"Spread Your Wings & Fly"

[SteveAlton]

Here's a song written about leaving a legacy & how we send our children into the world...It's the first song

http://www.stevealtonian.com


“Spread Your Wings & Fly”
©2010 Steve Altonian


Mama Pulls A Letter From A Locket Box, Yellow, Faded, And Worn
Slips It To Tessie, Suitcase By The Door
Grandma’ Gave This To Me Long Ago, When I Was ‘Bout Your Age
Words Of Love And Wisdom, I Saved Just For Today

“Spread Your Wings & Fly”
Now’s Your Time To Shine
Precious Doves Don’t Belong On The Ground
Don’t Be Afraid of Heights
“Spread Your Wings & Fly”

Choose A Man Who Will Treat You Right, Find You One Who Will Wait
Remember What The Bible Says, And Don’t Ever Lose Your Faith
When You Raise Up A Family, Teach Your Children What’s Right
The Greatest Gift You Can Give Them, Is Giving Of Your Time

“Spread Your Wings & Fly”
Now’s Your Time To Shine
Precious Doves Don’t Belong On The Ground
Don’t Be Afraid of Heights
“Spread Your Wings & Fly”

A Little Girl And Her Mama Laughing in The Rain
Tessie Guards An Heirloom She’ll Share With Her One Day

“Spread Your Wings & Fly”
Now’s Your Time To Shine
Precious Doves Don’t Belong On The Ground
Don’t Be Afraid of Heights

“Spread Your Wings & Fly”
Soar Where Eagles Cry
Keep Dreams And A Song In Your Heart
Let Them Be Your Guide
Don’t Be Afraid Of Heights
Now’s Your Time To Shine
“Spread Your Wings & Fly”
“Spread Your Wings & Fly”
“Spread Your Wings & Fly”

 

[dobro]

© dobro 2013 I dislike it. I think it's trite, cliched and mawkish. Also, you don't need quotation marks around each line that references the title of the song, nor do you need to capitalize every word in the lyrics. As for the mix, I'd try to bring out the backing vocals a bit more - they're buried right now. Or have you actually finished the mix and you're just trawling for hits and applause?

 

[TripleM]

How do I get to the song? I'll review it, but I'm not going to buy it on iTunes in order to do it.

 

[AkaraEtt]

How do I get to the song? I'll review it, but I'm not going to buy it on iTunes in order to do it.

Um...I might be missing something...but if you click on the link at the start of Steven's post it takes you to his page where you the first track playing is this one...free streaming?

 

[RAMI]

© dobro 2013 I dislike it. I think it's trite, cliched and mawkish. Also, you don't need quotation marks around each line that references the title of the song, nor do you need to capitalize every word in the lyrics. As for the mix, I'd try to bring out the backing vocals a bit more - they're buried right now. Or have you actually finished the mix and you're just trawling for hits and applause?

How do I get to the song? I'll review it, but I'm not going to buy it on iTunes in order to do it.

Whoah! WoW! Did I miss some kind of feud or something?

I don't see how quotation marks or capitol letters would cause so much hostility. And the song is free in the link he provided. Are you guys ok?

I thought I"" could be harsh sometimes.

Anyway, OP, it's not my style of music, but it sounded good to me. Your voice is perfect for this song, and the instrumentation is well done and well arranged. I agree that the back vocals can come up, and maybe the lead vocals can come slightly down? But considering I'm not a country or new country fan at all, I think this is well done for this style.

 

[elmedia]

I happen to like country - and I like this alot. As RAMI stated, your voice is perfect for this - you were born a country singer. My only comment is as already mentioned, bring your background vocals up.

 

[DM60]

I think it has a little too much mids, but good recording, everything is mixed pretty great.

Not my kind of music, I like country, but honest country and I think this is Nashville pop. I think that is what Dobro was saying.

One thing around here, we get to hear a lot of honest song writing/music, so we are pretty hard to please.

 

[SteveAlton]

Not my kind of music, I like country, but honest country and I think this is Nashville pop. I think that is what Dobro was saying.

One thing around here, we get to hear a lot of honest song writing/music....

DM 60..thx for the listen...Interesting how this tune is perceived as not being "honest'. But it is what it is, and perception is everything

Here is an interview about the song, (the tune itself won a small accolade) that will be released I guess in the next month or so about the song...read it and maybe it will shed more light about it being an honest write...Here is the true "story" behind the song


INT: Briefly can you tell us something about this song and what inspired you to write it?


Jan, this song was born in a period of one of my lifes most challenging moments. As a father of four daughters, there came a day when my 2nd oldest daughter left the coup a little earlier than I had hoped for. At the time I was completely helpless to do a whole lot about it. Devastated, I felt like I had failed as a father, & blamed myself. But then a peace came over me & rather than try to dissuade her, I realized it was time to trust all that we had imparted into her. So instead of telling my daughter what to do, and how to live her life, I put what was in my heart to pen & paper & set it to music…

Within days I wrote “Spread Your Wings & Fly”............For all my daughters…..............

I did have to make a couple of Artistic choices to serve the song better, to make it more universal & accessible. My 1st artistic choice was to remove myself & use a mothers parting thoughts to her daughter instead. My 2nd Artistic choice was to use a letter to express these thoughts in the song. A letter, that is handed down from generation to generation. In this case, four generations.

“Spread Your Wings & Fly” is all about leaving a legacy & how we send our children into the world.....

 

[DM60]

DM 60..thx for the listen...Interesting how this tune is perceived as not being "honest'. But it is what it is, and perception is everything

Here is an interview about the song, (the tune itself won a small accolade) that will be released I guess in the next month or so about the song...read it and maybe it will shed more light about it being an honest write...Here is the true "story" behind the song


INT: Briefly can you tell us something about this song and what inspired you to write it?



Jan, this song was born in a period of one of my lifes most challenging moments. As a father of four daughters, there came a day when my 2nd oldest daughter left the coup a little earlier than I had hoped for. At the time I was completely helpless to do a whole lot about it. Devastated, I felt like I had failed as a father, & blamed myself. But then a peace came over me & rather than try to dissuade her, I realized it was time to trust all that we had imparted into her. So instead of telling my daughter what to do, and how to live her life, I put what was in my heart to pen & paper & set it to music…Within days I wrote “Spread Your Wings & Fly”............For all my daughters…..............



I did have to make a couple of Artistic choices to serve the song better, to make it more universal & accessible. My 1st artistic choice was to remove myself & use a mothers parting thoughts to her daughter instead. My 2nd Artistic choice was to use a letter to express these thoughts in the song. A letter, that is handed down from generation to generation. In this case, four generations.



“Spread Your Wings & Fly” is all about leaving a legacy & how we send our children into the world.....

I appreciate your song and the background. I will be honest, it is very hard to say how to present a song and to balance the presentation. Maybe, and I'm just talking here, maybe those choices reared itself to some of us. Sometimes our compromises take what are good intentions and turns them all around. Like getting caught telling a lie but you did it for good reasons. (When the lawyer says some bull crap like, you lied before, how do we know you are not lying now kind of thing)

I appreciate you standing up for your song and the honesty that you spoke about it. This speaks a lot. I think many of us are a little jaded. You are obviously a great singer and a great song writer.

Hopefully we were not total A-holes. Still might take another look at the mids

 

[dobro]

Whoah! WoW! Did I miss some kind of feud or something?

I don't see how quotation marks or capitol letters would cause so much hostility. And the song is free in the link he provided. Are you guys ok?

Completely okay. I just hate songs like this. Yeah, I'm aware of the country tradition of coming up with these bullshit songs that tell a story that's quaint and contrived and sentimental and fingers down the throat. You ever heard 'Teddy Bear' by Red Sovine? It's one of the granddaddies of this kind of thing. It's absolutely awful.

But yeah, the backing vocals are buried and they ought to come up. He completely ignored my mix comment. If he has to get some song feedback as well, that's just a bonus.

 

[TripleM]

Whoah! WoW! Did I miss some kind of feud or something?

I don't see how quotation marks or capitol letters would cause so much hostility. And the song is free in the link he provided. Are you guys ok?

Sorry did not mean to be harsh. I didn't notice the "click on any link and listen for free". It didn't exactly jump out at me. My fault. All I noticed was the iTunes links. Again my bad.

 

[TripleM]

OK now that I got my apology out of the way....

My listening system today isn't what I usually use, but this sounds like a professional job. Was it done at home or in a studio?

Performances are real good. Sounds are all excellent.

No mix nits from me. My only nit would be on the lyrics (since you posted them, I'll comment). It's a song that has already be written a thousand times at least. Lots of cliche's. Other than that, it was real good.

 

[RAMI]

No, it's all good, guys. Neither of your repsonses was THAT bad. I guess just the fact of reading both your responses in a row took me a little by surprise.

Didn't seem to affect the OP. He didn't respond to anyone's comments other than one person, and that was only because it gave him an opportunity to spam one of his interviews, rather than respond to the actual feedback he received.

 

[Greg_L]

Completely okay. I just hate songs like this. Yeah, I'm aware of the country tradition of coming up with these bullshit songs that tell a story that's quaint and contrived and sentimental and fingers down the throat.
.

Amen brutha.

 

[SteveAlton]

Thank you to all who have listened to the tune and offered their true feelings on the work...What one feels, can never be changed outwardly.

I have been given much food for thought here & all your opinions & thoughts are valuable to me going forward, to grow as an Artist.

Music strikes us on so many different levels, & brings up all kinds of emotions into play...

Those who have spoken, have spoken from the heart....

Thanks for that.....SteveA