Just To Make It What You Want (LITLR) - AndyR Original

[AndyR]

Just To Make It What You Want - A A J Russe
Written 1st October 2016
Recorded 4th March 2022
The Shoebox Demos Vol 1

==========================

I was going to choose a more uptempo one next, then this one jumped out of the shoebox at us, shouting "me me ME!"

From a musical perspective I was missing in action 2016-2020 or so. I couldn't face going in the broom-cupboard to record anything.

But I was doing musical things - buying guitars, playing guitars, sitting on the sofa...

...and writing songs.

This is one of the songs that I wrote during that period.

I've possibly played it a bit slow here because I was thinking about what it was about. It works ok for me like this. But it'll have more of a bounce if I ever do what was originally intended.

Just To Make It What You Want

Words & Music AndyR
--------------------------------
Well it's days like this
That make it worth every little kiss
And hands that held
Don't forget

On your way
All the things you had to say
Came wrapped
Around your heart

Did we hide from you
The things we could not do
Did we hide them all from you
Did we lie to you
Just to make it true
Just to make it how you
Just to make it what you want

Well it's late to find
That what I need is piece of mind
The clock you knew
Has failed

It's on my wall
But it won't tell the time at all
That clock
Like you
Has died

Did we hide from you
The things we could not do
Did we hide them all from you
Did we lie to you
Just to make it true
Just to make it how you
Just to make it what you
Just to make it how you
Just to make it what you want

Copyright (C) 2016 A A J Russe. All Rights Reserved.

Time:

0:00

Volume:

50

0

 Stop   Play   Pause   Vol   Vol   Mute   Repeat   Download

[Ted]

This is beautiful, and sad. I can't really tell what the song is about, but it seems like a song from a parent to a child – the child having discovered some unsettling truths and half truths. Am I close?

Overlooked Gems Bump

[StephenM]

After Ted bumped this (I didn't know that is what happened) I went to the latest juke box and the song wasn't there so I had to kind of figure out...oh... this was during one of Andy's busy periods of posting on SC and this got overlooked.  I don't always but I try and listen to every song post that comes up... missed this one...

I learn and have learned alot from Andy's posts... both in how to use technology, eq, panning, mic placements etc but also in how to play live...

this is another lovely song... and perfect as is.. but yes, it can be made into another perfect song

[Rene Asologuitar]

HI Andy,
Lovely.
I can feel the emotions from your vocals.
The love is clearly in the air, and these question are clearly universal.
Well done.
Rene

[Groundy]

Beautiful, Andy, Just beautiful.

[SE]

What a beautiful,song recording and production just top draw, just enjoyed it so much!

[Zoltan]

I needed my daily AndyR fix. The legendary shoebox demos. The kind of songs and performances that make other songwriters to foam at the mouth. Perhaps Kristofferson had a stash of this quality, but he most likely didn't have the range.

The songwriting is up to high standards, but the way you're able to also sell the songs makes these "demos" even more special.

Bravo!

[AndyR]

Aww, cheers folks

I'm in hyper-lurk mode at the moment. I got wore out writing/recording all those songs in February... then I used the same set-up to record some of these Shoebox ones, planning to do loads of them... but then I started to get a hankering to do some band stuff and... it never came off. Playing guitar a lot, but not writing much at the moment.

Comments like the above are inspiring/motivational, many thanks. And I've got a few days off soon while the missus is away... so I might get the Shoebox out again to try to get warmed up...

This is beautiful, and sad. I can't really tell what the song is about, but it seems like a song from a parent to a child – the child having discovered some unsettling truths and half truths. Am I close?

If I didn't know, I'd buy that as a story. But... ah...  it's not really that close to what I was actually writing, Ted

I'm a great believer in the concept that a song isn't finished until it's in the listener's head - the listener finishes it, it really doesn't matter what the songwriter thinks. So your story works well as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway - because we're all songcrafters and it's interesting knowing... this is what the songwriter was at on this one:

It's the only song I wrote (completed, there's unfinished ideas, but they're not songs in my mind) in 2016.

I needed to write a song "to" my muse who died in January that year.
This is the first effort that came anywhere near finished and was not overly "bleurgh" when I came back to it hours or days later.

I liked the vibe, and made a variety of demos, even on the old MBR... I think I reworked the chorus lyrics a few times, but it really didn't do her justice in my mind. It wasn't what I wanted to "say" about her. So I didn't bother doing anything with it.

I didn't write another song until September 2019. That was "Forever" (https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?topic=29493) and I knew that was the one that was needed. Still took a good few months to go in the room again and record it!

Anyway, this one, like that one, is pretty literal in its references and reminiscences. In fact, that's probably what all my songs are - describing stuff that I've seen, experienced, had done to me, done to others... mix it all up and try not to make it too easy to decode... let the listener hang their own experiences on it.

In this case, even the clock on the wall - it's still there in the Broom Cupboard, above the door, still dead (tried to fix it, it died again, looks pretty though ). She gave it to me as a Chrimbo present in 1984 or so, when we were an item.

[Redler]

I love the way you play your guitar, some nice nuances there...

After all, excellent songwriting and beautiful vocal melodies. Enjoyable listening!

[Ted]

I needed to write a song "to" my muse who died in January that year.

That's very sad. I hope the songwriting helped you process that.

Thanks the explanation. I will listen again with that in mind.