2 Originals: Love is Hard, and Breathless

[embishop]

https://soundcloud.com/user-515453056/love-is-hard/s-cWsnW

https://soundcloud.com/user-515453056/breathless/s-gpKKB


I really need to start writing music again. Good, bad or ugly, music saves me. Having a crappy morning so I went looking through some old files to find these 2. I wrote and recorded them 10+ years ago, don’t recall exactly when. I’m on the guitars and the drum loops, and my partner Krista is on vocals. We were using Cool Edit Pro for recording, and had figured out how to import drum loops and play around with them a bit. The music isn’t perfect, but it was fun. Breathless I like because at that time I couldn’t play the music I ended up writing and playing! The bends on that one are off, I’m going to blame that it’s difficult to bend notes on an acoustic guitar. Love Is Hard I like because it was just a fun song to record, figuring out the drums a bit. I was never happy with the bridge on that one though, too forced.

Anyway, a trip down memory lane this morning.

Mari


LOVE IS HARD

V 1
Love ain't no whisper in the stillness
Ain't no gentle touch of rain
Ain't no considered steady walk
Love ain't no gentle breath of air
No please and thanks it's unprepared
Love is lightning in the dark
Baby love is hard

Chorus
I'm not the one for you
Funny that when you're the one for me
Take my passion, take my soul, take my heart
Baby love is hard

V 2
Love ain't the something that you stole away
A world of sweet and true
Love ain't the pieces of my heart
Love ain't the truth that got away
Ain't no tomorrow no today
Love is lightning in the dark
Baby love is hard

Chorus

Bridge
Show me a world of lovers talking, laughing
I'll show you a world of strangers lonely
Fill my senses my delight my wonder
And when the world breaks off and leaves me lonely
I know

Chorus


BREATHLESS

V1
Every midnight, every morning
Every hour of every day
Every breath, every touch, every kind of reason
Every word I could possibly say

Chorus
Like a river running to the ocean, I need you
Like a rainbow after the stormin, I want you
Leave me breathless

V2
Every today, every tomorrow
Every laughter and every dream
It's every prayer, it's all my life, it's heaven falling on me
When you stand so close I can barely breathe

Chorus

Bridge
Somewhere outside this love
There's a million pieces of the chatter of the world
And I don't turn my head and I don't lose my way
All I see is you

Chorus

[DavidP]

Thanks for taking us with on your morning trip, Mari.

Both pretty cool, enjoyable in different ways.

May your day be progressively less crappy 

[CT]

I full-on dig Breathless. The only thing I would offer is that you loose the groove when you pause to do the run with the bends. No issues with the bends otherwise. Such a cool Melissa Etheridge vibe. 

[Fox Cunning]

Sorry to hear that your morning was on the crappy side. Hope the day turned for the better.
At the very least finding these old gems must have brought you a smile!

They sound pretty good, sure not perfect but fun indeed. Love the old school rocky vibe of Love is hard, and Krista has a nice voice.

I've still got a folder full of the music I did ~20 years ago (althought I lost most of it due to a HDD failure), that ain't as good trust me

[embishop]

Thanks David, glad you enjoyed them.

Thanks CT, I'll check out playing it again to see about the groove. I'll have to re-learn the song lol, but I think that's within my ability now 😃

Thanks Fox. Most of my folder of old stuff is just in written form. There was a cassette tape at one point but I doubt that exists anywhere now. However, I think I might go looking for an old binder of songs, I'm sure that's around somewhere still.

[batwoman]

Mari what a fine lyricist you are. I particularly like the lyrics of Love is Hard. To know that you wrote these 10+ years ago makes me wonder if your style has changed and how your song writing has developed? You are so immensely talented in so many ways.

I can certainly see and feel how music is healing and cathartic for you. That's part of the power of what you do.

I always hesitate before offering a personal opinion especially when the work is original, so please take the following with a pinch of salt. I'd love to hear Love is Hard sung  slower with simpler accompaniment. I find the words rich, I need time to feel them, for the effect of them to permeate. I don't want to be hurried along to the next bar, nor do I want to listen to all the other musical threads and voices. It's a bit like something delicious to drink or eat, I want to savour the pleasure or in this case, the pain.

Thanks for sharing these gems.

[embishop]

Thanks for your comments, batwoman. I haven't written much in the last 10 years, so I don't think that my songwriting has developed too much! That was one of the reasons I started being structured with Justin's lessons last summer, and became an active member on the Forum. I wrote so many songs when I was young, then I just got away from it. I wanted to learn, and to write. Haven't written much this last year, but I have learned a lot.

I'm totally fine with any comments or suggestions on anything I play or write. So you make an interesting comment. With that yes I can hear a slower version of Love is Hard, a very different song for sure. When I wrote that song I had just learned the 12-bar blues style with a chunka-chunka shuffle rhythm, and I put some drum loops on, and playing that 12 bar blues I wrote the song in like 30 minutes (except for the bridge). The drums and the guitar rhythm tied together to make it a 'fun' song, notwithstanding the un-fun lyrics! I do like your idea of a slower stripped down version, but I can't promise when I'll get to actually do that!

Thanks batwoman 😃

Mari

[DarrellW]

Yup I agree with BW, I could enjoy that one more of an acoustic slow minor blues with different phrasing, it would definitely suit the lyrics better for me! I think that that’s the art in songwriting - matching the music in the most sympathetic way with the lyrics!

[Barend]

Hi Mari
I enjoyed both of these... can see why the re-listening and posting served to give your day a 'power boost'.

Best.
Barend


Sent from my [device_name] using JustinGuitar Community mobile app

[embishop]

Thanks Darrell, songwriting is definitely an art! I hope to be working on some new stuff soon.

Thanks Barend, I'm glad you liked them.

Mari

[oldhead49]

Hi, Mari.  Wow, these are rich.  The lyrics are outstanding and really telling a story.  Love Is Hard - definitely liked the groove you had going there.  Maybe a little more treble on guitar for my own personal taste.
Sorry to hear about  your crappy morning.  Hopefully things are getting better.
You and Krista make an awesome duo, and I'm hoping the two of you will do more soon.  Thanks for pulling these out of your archives and posting them. 

[Sergei Vlassov]

Great to see another original music here!
Songs are really good! But the quality of the mixes... There are so many mistakes made, that I don't even know where to start If you interested, I can give some advice and point to some mistakes made.

[MrBumble]

@ Sergei Vlassov

Mari made these recordings 10 years ago. From her later work we know she's got much better!

@ embishop

I've been away for a few days so I'm only catching up with this rather late.
I'm really interested to hear your early work so that we can see how it's developed. Both songs are recognizably Mari - which is a good thing. Your voice is instantly recognizable too. Thank you for sharing these with us.
Time for a "Greatest Hits" album?

[Sergei Vlassov]

Mari made these recordings 10 years ago. From her later work we know she's got much better!

a, ok then ) I missed this point, thank you. It is time to re-record them then ) Songs are really nice.

[Matek]

Mari, you seem to have a natural talent for writing lyrics, although I'm sure a lot of work and thought goes into it. They actually sound like proper songs.