SONG BITS: ALBUM # 8 - BLUE, FADED LIKE BLUEJEANS
Blue, Faded Like Bluejeans
writer: J. Dandrea, music & lyrics
This song was a joy to write and to record. I had just met someone really special, at a time when I had given up on trying to understand women. I felt there was no way I was going to find that special relationship. Yet as suddenly as a bolt of lightning, it all happened so easily that I had no idea how all the pieces were to just fall into place.
For the title to the song, I focused on the type of faded blue color that went with bluejeans - relaxed, comfortable, durable. This song is a very favorite of mine, in spite of the loss of the relationship. I'm also quite pleased at the many wonderful comments about the song that I've received from others who have heard it.
Didn't Apply To You
writer: J. Dandrea, music & lyrics
This is one of those songs that just come out of a bad experience. But it's also a means of sharing with others, as we can all relate to having failed at some point in time. I was just thankful that very soon after, better times came along and took me far away from such gloomy times.
Musically, this particular song was the first in which I used some of the more advanced levels of processing of the mix. Not everyone understands the ending, but I wrote it like a music video - I showed the irony of contrast between someone who walks into the bar with a very heavy heart, while inside there is laughter and the usual loud bar noise.
FORWARD TGHROUGH THE STORM
WRITER: J. DANDREA, MUSIC & LYRICS
This song came about as a result of a long and painful marital breakup, resulting in many losses on many levels. Yet in spite of the storm, the fury eventually subsided and the clear calm of a new dawn emerged. Life indeed, does go on - if we allow it to.
Musically the song uses one of my favorite instruments, the session acoustic fingerstyle guitar. Add that background to the lovely vocal work by Abigail and what started out as a painful ballad song is just another smooth, warm reminder to never give up on one's dreams. Somewhere out there, that true happiness is waiting to be discovered.
Just A Bit Of Love
writer: J. Dandrea, music & lyrics
In "Just A Bit Of Love", I wrote a really happy, joyous song about how being in love makes me feel. The chorus part came to me first - "It's you and me, I must agree...I'm blessed to be in the middle of - just a bit of love".
I feel this is one of the best songs on this 8th album, and certainly one of my favorites. Although I enjoy singing it,
I am so happy that my guest artist Jessica, lent her vocal talents to this very special song. Her voice is just so beautiful, and I enjoy listening to this song often.
Walking Down That Road Once Again
writer: J. Dandrea, music & lyrics
Walking Down that Road - This is a song that was a first-time attempt of using a special software guitar-picking application. As such, it's maybe a little bit rough yet and I may see if I can refine the melody a tad bit -
But all in all I was pretty happy with this one, as it gave me a chance to put together a song that was more upbeat than most of the others, and it was great fun to record. I think it's a good fit here on this album, and I like the lyrics on it as well.
Note: music track pulled temporarily for remix work.
To Be Near You Again
WRITER: J. DANDREA, MUSIC & LYRICS
To Be Near You Again - This is an incredibly meaningful song to me, as it was a special melody about the hundred-acre wood that I love so much, as well as the wonderful characters that reside there.
I used to think that living there in my mind was like "burying one's head in the sand" and not being very aware of world events, disasters and stresses - but at some point I realized that this is actually the right idea.
So in my mind, I now live with my special someone there in that special, peaceful place and as I think about reaching old age together, I will always want to be "near her again".
One More Road
WRITER: J. DANDREA, MUSIC & LYRICS
"One More Road" is a song that's a special tribute to all those who drive those big rigs and keep our country moving. I was focusing on how lonely that long road must get, and how stressful it must be to encounter really bad weather and realize just how dangerous that job is.
There is also that driving force to always get home safely to your family and loved ones, and it was this huge appreciation for these special men and women of the big rigs, that inspired me to write this song.
If She Knew Her Mind
WRITER: J. DANDREA, INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
This song is so precious to me that I listen to it often. It's a very special piano ballad that speaks to the communication between partners, that sometimes slips off the rails. Although painful, the intense joy of bridging the gap and getting through to each other, somehow makes all the sorrow worth enduring.
In my own way, this song is also my special tribute to a woman I once loved and thought I knew so well. Although we both joked about how a woman can "change her mind on a dime", I so admired her strength, her beauty, and her fierce determination to make things work, in spite of sometimes what seemed like insurmountable odds.
Return to the < "Song Bits" Main Menu >
Return to < top of this page >