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Another Lonely Night in the City

A kaleidoscope fever dream contemplating the nature of a big city at night...

An older song rearranged and remixed to reflect things I've learned on this forum. For the curious, included a couple of screenshots at the bottom showing the setup for Rear Bus mixing, gain staging of the held guitar, and a few other subtleties. Happy to add details on any questions.

THANKS in advance for any listens and/or input!

Lyrics: R.W. Davis
Vocals: D.A. Hughes
Other stuff: me

Style is _TWELVE.STY (Twelve High-volume Modern Rock)

RealTracks in style: 1009:Bass, Electric, HardRockThrash Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 1832:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopModernGrooveChorusHeld Ev16 075
RealTracks in style: 2644:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm ModernPopHardMurray Ev16 075
RealTracks in style: 2643:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm ModernPopHardHighMurray Ev16 075
Custom MIDI Style: 89 Pad-New Age (coleplay.STY [A] Guitar track) TTS-1 Fantasia patch
RealDrums in style: MetalEv^4-a:HalfopenHat, b:Snare, Closed HiHat

Standing in the light
Of an incandescent street lamp
I plugged my mind into
The outlet of 100 million screaming amps

I faltered for a moment
As a drunkard passed by and said simply “hi”
I coughed into my palm
Wiped the sweat from my forehead and sat down to cry

The policeman hustled me on
He said the time was gone
And life had passed me by
I fetched him the drunkard
And told him that I heard
That I was gonna die

Another lonely night in the city
Another lonely night to be so pretty
I found the spirit of adversity
Chasing me into a crowd of pity
The rain was falling
And I was calling for a cab
The cars were scurrying like crabs
And they looked like germs
Underneath the microscope
They were writhing like worms
And dangling like a corpse on a rope

Standing in the shade
Of an oversized hotel
I just had to laugh
At the doorman in his fancy coat tails

He held open a car door
As he held open a big black umbrella
And a group of kids
On the corner sang a song acapella

(interlude)

I listened to their voices
And the huge Rolls Royces
Splattered water on those guys
As they drove by too fast
And didn’t have the class
To stop and apologize

Another lonely night in the city
Another lonely night to sing so pretty
I found the spirit of the dead city
Alive with the thoughts of being witty
Jokin’ ‘bout immorality and perversion
Black market surgeons
Everyone’s learnin’
How to stay alive
Work from nine to five
And never care enough to help anyone survive
Just ignore the nitty gritty
Decide your fate by committee
It’s just another lonely night in the city

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Last edited by DC Ron; 08/28/24 01:55 PM.

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A Whirlwind Of A Song!
Going to places I could not have predicted.
I got so wrapped up in the lyrics and the band that I got lost in time. In 3 Minutes!!!??? no way.
Y'all packed a novel into that 3 minutes.
I had go listen again. Then again.
smile
A fun, wild ride.

fj

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Ron,

Wow! This is completely awesome! Love, Love, Love the lyrics. Superb!

The vocal performance is perfect and the mix is absolutely great.

EXCELLENT!

Bob

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I dunno what your first song sounded like, but this was very entertaining and so reminiscent of the 80's, Elvis Costello-ish. Totally agree with Floyd's comment: Going to places I could not have predicted. You managed to capture the hustle and bustle and surprise of city life in both music and lyric.

Nice voice too!

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Ron, what a fantastic smorgasbord of musicality!
Dylan type lyrics set to a rocking groove with a little A cappella thrown in for a drastic change - brilliant!
Your vocal and lyrics made this song.
All mixed to perfection.
IMHO your best to date.


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That was VERY entertaining, and the icing was the acapella interlude.
A brilliant idea smile[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]

I LOVE it!


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Ron...now I'm no expert on this type of music for sure...but I really enjoyed the ride...the story you tell and how you tell is captivating...I love Dylan's vocal presentation (as always!!)...perfect match of music and lyric...so cool! GREAT STORYTELLING!


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Originally Posted by floyd jane
A Whirlwind Of A Song! Going to places I could not have predicted. I got so wrapped up in the lyrics and the band that I got lost in time. In 3 Minutes!!!??? no way. Y'all packed a novel into that 3 minutes. I had go listen again. Then again. smile A fun, wild ride. fj

Thanks, Floyd! With lyrics this ambitious, it can be a little intimidating to approach the music. So I just let it rip and hoped for the best. Glad it worked for you!

Originally Posted by rsdean
Ron, Wow! This is completely awesome! Love, Love, Love the lyrics. Superb! The vocal performance is perfect and the mix is absolutely great. EXCELLENT! Bob

Why thanks, Bob. You write such coolly evocative city songs that I take that as a high complement indeed. Huh.

Originally Posted by BYOBand
I dunno what your first song sounded like, but this was very entertaining and so reminiscent of the 80's, Elvis Costello-ish. Totally agree with Floyd's comment: Going to places I could not have predicted. You managed to capture the hustle and bustle and surprise of city life in both music and lyric. Nice voice too!

Yeah, I would have been rocking some EC in the early 80's for sure. Late 70s, too. The vocalist is Dusty (per the OP credits) but I totally agree! THANKS!!

Originally Posted by MarioD
Ron, what a fantastic smorgasbord of musicality! Dylan type lyrics set to a rocking groove with a little A cappella thrown in for a drastic change - brilliant! Your vocal and lyrics made this song. All mixed to perfection. IMHO your best to date.

Doh! Don't compare the lyricist to Dylan, it'll go to his head. AGAIN. Ha! Actually, I think he always wanted to be Bernie Taupin. Too bad I'm no Sir Elton. Ha ha! I am a tiny bit pleased with how the a capella part turned out. One of those big swings that somehow connected. Glad you enjoyed the tune!

Originally Posted by B.D.Thomas
That was VERY entertaining, and the icing was the acapella interlude. A brilliant idea smile[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in] I LOVE it!

Thanks, Brain! One of the challenges with burying an Easter Egg like the a capella section is keeping the attention of the listener until they can get to it. Then hoping that little change of pace will sharpen their interest in the rest of the tune. Change of pace bridges are my favorite part of songwriting. Glad you enjoyed it and the tune!

Originally Posted by firesong
Ron...now I'm no expert on this type of music for sure...but I really enjoyed the ride...the story you tell and how you tell is captivating...I love Dylan's vocal presentation (as always!!)...perfect match of music and lyric...so cool! GREAT STORYTELLING!

Dan, thanks! The lyricist really has a talent for story songs. Suspect a lot of the imagery in these lyrics was taken from life, but combined in a new and interesting way. That's always fun for me. Dusty is always rock solid. Sometimes I think "Well, I'll just post the version with my scratch vocals this time..." but then I listen to Dusty's and decide that his version is by far the better listening experience. LOVE his voice. Glad you enjoyed the song!

Last edited by DC Ron; 08/29/24 04:39 PM.

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Great lyrics, I especially liked :
"The cars were scurrying like crabs
And they looked like germs
Underneath the microscope
They were writhing like worms
And dangling like a corpse on a rope"

Upbeat music for the rather sad narrative which surprisingly works quite well. I am curious about D.A. Hughes. Is he real?
I enjoyed the song and quality production. Also thanks for the informative screen shots.
cheers Ron.

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Quite the ride!

Very cool write, and Dylan always sounds great. Loved the acapella part!

Mix sounds great also, well done!

P.S. I meant Dusty, not Dylan wink

Last edited by BlueAttitude; 08/30/24 07:40 AM.
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A refreshing listen and a clever lyric, DC.
Congratulations on the phrasing.
Well did.

Vic

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Originally Posted by Izzy
Great lyrics, I especially liked : "The cars were scurrying like crabs And they looked like germs Underneath the microscope They were writhing like worms And dangling like a corpse on a rope" Upbeat music for the rather sad narrative which surprisingly works quite well. I am curious about D.A. Hughes. Is he real? I enjoyed the song and quality production. Also thanks for the informative screen shots. cheers Ron.

Izzy, the verse you quote is my favorite, too. Was worried that four car similes in a single verse might be a bit much, but the lyric pulls it off. First version of the music I put to these lyrics was a slow, minor key dirge. It was kind of cool but missed the "fever dream" interpretation I had in mind. So ended up with this major key rocker, and it seems better suited to the narrative. Yes, Dusty is real. Only the band (in a box) is fake. Ha! Glad you enjoyed the tune!

Originally Posted by BlueAttitude
Quite the ride! Very cool write, and Dylan always sounds great. Loved the acapella part! Mix sounds great also, well done! P.S. I meant Dusty, not Dylan wink

Dave, THANKS, glad you enjoyed the tune. One day I'm going to do a song a capella start to finish. But then it won't really be suitable for a User Showcase, will it??

Originally Posted by vicarn
A refreshing listen and a clever lyric, DC. Congratulations on the phrasing. Well did. Vic

Vic, THANK YOU for the listen and feedback. Turning somebody else's lyrics into a song is an interesting exercise, and one I enjoy. Always rewarding to get positive feedback.


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A really good rocker with creative lyrics and production. Totally enjoyed it


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Hi, Ron.

Ha! Love it - especially the rhymes, the unexpected rhythms, and the "a capella" bit. Excellent pop sound and vocals as well.

As floyd jane said, a wild ride. smile


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If I could use just one word to describe this:

Entertaining


Cool rocking song.


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Originally Posted by WaoBand
A really good rocker with creative lyrics and production. Totally enjoyed it

THANKS, Chay!

Originally Posted by dcuny
Hi, Ron. Ha! Love it - especially the rhymes, the unexpected rhythms, and the "a capella" bit. Excellent pop sound and vocals as well. As floyd jane said, a wild ride. smile

Hey, David! Never really know when going out on a limb whether it will support the weight. Glad we didn't crash!

Originally Posted by Guitarhacker
If I could use just one word to describe this: Entertaining Cool rocking song.

Herb, "entertaining" is the objective, so...SCORE! THANKS for the listen and feedback.


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Really cool man! Excellent sound and excellent mix.

Really love it!

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Originally Posted by David Snyder
Really cool man! Excellent sound and excellent mix. Really love it!

THANKS, David!


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WOW! Big sonds from the big city. I really like the lyrics. The melody is the hook, and I am hooked. I like the nod to Belmont Avenue with the a capella bit. Man, you, R. W. and D. A. are an outstanding trio.


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Originally Posted by BabuMusic
WOW! Big sonds from the big city. I really like the lyrics. The melody is the hook, and I am hooked. I like the nod to Belmont Avenue with the a capella bit. Man, you, R. W. and D. A. are an outstanding trio.

Why, THANKS, Marty! LOVE the Belmont Avenue sound. Those were the days/daze!


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