My new song "You Need A Friend"

[Strat1958]

A few months back, the wife of one of my oldest friends died unexpectedly and suddenly, at the age of 40 - leaving him with 8 kids. I had lost touch with him over the years; same with the rest of my 'posse' from way back then. We had not seen each other for 10 years, which none of us could believe. Well, we all got together and drove 5 hours in one car, to attend the funeral.

Verse 1 is about that.

My wife has never had really, really close friends....until a couple of years ago, when she connected with a girl in the office, and she has turned out to be the kind of friend she always dreamed of having. They are like sisters.

Verse 2 is about that.

Verse 3 is hypothetical.

I wrote the song off and on over a few months. I finally got around to recording it this week.

The guitar/piano sound I was going for was inspired by "Beginnings" by Chicago.

Hope you enjoy it!

YOU NEED A FRIEND by Mike Pilling

V1
You are my friends
It's been so long
Ten years feels like a month or so
Where's the time gone?
Here we are
Driving in this car
Regretting what we didn't do (just them and you)

Inst........

V2
You are her friend
Just been a year or two
Feels like ten years or more
After what you been through
There you go
Walkin in the snow
Laughing at the grand design (all the time)

CH1
You got a friend, oh yeah
You got time to spend, oh yeah
To share a tear
To share a beer
You need a friend, oh yeah

V3
He is your friend
Always got your back
How long, it doesnt matter
He's solid, that's a fact
Time waits
For no one
It won't wait for either of you (no matter what you do)

CH2
You give and take, oh yeah
You feel the ache, oh yeah
of being a friend
to the end
You need a friend, oh yeah

 

[ido1957]

Took a while to finish it but it was worth the wait! Nice easy listening tune that tells a good story - my favorite kinds of tunes. Well arranged and well performed!

 

[gecko zzed]

^^ What he said.

The song has a particularly interesting chord structure. It is basically in Abm (I think), but every now and again we get that G, and later the D . . . very effective. Throughout the song there is this injection of the unusual that sits well with a basic Abm Gbm pattern.

The song rolls along in a very relaxed way, and conveys well the sense of comfort and warmth in a friendship.

I'd be just as happy with this song with a single vocal . . . but the whole thing is pretty cool.

 

[Mart[1001]]

Yep....

A great song, played well, sung well and delivered well. Really enjoyed listening. Thanks for sharing.

Mart.

 

[nzausrec]

It sounds a lot like the band America. I like the harmonies.
I really like that modulating flute. Chorused guitar works well. Then that matches well the flute that takes the next chorus. Could be a bit longer with the final chorus going throughout the fade.
Great.
This is really good.

 

[Strat1958]

First of all, thank you for the comments - always so much appreciated!

The song has a particularly interesting chord structure. It is basically in Abm (I think), but every now and again we get that G, and later the D . . . very effective. Throughout the song there is this injection of the unusual that sits well with a basic Abm Gbm pattern.

GZ, what you heard as Abm is actually Emaj7, though they share most of the same notes. The main progression goes Emaj7/Gbm7/Gmaj7/Gbm7. The D, well I am always looking for a place to stick a 9th chord, so it's a D9. You have a very good ear!

Could be a bit longer with the final chorus going throughout the fade.

nzausrec, I thought of making it longer, but I see comments on here all the time saying 3:00 - 3:30 is the perfect song length, and most of my songs hover around 4:00 - 5:00, so I purposely made this one short and sweet!

Mart and ido1957, thank you for your kind comments as well.

 

[nzausrec]

nzausrec, I thought of making it longer, but I see comments on here all the time saying 3:00 - 3:30 is the perfect song length, and most of my songs hover around 4:00 - 5:00, so I purposely made this one short and sweet!

Yep, but have the vocals going though the fade. Because, the lyrics will stick with me that way.

Instrumentally this is better than Time for Rain. I like the way all the instruments gel together - pinao, flute, and the heys and oh yeahs and harmonies. But, Time for Rain is instantly more catchy.
Both v. good songs.

 

[nzausrec]

Lyrics starting to stick now.

Nice words

 

[icystorm]

Good song, Mike. I can definitely hear the Chicago influence in the song.

Speaking of Chicago, what a great band! Were there ever any bad Chicago songs? My favorite Chicago period was the Peter Cetera years, but their earlier stuff was great too.

BTW, was that the cover of your CD "Breathe" depicted on SoundClick? If so, cool!

Cheers,
Joseph

 

[SEDstar]

very cool...

this song, the feel of it... takes me back to the early 80's.

"wasted on the way", CSNY
"stepping out", JoeJackson

it fits right in with the laid back adult contemporary pop I remember from the early 80's

I cant add anything that anyne else hasnt already said, so... good show!

very professional sounding, lyrics, music, and production.

bravo!

 

[Strat1958]

this song, the feel of it... takes me back to the early 80's.

"wasted on the way", CSNY
"stepping out", JoeJackson

it fits right in with the laid back adult contemporary pop I remember from the early 80's

I cant add anything that anyne else hasnt already said, so... good show!

very professional sounding, lyrics, music, and production.

bravo!

Thanks SEDstar! "Wasted On The Way" is actually one of my all-time favourite songs, so that is a huge compliment.

Good song, Mike. I can definitely hear the Chicago influence in the song.

Speaking of Chicago, what a great band! Were there ever any bad Chicago songs? My favorite Chicago period was the Peter Cetera years, but their earlier stuff was great too.

BTW, was that the cover of your CD "Breathe" depicted on SoundClick? If so, cool!

I like 'early' Chicago more than the later stuff, but it's all good! Yes, that is my new album cover - I need 5 more songs to complete the album, then it'll be ready to burn to CD.

Thank you for your kind comments, Joseph.

Lyrics starting to stick now.

Nice words

Thanks my friend. Speaking personally, these are important lyrics - so your comment means a lot.

-Mike

 

[nzausrec]

Sometimes think about a grief moment of my mate who died, years ago now though, and think, well, others (strat58) gone thru it too ...