peter j stein: BLOG: A LONG WINTER

"A Young Girl Was Laughing (by the window)" is a tune that emerged while writing a different song, a sequence which often typifies my songwriting. Usually, I am struggling with a melody and lyrics, when, suddenly, a new melody comes to mind, and the "real" song emerges from the struggle, within a few hours; the lyrics appear spontaneously, almost in full, and I feel emotionally relieved and exalted, that I have a new song for myself: to listen to on my downloads and in my car, to share with my friends, and to expose to the world market, that others may express interest in my creation. Of note, the first take, of both the vocals and the instrumentals, often end up as the most compelling, and the song literally resists further changes, but for a few minor corrections. In this song, "A Young Girl Was Laughing (by the window)", I attempted at one juncture, to record a new lead vocal, and the software stubbornly refused to cooperate; first there was noisy static and the mic would not function; then, the track reverb would not allow me to adjust the vocal, according to my tastes (reverb can be as deep as the Grand Canyon).  These obstacles, at 3 am, given that I must soon arise for my day job, then guided me to stay with my initial lead vocal, only to add a touch of harmony, at the first and last line of each verse; and, according to my very personal tastes,  this was the "touch" that was lacking. A couple of overlooked "pops" remain in the song, a few more fixes could have aligned the harmonies better, and some falsetto pitch adjustments would have been nice, but for what they are paying me, c'est la vie. Upbeat tunes do not move me; my preference is for the melodic and harmonic beauty of folk-rock ballads including: Yesterday (The Beatles); Catch The Wind and Lalena (Donovan); As Tears Go By (performed by Marianne Faithful; Rolling Stones); Long, Long Time (performed by Linda Ronstadt); Walk Away Rene (performed by The Left Banke); Hello In There (John Prine); Maybe Tomorrow (Badfinger); Something In Red (performed by Lorrie Morgan); Secret Gardens (Judy Collins); Dangling Conversation (Paul Simon); Song For Adam (Jackson Browne); Visions of Johanna (Bob Dylan); Sweet Baby James (James Taylor); and, more recently, Always On Your Side (Sheryl Crow). Countless talented songwriter/singers of the most beautifully written ballads, performed by the most superb artists, utilizing the finest audio engineering skills, all generally have in common their softness, simplicity, subtlety, sadness, and sincerity...pjs