mood of the song
brings me memories of my life of around 1992 ... the people I knew ...
occupation I had ... the weather in the autumn. Was an interesting time ...
tubulent ... major breaking ups ... but a very calm kind of turbulence ... a
very different time of my life ... air was clear ... everything was different.

This song will not be forgotten ... not by me anyway.
/Johannes Cori Ander
Joanna said 1366 days ago (February 26th, 2006)
Very nice and original
Tack sa mycket, Johannes! (wish I could use the special characters -- I know
that's spelled wrong because of it). What an evocative way to describe the
memory it stirred. Thank you so much!
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
guitarplayer said 1382 days ago (February 9th, 2006)
very creative!
Very creative - I wouldn't put it in a time zone like 50's - the string
harmonies are more modern, even though they eventually resolve to
triads at certain points. The voice is very nice, a bit like Nina Simone.
Samples are very good, too, the strings and especially the clarinet sound
is very realistic.
Check out my latest song called Main Menu Loop
Joanna said 1366 days ago (February 26th, 2006)
very creative!
Thank you, gp! You know a lot more about music than I do, it's apparent. I
was primarily thinking about singing to strings, instead of piano, guitar, etc. I
know that used to be done a lot and that's why I thought of it as from a past
era. As for the clarinet, I was really happy to find that loop, as it fit exactly to
my ears. Using real instrument loops always gives things a more "real" feel,
too, though they're more difficult to work with. Anyway, I really appreciate
your stopping by and listening!
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
said 1382 days ago (February 9th, 2006)
This is a gem
I simply dig this alot. Well done.
Joanna said 1366 days ago (February 26th, 2006)
This is a gem
Thank you, tm. I appreciate your taking the time to listen.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
ziti said 1382 days ago (February 9th, 2006)
way cool use of all your tools..
words, voice, loops .... really great stuff....i see a foggy night on the
docks a naked light above.....and you......
Check out my latest song called All Smokey
Joanna said 1366 days ago (February 26th, 2006)
way cool use of all your tools..
Thank you, ziti! Like the studio settings they used to do in those old 60's
variety shows. Very cool image.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
Monkaton said 1380 days ago (February 12th, 2006)
Black and White TV
A really nice vocal, lyrics and song. This is black and white TV music
from the old variety shows.

If you were going for a 50's lush ballad I would have chosen a larger
orchestra and not the string quartet style. More along the lines of
Gordon Jenkins, rather than George Martin.

Still it was well done and very fine vocal.
Check out my latest song called Darkness of the Night
Joanna said 1366 days ago (February 26th, 2006)
Black and White TV
Thank you, monk! I just realized that what I said to Ziti above your note was
almost exactly what you said. I was thinking of those same shows. As for the
strings, you're right, of course. I just picked the loops that had the right feel
to me and didn't really pay attention to their makeup. I added the clarinet,
harp, and tympany, but that an orchestra does not make. That's okay with
me, though. I had a lot of fun with this song.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
eleveneyes said 1378 days ago (February 14th, 2006)
happy v-day
nice arrangement. love the stylistic approach on this. Nice job on the
vocal delivery on this one Joanna!
Check out my latest song called Here With You - Better MIX
Joanna said 1366 days ago (February 26th, 2006)
happy v-day
Thank you, eleveneyes! And thank you for the valentines good wishes. I'm
happy you liked the arrangement. It was a new approach for me.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
Rebsie said 1370 days ago (February 22nd, 2006)
Sorry it took me a while to get here ...
What a delightful performance! Just beautiful. Your singing goes from
strength to strength as you continue to gain confidence in it, and
you've got a unique style that's full of warmth and personality. And
that's what enables the listener to lose themselves in the song.

There's just one thing I think might be worth looking at ... are you
using a pop shield? Unless it's just my speakers playing up there are
some occasional bumps when the plosive consonants hit the mic. A
pop screen of some kind would help that a lot.

But it's a beautiful song and beautifully delivered. All the elements
work well together and make a great backdrop which your voice can
really shine against.

Great to see you back in action at MacJams.

Rebsie
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
Joanna said 1366 days ago (February 26th, 2006)
Sorry it took me a while to get here ...
Thank you, Rebsie! Your ears aren't deceiving you -- there are some p pops
in there. I do have a screen, but I don't have a pre-amp, so I have to get very
close to the mic. Although I try to avoid the pops, they do sneak in
sometimes. And as I've sometimes done before, I used a lot of the vocals
from my initial improvisation, instead of singing it over and over again to
refine everything. This was one of those fast songs -- did the whole thing in
an hour or two because I didn't have a lot of time to spend. And the truth is,
sometimes my improvisations have more raw emotion than the more
practiced turns and this song needs to have an emotional vocal. Therefore,
although I heard the pops and wished they weren't there, I decided to use
that first improv anyway.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
Suzanne said 1362 days ago (March 2nd, 2006)
priceless
this is so good. wow. your best.
Check out my latest song called Rock The Baby With Voodoo (w/Tobin)
Joanna said 1362 days ago (March 2nd, 2006)
priceless
Wow, thank you, Suzanne!
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
TobinMueller said 1344 days ago (March 20th, 2006)
Like Suzanne said...
The sparse yet full and alive instrumentation, reminiscent of Judy Collins
at her best, is so nice to hear. A perfect context for your vocals and
storytelling. There are a few sounds my ears found extraneous (the hand
drumming seemed to interrupt rather than add rhythm, and was so soft I
thought someone was knocking at the door, which may have been your
intent now that I think about it!) I love how you let expressive roll out of
you, the bravery you display in your voice, the touching sympathetic
thoughtfulness. Wonderful track.
Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)
Joanna said 1343 days ago (March 20th, 2006)
Like Suzanne said...
Thank you so much, Tobin! The drums were a bit of a conundrum (no pun
intended) for me, as I felt I needed a little more drama/build toward the end
of the song. I put drums in, having them crescendo during the 2nd clarinet
solo. Then I thought I should foreshadow them, so I put in those little
"knocking on the door" beats. I purposefully kept the drums very low in the
mix, hoping they would be more of a "feeling" than a conscious instrument, if
that makes any sense. I'll readily admit that I probably went about all of this
wrong, as I don't have much of a drum sense. I tend to put the bulk of my
energy toward lyrics, melody and vocals, since that's what intrigues me the
most about music. It's all a learning experience, and I am very grateful you
are willing to put your professional ear toward helping me.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
urbnite said 1343 days ago (March 21st, 2006)
gorgeous
woah.

i'm sure i've listened to your stuff before. this totally caught me off
guard, though.

i was sitting here admiring the clarinet sound - is that really a plug in?
you can hear air. it's gorgeous - so expressive. the whole
orchestration is so nice.

and then 'you sit enclosed' happened... and you had me completely.

this is totally captivating and lovely.
Check out my latest song called Everything's Perfect
Joanna said 1343 days ago (March 21st, 2006)
gorgeous
Thank you so much, Urbnite, you really made my night. The clarinet is a real
instrument loop from jampack 4, which is why it sounds so good.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
comdotdom said 1341 days ago (March 23rd, 2006)
A Conversation
Your singing sounds like a quiet conversation, the words sound like they accidentally fell onto the page, emotions are just set out quietly to breathe .... seemingly effortless.

I like a performance where I can't see the effort that's gone into it - the words distil the condition of being man.
Excellent.
Check out my latest song called Invisible Member
ClifarQ said 1300 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
A Penny For Your Thoughts
I must be the last one not to know, but you're professional, right. I've
spent a lifetime as a radio DJ so listening to you is enigmatic...are you the
diamond in the rough, or a masquerading successful diva putting us all
on? If the former is true, find a mellow agent and let the rest of the world
have some of your sweet musical moves!
Check out my latest song called GirlieMovies
Joanna said 1299 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
A Penny For Your Thoughts
Pure amateur, I assure you. I've just always liked to sing. It wasn't until
Garageband that I thought to record myself, and the online music sites
allowed me to share. Thank you most sincerely for your belief that I might be
something else! I'm profoundly flattered.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
MowMeDown said 1291 days ago (May 12th, 2006)
Timeless
Not often a new classic is born. Thats why they're classics. Have a drink
on me with this one, hon. Ranks with the best.
Check out my latest song called She's More To Be Pitied
VicDiesel said 1140 days ago (October 9th, 2006)
Great material
Yow. You have an amazing voice. Your writing and arranging skills are
fine too. You even play a sweet clarinet. So what on earth is keeping you
from getting a good microphone, one with a plop filter? This sort of song
and this sort of voice deserves to be recorded in bright shiny hi-fi!!! The
hiss and other noises really have no place in a song this good. Tsk. Victor.
Check out my latest song called Desert Stars
Joanna said 1140 days ago (October 9th, 2006)
Thank you, Vic!
I did finally get a new mic and yes, I have a better pop filter
now. There's nothing I can do about the room noise and the computer fan,
though. I don't have anything close to a recording studio here. Lots of
ambient sound and hiss. As for this particular song, I was using the old mic
and only had a little bit of time to play on Garageband. I ended up using most
of my initial improvisation. Since I hadn't expected to use that track, I didn't
pay much attention to popped p's, etc. It was just supposed to be a feeling-
out track while I looked for a melody. I ended up using it because I liked the
performance. I'm not much of a techie or sound engineer.
Check out my latest song called Nellie G.
Agent Stewie said 1083 days ago (December 5th, 2006)
What a great sound!
Good stuff!
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If you want to know anything about me, check out my website, my personal blog and my "comic books revisited" blog.... [see more]

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Genre Info
A ballad is a story in a song, usually a narrative song or poem. It is a rhythmic saga of a past affair, which may be heroic, romantic or satirical, political (affected by the previous three types mentioned, refers to either glorifying the exploits o

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