My Fair-Weather Friends… Birds of a Feather
Hi everyone... I have a new one. It's a rough recording, but it is what it is. I had problems with my equip. Tell me what you think...
“My Fair-Weather Friends… Birds of a Feather”
Words & Music by Tom Tognaci
https://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=15028241
My fair-weather friends, birds of a feather... Proving me a fool, together
Was there something in the wind? Was it me or just the wine?
I took it squarely on the chin this time
Were those tears cried for my sake? I was right to have my doubt
When you couldn’t wait to take it south
My fair-weather friends, birds of a feather ... Playing me a fool, together
So, goodbye, my so-called friends
You’ve made the bed you’re in
And that feathered bed you made
You once again will trade
… and trade, and trade, and trade.
No, it didn’t take long for our world to rearrange
For your pretty little song to change
Were those tears just made-up things, an excuse used to move on?
Was he waiting in the wings all along?
My fair-weather friends, birds of a feather ... Up, up, and away, together
Comments
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That's a moody piece. Strong vocal melody. I can imagine people playing this when they're feeling down.
Nice guitar playing, You might be able to work on the guitar solo for some added punch, and maybe lengthen a little?
Lyrically, I like the combo of fair weather friends, and birds of a feather. And "waiting in the wings" plays well into that as well.
"I took it squarely on the chin this time" is a strong line.
"You’ve made the bed you’re in" feels like it's got a double meaning here too.
You might be able to come up with a more definite ending, it felt like it just kind of stopped.
I'm glad you mentioned you were having trouble with your equipment as your recordings are normally really clean and tight.
Good song.
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@IronKnee Really enjoyed listening to your song. Very pretty guitar. Very relatable title for all-time. Nice tag: "Up, up, and away, together.." I also like your other "Fair Weather Friends" song which started playing following the first! Nice!
Renee 💌
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Hook is a bit of a cliche . But sounds real good Tom
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The melody and vocals were good. I enjoyed both.
Unfortunately, I couldn't follow the lyrics, some parts I understood and then other lines threw me for a loop.
I would work on adding another verse as well because it ended abruptly.
Overall, I enjoyed the music.
Good job!
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Good song-writing and stellar performance, Tom.
[SoundClick and YouTube work with my limited internet connection. Nothing but trouble with SoundCloud...]
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Hi rainy, and thanks for stopping by. Yeah, my recorder was acting like it was going to crash. All seemed OK within my headphones... only some minor pops and such... but the worse was the "booming" caused by the reverb when played thru my desk speakers.
I'm just glad I got this one out.
Thanks, Hummer.... nice to hear from you!
Well... it's a "Fair-Weather Friends" song.
No where is there a song that unites two well-known cliches at the same time!! So, you see... it's an original 😁
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Thanks for stopping by! Not sure as to which lines threw you for a loop. It's not overly metaphoric or poetic.
There's a lot a blues / Jazz performer could do with this. I don't believe it need another verse. As is, it runs over 3 min.
Thanks, DR... I wouldn't call my performance "stellar".... well, maybe for me, it was "stellar". That bridge was a bit of a peak to climb with such short notice 😋
Thanks, again!
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Your not pitching the song , So do what you want
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I don't pitch songs.... no one is willing to listen, anyways. Big shots only listen to "solicited' songs that have gone through the gauntlet which land into someone's lap who is "very important" only to end up being pitched to someone who is desperate for a hit song.
It's a loser's game. Who pitches songs?? Why pitch songs?? Just have A.I give you 100 variations of a song and record that one very special, heartfelt masterpiece!
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I agree , pitching songs is dead , has been since the internet was invented
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😐️
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I appreciate you critiquing the lyric, and it would be most helpful if you could elaborate on those lines you couldn't understand.
Thanks
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Hi @IronKnee - I rewrote the parts that I didn't understand. You can let me know if I'm still in left field. :-). We have different writing styles so forgive me. Also, I want to reiterate that the vocals and melody I really enjoyed.
Fair Weathered Friends-Birds of a feather
Is this what you call friends of mine?
Was it me or the wine?
I took it squarely on the chin this time
But next time, there won’t be one.
Lesson learned not to make the same mistake
Were those fake tears for my sake?
I was right to have my doubt
My Fair weathered friends
took the deceitful route
My fair-weathered friends, birds of a feather
Playing me like a fiddle, a fool, together.
Goodbye, my so-called friends
You’ve made the bed you’re in
And that feathered bed you made
Will become a recycle bin
And will happen again and again.
No, it didn’t take long for our world to rearrange
For your pretty little song to change
Were those real tears or make believe
An excuse to leave
And move on
Was he waiting in the wings all along?
My fair-weathered friends, birds of a feather
Playing me like a fiddle, a fool, together.
My fair-weather friends, birds of a feather
Up, up, up and away tethered together.
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Well... thanks Tammy. Seems like scrambled eggs. You are right, "different writing styles" It's all good... thanks for the explanation.
God bless,
-T
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@IronKnee I'll be the first to admit I started writing a song yesterday, "Fair-Weather Friends". I believe the inspiration might've stemmed from appreciating your song so much. Don't know if I'll finish it but thank you for the inspiration; it's catchy!
Renee 💌
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Fun stuff, Hummer. There are many... MANY... "Fair-Weather Friends" songs. My goal is to incorporate the phrase "Fair-Weather Friend(s)", with a new edge and attempt to write them as good or better than the ones that are already out there.
Have fun... I just finished my third. I'll be looking forward to hearing yours!
There is a lot of potential in that phrase, and many avenues to explore. Good luck in finding your angle 😉
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Have you ever heard the expression?
"Fair-weather friends" is a well-worn phrase, and many have written songs actually using the phrase in the title / lyrics.
I thought I would make a few of my own... just to see if I could. 😎
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Johnny cash and Don Williams both have a song with that hook
its best not to write a song thats been done already , at least what the pros tell you not to do
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'Cmon Elvis... I absolutely couldn't care less what the "pros" think. They SUCK... and you can tell them that i said that.
LOL. When did the pro's ever do anything for me??
The answer is NOTHING.
Who cares?.... No one cares.
AHHH... which brings me to my next song... "No One Cared"
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Well I'm retired from music , its a just a titbit of info to share , You don't have to take their advice
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Hi Elvis... what in the world do you think they know? I've listened very intently to the way the "stars" have put music together.
It's not mind blowing.
But what is mind blowing is some of the actual talent... not the mechanics of their songwriting.
"Rules" are meant to be broken. And besides, there are MANY "Fair-Weather Friend" songs. I guess all of them didn't get that memo.
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Do what you want I'm out of the business
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pros know a lot , Thats why they make money when selling a song to a publisher . The rule usually applies with not competing with other songs with the same hook. Though it's done usually making the song better than the one done before , or waiting a long time before the song is released again . Case in point " All Of Me " Willie Nelson and the same hook done by John Legend 20 years later
Pro song writers know a lot more than non pros, by the salaries they make yearly. To my understanding almost all radio cuts are written by staff writers like Sony , usually by 2 or more writers . There's a lot of money involved putting out a song to radio . being heard as a small artist is almost impossible , If you include all the AI songs , the odds are even lower unless supported by a label .
Rules are usually broken when it comes to say structures . But business rules by the music industry if your smart should be followed
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You're not in the music industry per se, So whatever you release does not apply to you . To my knowledge you only post on forums looking for some praise and some feel goods on well done
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I like it, Tom. But then I like all your songs. This one is very atmospheric, even if the melody is maybe not quite as strong as in some of your songs (to me, anyway).
I'm a bit lost with the lyric. It talks of fair-weather friends, but parts of it seem to be directed at an unfaithful lover. This made it a bit hard to really feel the impact of the lyric.
I really like the way you play with the metaphor in several places, especially the ending:
"My fair-weather friends, birds of a feather
Up, up, and away, together."
The guitar solo sounds good. Maybe you could elaborate on it a little.
Good one, as usual 🙂
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Hi Gavin, and thanks for listening and commenting!
I thought the melody is really, quite good, actually... but I must admit, I am a little close to it.
The "Fair-Weather Friends" is a sentiment where the aspect applies to friends who are loyal only during good times but abandon or betray when circumstances change or when things get difficult. My lyric reflects on these friends who deceive and exploit him, ultimately revealing their fickle nature and insincerity. The "Birds of a Feather" reflects the singular nature of their cheating and deceitful ways.
Staging a fight and "taking it south", gives the excuse to fly off to better, more fun pastures, so to speak... hence, "Fair-Weather Friends".
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"pros know a lot"
Yeah... so does the hobbyist who's been listening and writing music for 50 years.
LOL
Don't you get it Elvis? I don't care about the "pros". They make money because they have an entire network behind them.
Some of their songs are really good...most suck!
That's my opinion, and I don't want to hear, anymore, how the "pros" do it. Why don't you follow up with one of those "Pro" golden rules of yours and "show" me how they do it, Elvis... I'm tired of you "telling" me how they do it.
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I'm just giving some advice , its obvious your not going to listen to me , No I'm retired from the music industry as of last month
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