[tboswell]

Still working on my "bare bones" song, but the LSO and Crouch End Festival Chorus are booked in my studio next week and once they have both double tracked parts it should be done 

But in the meantime I have just finished this one. Now I don't wish to offend anybody with firm religious beliefs but it's a sort of love song where the singer is trying to persuade the object of their affection that the little love between two people has as much value as the the big love offered by religion.
Personally I am an atheist and a humanist and need to get these things out of my musical system from time to time. It's really not meant to offend anybody.

Structurally it has a nice A B feel with one section representing the relationship with religion and the other the personal relationship. The two sections are in different keys which I hope adds to that sense of contrast.

Arrangement wise I've been pretty restrained with the strings....thought there is an "everything but the kitchen sink" section towards the end. 

Hope it is enjoyable or at least worthy of discussion 

https://soundcloud.com/t-j-boswell/this-little-love

Tom.

---------------------------------------------

This Little Love
(T J Boswell)

Don't you know sugar it's a long long road up to heaven
And they're charging you by the mile
If you want to go in style

Don't you know darling it's a long long road to redemption
Seems every day you're on trial
And expected to wear a smile

But this little love that we've got
Is worth you giving a shot
You get back what u bring

This little love that we got
Might be easily forgot
But it makes me want to sing

Don't you know darling you'll get what you're owed
In the next life
But I'm gonna love you now
No matter what they allow

Did they tell you it's a long long time till the rapture
Embraces your weary soul
and what little grace you stole

But this little love that we found
It's makes a beautiful sound
The music that it brings

This little love that we found
Might have its feet on the ground
But oh what a heavenly thing!

But I follow your eyes,
As they look towards the skies and higher things.

(Heavenly choirs and trumpets sounding...)

This little love doesn't judge
If you have suffered enough
You don't owe it a thing

This little love's big enough
To let you leave if you got to go
We'll be waiting....

(c) T J Boswell 2016


 

[Jamie]

Hi tom, excellent vocals, nicely structured with the appropriate 'lifts' in the right places. A bit melodramatic for my taste , but a nice pop song which had a tinge of the sixties to my ear.
Nice one!
Cheers
Jamie

[LostBoy]

Hey Tom,

Lovely melodies as usual.Great choice of sounds for the break.I liked the choice to double the vocal at the end.Im an atheist aswell but I grew up VERY religious,I also found writing a song a good way to deal with it. (Kingdom Come)

Your voice on this is really nice mate.

Cheers
Leo 

[tina m]

I didnt get into this in the 2 times I listened  but knowing your mastery of songwriting tom  Im sure I would with more listens ...at first listen it didnt seem to have many hooks & your singing style which I normally like just seemed a bit too affected here …. which could be bcos of the subject!
I am a believer tho I just cannot stand modern christian music it all sounds so fake & embarrassingly awful to me …..& in writing about this  fella  bragging  his love for his lady is as big as the love of God youve gone & unwittingly created a upside down carbon copy of a  modern religious song ...i get  that that was your aim with the big ending with the syrupy choirs of angels & heavenly trumpets but it was too close to the excesses of the real thing for me to  enjoy
obviously its all beautifully & cleverly done as I would expect from you tom & im sorry if ive been negative but we all have these  pet hates &  you wandered into one of mine

[shadowfax]

Usual class piece from you, like the message, I'm an atheist myself and you shouldn't worry about offending anyone, you have as much right to an opinion as they have...
anyway, love the vocal in this song, nice sort of 60's touch to it and like the vocals at the end..

[digger72]

Hi Tom,

Very well produced song.
Liked the step up in delivery in the middle of the song.
I like the choir effect, but would have preferred it in a much darker sounding song. It sounds a bit too... "sweet," for want of a better word. But that's my taste.
Interesting subject for a song. Can't see why it would be offensive in the slightest.

Digger

[delb0y]

Love this, as always.    Great melody, great singing, great production. What's not to like?

The answer... wasn't keen on the big angelic choir in the last few verses. In fact the last third kind of went into territory where I turned off. But then I said the same thing about your last song - as soon as strings and choirs and stuff come in I'm not so happy. One acoustic is all anyone needs  

Also, overall, the lyrics didn't work for me - I'm (generally) not one for people preaching at me (in song) whether it's about God, or no God or going down the gym or voting in or out or anything or saving the planet or how the white man is destroying this that or the other. Or baby songs. I hate people singing about their children. New cars are okay. But babies... Just saying this so you appreciate it's not your song, but my taste that is the cause here. I'm sure I'm being a bit hypocritical here and if I listed my favourite songs then it would turn out I'm being preached at by everyone from Bob Dylan to Bob Hope (and I've probably written a few myself too!), and the weird thing is I'm quite happy to read stories about this self-same stuff. But when it comes to music I guess I'm just a Twist & Shout man!  

Seriously, though, the first two thirds were joyous and up to your usual Empire State high standards.

Derek

[PaulAds]

This is a bold endeavour, Tom

possibly might have been a horses' ass without the abundance of talent you are able to bring to it...the sounds and the playing and the vocals and the arrangement and production are so impressive that it stands up really well...but i just feel that this one didn't quite make it for me.

i kind of feel that this song makes you a victim of your own excellence...on the plus side, and great news for the rest of us, is that we now discover that you are human after all 

ps i'm still a little in awe of you

[Skub]

I liked the song and I appreciate the arrangement,but I'd rather hear it done as a power pop song with lots of layered guitars and speeded up. Moon on a stick too.  

Nowhere near as immediate as your usual stuff Tom,but you set the bar high and you can't win 'em all.

[The Portrait Piano]

Hi Tom,

Amazing production, great voice and I personally enjoyed your use of strings which gave the song a spaced out feel. The melody is really nice but I wouldn't have understood the subject matter without your introduction.

The lyrics seems to suggest that love between people and religion are mutually exclusive and can't be reconciled, kinda like a battle of wills. Cool concept if that was the aim but I think a bit of a back story would help the listener understand how the 2 people ended up this way, i.e. quick one liner about an atheist in love with a devout Christian or the like.

Musically though it can't be faulted 

Law



 

[seriousfun]

I was just sitting at my computer playing a train game ( I like train games ) and decided Id like to hear some quality music to inspire me to put away the game and make some music, so I came on the forum and saw that you had a new song out. Wow, I thought, this is what I need, a new Tom Boswell song, loving it mate.

Your chord progressions always do it for me more than anything else. I love where you take songs. This one though, as well as the progressions I thought the lyrics were outstanding, in particular the opening two verses grabbed me.

My only sug is that after the short bridge when you introduce the choir and right through to the end there seems to be a lot of activity in the higher registers and something deeper could maybe used as well/in place of,  some of the instrumentation. Maybe a cello? instead of being so heavy with the violin strings.  Dunno really, its just a gut feeling.

Super dooper song though. You sure can write buddy.

Allan.

[tboswell]

i kind of feel that this song makes you a victim of your own excellence...on the plus side, and great news for the rest of us, is that we now discover that you are human after all 

Oh no!! Have I let the mask slip 
I know this one is a lesser work and a bit more of a personal indulgence that most of my others songs. I thought it may be good for some debate, so posted it up.

A bit melodramatic for my taste ,

Thanks for the kind words Jamie, yup to go me square between the eyes there. A bit melodramatic! 

obviously its all beautifully & cleverly done as I would expect from you tom & im sorry if ive been negative but we all have these  pet hates &  you wandered into one of mine

Fair enough, thanks for the honest opinion. Hopefully the next one in the pipeline will be right up your street, I think it will 

... wasn't keen on the big angelic choir in the last few verses. In fact the last third kind of went into territory where I turned off. But then I said the same thing about your last song - as soon as strings and choirs and stuff come in I'm not so happy. One acoustic is all anyone needs 

Sorry that didn't work for you mate. To defend myself somewhat, the choirs etc are meant to sound artificial and not personal and human, trying to follow the themes of the song in the musical presentation.
I like a slimmed down thing as much as a next guy but I love arranging work too much to just stick to a single instrument all the time. Horses for courses....

I liked the song and I appreciate the arrangement,but I'd rather hear it done as a power pop song with lots of layered guitars and speeded up. Moon on a stick too. 

Nowhere near as immediate as your usual stuff Tom,but you set the bar high and you can't win 'em all.

I've power pop'd my arse off recently here! Can't do it everytime 
There is a bit of 12 string in there tho...

Usual class piece from you, like the message, I'm an atheist myself and you shouldn't worry about offending anyone, you have as much right to an opinion as they have...

Thanks mate, appreciate the support. They say never make excuses for your music and they are probably right!
I love all sorts of church music, Schubert Masses, Bruckner, RVW's gorgeous Sine Nomine...no reason why a believer shouldn't listen to and enjoy my humanist tract 

Thanks to everyone else for their honest feedback, always hugely valued 

Tom.

[Neil C]

Tom,
Lovely paced ballad, nice chord changes and supporting that lovely vocal especially on the gaps into the verse, neat.
Like the ethereal strings, less sure of the repeat with the synth brass and then it kind of loses things a bit with the 'we will be waiting' as I wanted to get back the the main part of the song..
Classy as ever
 
Neil

[montydog]

Hey,

Don't listen to them when they say it's not one of your best  Personally, I loved the melody - subtle and original, vocal tone is gorgeous but your delivery is a little mannered for my personal taste.

I can see what people mean about the ending - it's too much. The song works best when you keep the arrangement simple and just let your vocal carry the emotional heft. All the strings and brass are just a distraction.

Production is top notch, lyrics are not formulaic and I didn't think I was being preached to. I share your atheist, humanist stance, BTW.

I don't think you're capable of posting a bad song and this certainly isn't one.

M

[Jambrains]

Tom, you have been spoiling us with high quality stuff for a while now and this is no exception. I just love your vocals! Can't really decide if I like the verse or chorus best, both are great. Nice arrangement (mighty fine build, love the orchestra towards the end ) and a fine production except for on ugly duckling: the drums! Everything else sound so expensive and luxurious but the drums sounds dull and tired. Not the playing, the sound, don't know if it is the kit or the processing (or maybe lack thererof)
But never mind, that might very well be just me and everything is so bloody fantastic I'm more than willing to forget the drums.
Kudos!