New tune : Emelle

I am finally back to making some music after a year of settling in to the new house. In a bold move on my part I mentioned to Mary Lynn (my SO) that I had written a song for her (stupid move, I know).  For as long as I have been messing with music, I never wrote anything “for someone” - however, once I mentioned it, I was committed.
 
Being that I wrote this “for her”, it seemed logical that I should be the one singing it ( yeesh) .
 
Because I envisioned this as some form of an R&B song (whether or not it is), I decided to channel my inner Curtis Mayfield and give it a go. After an hour of attempting to get a decent vocal, I realized that Curtis was not available for channeling (when I ran the V-Vocal over it I got a pop-up message that said “WTF?”). While I as at it, I tried to channel Joe Morello as well - apparently he was nowhere to be found in my world either.
 
Although I‘m very aware of timing problems, bad singing etc. I would still appreciate any pointers on the mix - what needs to be pulled back, brought forward , eq’d better  . . . that kind of stuff. I do hope to make a little video for ML with pictures and drop this track underneath as the music.
 
So, here it is, written for my Mary Lynn who I always refer to as ML. It’s called it Emelle.
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http://www.onlytheunusual.com/MannyYtuarte/Emelle/emellemstrx.mp3
 
Lyrics:
Well I get these blues now and then, but I get them mostly when I’m missing you, yes it’s true
And I get this ache in my heart every day that we’re apart, I guess you know, I love you so.
I’m talking about you woman, woman, woman.
 
Well the sun seems to shine a bit brighter and the sky’s a deeper blue, when I’m with you.
And those stars way up high write your name across the sky . . . well if they could, I know they would.        I’m talking about you woman, woman, woman. Woman, woman, woman.
Bridge:
Let’s get away for a while. Let’s drive that moonlight mile.
We’ll chase the stars all the way through the loop to Hampton bay. Then a detour at the seashore for the day.
 
A bit of guitar
Bridge again:
Last verse
 

I like the fact that it sounds both familiar and wonderfully original at the same time.


I really like the song movements... the way you are led through so many perspectives of the main motif is both entertaining and impressive.


I would love to hear a real horn section backing you up.


Thanks for sharing.



best regards,
mike

I love your into paragraph. Made me chuckle. Inner "Curtis Mayfield" eh? . I also know what you mean. I felt really bad that I was never inspired to write a song for my (now ex) wife. I have been inspired by a real person only once, and that was in a 1 page short story called The Muse (she was exotic, erotic and deeply troubled - I saw destruction in her and wrote about it). I guess I should listen to the song how eh?

Frank – thanks for the positive comments. Yes, some tweaking would be a good idea once I figure out how. The drums are DOD with me doing live fills - this might explain  why it sounds not quite right. The breathing – a byproduct of having no voice and no vocal control – I need to redo with a real singer eventually (once the novelty of “hey, honey – here’s the tune” wears off). ML hasn't heard it yet – I will wait until final mix.
 
Mike M – sounds “familiar” – sure hope I didn’t subconsciously rip something off. That’s always one of my worries. Fortunately you also said “original” – so I am hopeful. Thanks for the listen and kind comments. Real horns – while I am at it I would throw in a real singer, drummer and piano player.
 
James – thanks for your time – the drums – as I said, DOD. Didn't think of it as 80 but now that you mention it – I agree. Wish I could sing like Kenny L.
 
Shad – comments are much appreciated. The guitar is a strat just going in direct. I know it can seem a bit lifeless – I kind of like it that way (reminds me of my ex-wife) but I will experiment with some plug-ins and see if I can liven it up.

Manny, count me as one of your fans.  I like this song, and you've gotten some good ideas on how to make this a stellar production.  Best of luck!

Hey Manny
Love the flow/tempo of this piece.  The guitar opening riff is just killer.  Your vox on "woman" and the overall vibe is very Lennon like.  A very well written piece holds your attention the full 4:16.  KUDOS!

Kev

Hey Manny... good to see you back and recording some cool stuff. 

I like it. It has some nice chord changes in it. Vocals sound good too.  

I've been looking for a nice "male country singer" plug in for years.... no such luck yet.... 

Great job. Writing "To" or about a specific person is always a hard thing to do, but you have done a good job. 

Enjoyed this a lot. I like the vocals, actually. Nice feel to this.

Thanks Dodsie , glad you liked it although I am beginning think I stole this.

Roger - thanks for listening but your comment is the third reference to Lennon. Did I steal his song? Please let me know which song you're talking about, I'll feel terrible if this is a rip and I didn't realize it (if so, I sure can't tell ML I wrote this for her - and I don't want to say "I stole this for you").

I think the vocals fit perfectly? And I like the song and the mix, the horns, the keys. I think it's all very well done. We write the nice love songs during that "phase" of the relationship... Such a fun faze? Good job Manny.