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Bird by Joanna [Email]
Genre: Ballad

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SONG STATS:
Hits: 1478
Comments: 37
Votes: 25
Plays: 238
Last Played: Apr 17, 2008 - 07:34:39 PM
Downloads: 71
Fans: 2
Uploaded: Apr 18, 2005 - 01:51:01 AM
Last Updated: Nov 16, 2005 - 12:26:19 AM
Fan List
Description:
Last night I saw a fledgling mourning dove sitting on the rail. He was so frightened, yet he didn't move. He's very young, and just learning to use his wings. Even though I had to pass right next to him, he did not fly away. His nest is on an air conditioning unit next to my apartment. It wasn't far from the rail. I think he flew there and didn't know how to get back.

Lyrics:
If you had wings, would you fly?
Never leaving the sky
Go to distant lands
Mountain tops and desert sands
If you had wings

I saw a bird
Sitting alone on a rail
Did his wings fail?
Or did fear keep his wings by his side
Freedom untried

That lonely bird
Too afraid to ride the breeze
Grounded by unease
Through a long and dangerous night
Frozen by fright

If you had wings, would you fly?
Never leaving the sky
Go to distant lands
Mountain tops and desert sands
If you had wings

Am I that bird?
Do my fears keep me from flight?
I think they might
I won't use my wings at all
Cuz I might fall

I'm not that bird!
I cannot live my life aground
Ever earthbound
If I must find my metaphor
Then let it soar

If you had wings, would you fly?
Never leaving the sky
Go to distant lands
Mountain tops and desert sands
If I had wings, I would fly


Hardware:
eMac, Shure SM58

Software:
Jampack 4
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Beautifully delivered &mdash 04/18/05 - 04:59:57 AM
Aah, takes me back to the musical shows I used to
work on in my theatre days. This really sounds like it
belongs in a stage show. Your singing is quite tender
and delicate on this one, which suits it perfectly. I'm
impressed by your orchestral back-up too! No home-
made trumpets this time?!

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Beautifully delivered &mdash 04/18/05 - 10:22:24 PM
Thank you, Rebsie! I decided to forego the faux trumpet on this one, but that
doesn't mean it won't pop up again in the future. I loved being in musicals in
my younger days, too. So much fun!

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Visual and birdlike orchestral arrangement &mdash 04/18/05 - 10:32:09 AM
Very cool arrangement, great use of wings/bird-like
orchestral runs and figures, especially harp and flute/
piccolo. Nice use of your vocal range, altho some pitchy
notes. Wouldn't have minded at least a few stanzas that
carried along with more rhythmic sense, like your final
stanza, cuz the feeling of suspension in mid air seemed
longish. But a wonderfully visual track with your music
supporting your lyrics in a thoughtful and care-filled way.

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Visual and birdlike orchestral arrangement &mdash 04/19/05 - 08:54:09 AM
Thank you, Tobin. You know, I kept trying to put some rhythm in various
sections, because I agree with your assessment, but nothing really worked for
me. Chalk it up to my own limitations. Anyway, I decided to release it as is.

[ Reply to This ]
delicate orchestration &mdash 04/18/05 - 12:58:15 PM
perfect for this piece. Very well done. Is the photo of 'the'
bird?

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delicate orchestration &mdash 04/18/05 - 02:08:51 PM
Thank you! And yes, that is THE bird. In fact, I can hear his mom calling as I
type this.

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Very Nice &mdash 04/18/05 - 02:18:11 PM
Great lyrics with very good production. Very professional.

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Very Nice &mdash 04/19/05 - 08:55:55 AM
Thank you, emp_garyp!

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Another "cool" one! &mdash 04/18/05 - 02:18:41 PM
Love the orchestral arrangement. Your voice is dripping
with "Oo, La La"!

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Another "cool" one! &mdash 04/19/05 - 08:57:17 AM
Thank you, Alimar! Gotta love that Jampack 4. It's so lush!

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Very Nice!! &mdash 04/18/05 - 02:19:03 PM

Now when is opening night....?

Joanna! Brava! What a lovely song. Great use of JP4, and of
course, you're wonderful voice.
Wonderful all around!



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Very Nice!! &mdash 04/19/05 - 08:59:32 AM
Thank you, Mystie! Now all I have to do is write the rest of the musical and
I'm all set! I wonder if the world is ready for a musical version of The Birdman
of Alcatraz?

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Beautiful voice &mdash 04/18/05 - 02:26:13 PM
Well chosen instrumentation. Great mix.

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Beautiful voice &mdash 04/19/05 - 09:00:43 AM
Thank you, Uncle!

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Fantastic! &mdash 04/18/05 - 10:57:55 PM
I loved the lyrics, music, and the little anectote of your dove stuck on the rail. Your song reminded me of one from a musical, just before courage builds and the bird takes flight. I'm certain that he'll be flying away soon.

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Fantastic! &mdash 04/19/05 - 09:03:31 AM
Thank you, jennylee! I saw the bird again and he was flying much more easily,
so this one has a happy ending. One of the thrills for me was being able to
take a picture of the bird with my new digital camera. It's so fun to have
around!

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Lovely arrangement... &mdash 04/19/05 - 04:51:18 PM
... very impressive. Very spacious. I don't have a single
constructive thing to say, dammit.

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Lovely arrangement... &mdash 04/21/05 - 04:43:41 PM
Thank you, Mando!

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Could go anywhere &mdash 04/19/05 - 06:23:16 PM
I have wings. But I rarely fly.

Nice tune. I agree with Rebsie, it does belong in a musical
somewhere. The beauty of this one is, though, you could
plug it into just about any story without too much trouble.
(Well, maybe not the Rocky Horror Show, but just about
anything else. I could, however, see one cat singing it to
another.)

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Could go anywhere &mdash 04/21/05 - 05:03:43 PM
I agree, Snow -- it has a theatrical feel to it. Guess I'd better get writing, huh?
Thank you!

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I hear Ella! &mdash 04/19/05 - 06:47:46 PM
Wow!
When I heard your song, it brought me back to summers
at my garndparents, listening to Ella Fitzgerald records
with my grandmother! I love how you bend all those notes
and blues it all up. Sooo sweeet!
Thank you. I also love your Betty water gun tune!

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I hear Ella! &mdash 04/21/05 - 05:05:37 PM
Wow, thank you, alley-oop! Ella Fitzgerald is my all-time favorite singer, so
that's an enormous compliment to me. I'll cop to that influence any time!

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hey - good going &mdash 04/20/05 - 08:51:52 AM
This is the best one i've heard you do. I think this tune fits
your voice perfectly. I hear Ella in there, nice.

I like how you used Jam Pack 4 alot.

Glad you posted this.


Thanks for sharing !

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hey - good going &mdash 04/21/05 - 05:08:39 PM
Thank you, Tiler! I love Jampack 4. Such a rich variety of orchestral sounds
and loops. And thank you for the Ella nod, as well!

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this is lovely &mdash 04/21/05 - 11:27:21 PM
wonderful blend of lyrics, music & vocals-beautiful.

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this is lovely &mdash 04/22/05 - 01:22:08 AM
Thank you, _nder! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

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Where's Nina Simone? &mdash 04/22/05 - 10:22:43 PM
This so reminds me of her. Not to say that she could do it better. Brava all around!

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Where's Nina Simone? &mdash 04/22/05 - 10:43:48 PM
Wow, thank you, Magritte! I love Nina Simone. Such a gorgeous voice.

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cool &mdash 06/12/05 - 03:14:10 AM
it definetely sounds like it should be in a musical.
You have that sorta voice that suits that style of music.
very nicely done!

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cool &mdash 06/14/05 - 02:28:30 PM
Thank you, Heidi! I think it's the sweeping strings that makes it sound like a
showtune. Since I love showtunes, I'm very happy that you think my voice
suits them!

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Great Voice &mdash 08/21/05 - 11:07:45 AM
I am very impressed by the full orchestration used on this
track. The singer has a very beautiful and polished voice. I
enjoyed it very much.

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Great Voice &mdash 08/21/05 - 05:26:51 PM
Thank you, Moco! GarageBand has to be the coolest program ever written. It
allows people like me to sing with an orchestra!

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Great Music, Okay Metaphor?! &mdash 08/25/05 - 07:29:41 AM
Very nice music, and superior vocals--in sum, a fine
example of the "genre." As both a music and "lit" person, I'd
have to say that the song's extended bird/flight metaphor
has "been done"; but I really like the original spin in the
following lines:

If I must find my metaphor
Then let it soar

Well done.

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Great Music, Okay Metaphor?! &mdash 08/27/05 - 05:31:13 AM
Thank you, tg. I'll admit that finding the bird led me to most of the lyrics. He
was so frightened, and yet he couldn't bring himself to move. I've felt that
way at times, so that's where the lyrics came from.

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Love the lyrics! &mdash 12/05/06 - 03:16:32 PM
Another nice one. Well done!

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Helen Reddy? &mdash 11/28/07 - 05:52:54 AM
The first thing that popped into my mind was just the sound of those old Disney musicals I watched as a kid, specifically Pete's Dragon. Just a great late 60's, early 70's sound to it. A confident, gentle voice, taking your imagination through the eyes of a winged feathery flight.

Incidentally, MacJams had this on the front page when I hopped on, but man, it's a pain to actually find the artist when you want to comment. Lots of "bird" songs, but fortunately, only a few with Joanna. ^^

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