Songcrafters.org

(Remastered 22/10/2021)

Now here's a bit of an oldie - the second song I ever wrote. In... 1978!

I think I played it once, or maybe twice, at school assemblies. My musical peers and colleagues back then dismissed it as corny/rancid pop music rubbish... Now, I kinda wish I hadn't been swayed by their opinion. Not for this song specifically, but because it meant I never wrote anymore like this.

For this 2020 "Broom-cupboard Productions" offering, all I did was change the key and throw a band at it. I was quite surprised at how it turned out.

I haven't altered any of the lyrics. So please bear in mind that it was written by a broken-hearted 15 year old in August 1978.

Wow, this is quite a good song! Really nails the era and vibe of the time. Vox drives the emotion. Harmonies are the icing on the cake!

I loved it! I have been in a similar situation around the same age. First heartbreak is the most painful and also the most sweet, when looking back later.

brilliant Andrew, i started righting songs around the same age, wish i had at least kept some lyrics and stuff but alas i didn't, probably a good thing lol. Anyway the fire and vitality of youth come through on the lyric quite profoundly. Absolutely love it.

I love it - it's got a 60s feel about it - did she ever hear you sing it?

What a gem from he past, really worth of re-recording! Fine job with "heartbreaking" lyric and the vocals are just amazing, so beautiful harmonies!

I'm sure this would have been a hit, if some popular band had recorded this in the late 70's...a perfect pop song; beautiful melodies, sad lyric.. I think there has been many teenagers on similar situation.

Amazing job, Andy!

Very impressive for a first songwriting effort, mature beyond your years. It's sounding great today, very poppy and catchy with some great melodic hooks and some lovely chord changes. Beautifully played, sung and produced as always.

I can imagine this probably didn't sit too well with your peers that had gone "punk" at the time. But heck, you should always do what gets your creative juices going, regardless of whatever the latest trend is.

It's cool to hear a blast from your past Andy......the song has a vintage vibe but then again that's no surprise since you wrote it in 1978 but it still sounds fresh. I too have written some songs way back that my peers/bandmates thought were not good enough or just too corny. I digress...back to your song. You've done some excellent vocal work on this song. The backing vocals are mixed just right in order to support the lead vocal but not over whelm it. The bridge section makes the perfect detour and then works it's way back with ease...well done on all accounts!

Farrell

Sometimes we could all use a bit of time travel to strip away experience and just leave the pure, innocent core. This is a great straight-ahead pop song with a direct and effective lyric. Reminds a bit of the band Smokie. Retro-sounding but fantastic. Another winner. That chorus is as hooky as hell.

Love it Andy, written by a very talented kid. It's amazing how sensitive to criticism from others we can be at a very young age. But anyway you honestly wrote a corker here, I am on a second listen. You have a really powerful vocal. I can imagine you belting out "Since You've Been Gone" by Rainbow but this might not be your type of thing!

Mike

Cheers folks :)

Alas, Hilary, she never heard it. Our Mums got us together on a holiday in Durham. But her party moved on to Edinburgh after a day or two, and then she went back to the US. I wrote this a couple of weeks later, doubting that she was going to write to me. But she did! And she'd been as affected I was... (Her Mum told my Mum that she'd spent all the time in Edinburgh crying).

We wrote for a while, but Bristol UK to Richmond (I think) Virginia was an awful long way and we never saw each other again.

Quote from: Mike_S on July 29, 2020, 03:30:28 PMI can imagine you belting out "Since You've Been Gone" by Rainbow but this might not be your type of thing!

Haha! Graham Bonnet ;D Do you know he fronted a band called The Marbles? They had a hit with "Only One Woman" in 1970. Written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. The Marbles were proteges of the Bee Gees. When I wrote this I was a HUGE Bee Gees fan. I only knew the 60s and early 70s stuff at the time (in fact, two songs "Let There Be Love" and "And The Sun Will Shine" were the soundtrack to my heartbreak). I probably knew about the Marbles hit by then, and WISHED that the Bee Gees had recorded it. I think it was while on the second part of our holiday (in Dartmouth, where I wrote most of this) that I got a cassette of Children of the World, and Robin's "Love Me" joined the cycle of songs I was listening to. Then her letter arrived, and I cheered up a bit.

Anyway, back to school, I was with rockers more than punk rockers... and indeed, Rainbow was one of the things going on... Funnily enough, I was listening to Down To Earth the other day.

This cool stuff ,maybe sixies vibe but nothing  wrong with  that, still a cool  song.
Songwriting and recording  can't  fault it, those people  where,nt listening  right, cool song loved it!!