[Koolkat]

Today I decided to abandon any hope of getting my Christmas song completed in time. I had so much still to do and ultimately my vocals skills are not good enough for this project. I had the bass and drums sorted and many takes of rhythm and lead guitar recorded ready for sorting through. However, getting this all together was going to take a long time and getting it to sound ok was probably going to be nigh impossible. Guess I probably don’t have the skills to produce something like this. Perhaps I'll revisit the song at some time but with some professional help.

Still, no harm in sharing the lyrics. They are unashamedly corny as the song is very retro and there is a bit of a message in the lyrics as well. For the backing, imagine Quo’s version of “The Wanderer” with its choppy rhythm and vocals and you will get a feel for how the song sounds. It is in 4/4 time, at 115 BPM and lasts around 4 mins. Instruments were planned to be Drums, Bass, Electric Rhythm, Acoustic Rhythm, Electric Lead and Hand Bells.

Anyway, here are the words:

Title:    Like The Old Ones Were

Verse 1:

Well the kids have sent their letters to St Nick
And the Christmas tree we’ve all been out to pick
It isn’t long now ‘till the day
When Santa, Rudolph and his sleigh
Bring joy to every Girl and Boy

Verse 2:

But some people like to shut themselves away
The kids have gone, to them it’s just another day
They may say they’re doing fine
While deep inside they really pine
For family Christmas’s of old

Chorus:

Don’t say goodbye to your friends this Christmas
Don’t forget those who you care for this year
Bring back the magic that once was Christmas
And make this one fun like the old ones were

Verse 3:

The lights are up, the shopping’s done, were good to go
And all around is white with deep and crispy snow
The Mistletoe above the door
Should get us kisses by the score
As the snowman watches on

Verse 4:

But to some this is a scene they’ve left behind
Is the fun that they once knew so hard to find?
You know they’d really love to be
With their extended family
Enjoying times they thought were long forgotten

Chorus:

Don’t say goodbye to your friends this Christmas
Don’t forget those who you care for this year
Bring back the magic that once was Christmas
And make this one fun like the old ones were

Lead in to Guitar solo:

The kids have all gone up to bed
The Cats and Dogs have all been fed
You sit around and talk of past
Christmas’s that went so fast

Guitar Solo

Verse 5:

Do you remember family Christmas’s of old
When the Tinsel and the Fairy you’d behold
Remember who it was that gave
So many memories to save
To them you owe so very much

Chorus:

Don’t say goodbye to your friends this Christmas
Don’t forget those who you care for this year
Bring back the magic that once was Christmas
And make this one fun like the old ones were

Outro:

So as you and your family all make merry
As you eat your Turkey and sip your Sherry
Make sure that those you care for most
Are there to share a Christmas toast

End:


Well, that’s it. Any comments gratefully received.

[habiTat]

Today I decided to abandon any hope of getting my Christmas song completed in time.

I've only just seen the first DFS advert so you've still got AGES! 

It's nice, very traditional and generally Christmassy so that's good . It's possibly a little long (as far as lyrics go) but if you say it's a four minute song I guess that's ok.

I'd definitely urge you to continue with it, as you've recorded so much. Maybe stick what you've got together with a rough vocal so we can hear it (as a concept) Also, you'll get loads of help improving it if you ask.

hab..

[Koolkat]

Thanks for the encouraging feedback. My problems really stem from the fact that I was a bit naive. I had the idea for the song some time ago and had it all planned in my head. I bought the basic equipment to get me up and running and then realised I was trying to run before I could walk. I was working long days and then shutting myself away in a room, getting stressed because I was not able to get the results I wanted, all for something relatively unimportant.

I needed that stress gone so I just dismantled everything and packed it away. However, what I may do is record a simple acoustic demo just to get the idea across. My vocals work a bit better with an acoustic guitar than they do with the full band backing.

[habiTat]

Definitely mate, you sound like me 6 months ago!

Record a basic acoustic version, get some feedback and take it from there. (just remember to give feedback to others or it wont work) I did the exact same thing, got the mic, set up the software and expected it to all just 'work'. it didn't and I became a pain to live with obsessing over it. Baby steps my friend, you'll get there, the guys on here are excellent at offering advice. I'm learning so much from all these people, it's turned what used to be a frustrating 2 hours of recording a few months ago into a productive, enjoyable, 2 hours now.

hab..

[WhOoSh]

Lovely song and very well constructed. I lke the way it moves and the family feel.

[Koolkat]

Thanks very much for the comment WhOosh. HabiTat commented that it seemed a bit long and I must admit it is over 4 minutes. However, when I wrote it, it just felt like it needed the lead into the solo and the outro, and to be honest, I had some lyrics that would not fit in a verse but I wanted to use. However, I tried it last night without these and it doesn't sound too bad and it lops about 30 seconds off the length so this may be an option.