[tboswell]

Hi all,

Been working on this one for a while. It's the story of a relationship where the girl is drifting away and moving on with her life slowly, while the guy tries to hang onto what was there in the past.

It's the first piano heavy arrangement I've tried for a while and is full of lush strings. In fact the whole arrangement has a chamber-pop feel about it, with it'll all written around small motifs that grow through the song. The part of me that loves classical music loves that stuff. Hope you guys do.

The whole effect is hopefully emotional in a slightly overwrought, teenager sort of way. Please let me know if I hit the mark there.

https://soundcloud.com/t-j-boswell/where-did-the-time-go-emily

Tom.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Where Did The Time Go, Emily?
(T J Boswell)

One short summer
Every last moment by your side
Thinking these are feelings that can't be denied

I always knew you
Were set for college in the fall
But it really didn't stick in my mind
No, not at all
Now your bags are packed in the hall

Where did the time go Emily
It's slipping by, so readily
And it's much too soon to say goodbye
We're making hay while the sun shines
Here in the moment, I know you are mine
But I keep losing track of time

When you're lonely
It seems the hours drag slowly by
An email or call doesn't quite satisfy

So many months waiting
Now I'm finally at the airport
They call flight 65
Searching for the girl with spark in her eyes
But there's a woman I don't recognise

Where did the time go Emily
It's slipping by, so readily
And it's much too soon to say goodbye
We're making hay while the sun shines
Here in the moment, I know you are mine
But I keep losing track of time

Days rush by
And in the blink of an eye
are gone astray
I can hear you say
"Don't let life slip away
Making time stand still"

Where did the time go Emily
Slipping away, so readily
And it's much too soon to say goodbye
But you've grown some wings
And you must fly away

Where did the time go Emily
It's slipping by, so readily
And it's much too soon to say goodbye
We're making hay while the sun shines
Here in the moment, I know you are mine
But I keep losing track of time

(c) T J Boswell 2016

[CaliaMoko]

I'm sure the mixers and producers in the group will have valuable suggestions for you, but I am neither of those, so all I have to say is...I love the strings and the piano. I like the way the music builds. The bridge section is excellent. I love the harmonies; they are so perfect. I think the words present the story well. I can feel the singer's longing for things to stay the same as they were.

Beautiful! In my opinion.

Vicki

[tina m]

tom i am absolutely knocked out by this!..... its a pop masterpiece
the arrangement is so brilliant  you have lavished so much love & attention on this....
its instantly catchy & has the depth to be a long term favourite aswell
love the piano & the 12 string & the strings are so awesomely well done
omg what a great bridge with 'the days rush by' bit & then that totally fabulous bit on 'youve grown some wings' going into the last chorus
you have a great voice! i realy like it its quite distinct ..still trying to work out your accent are you a geordie ?
it is the best song ive heard for such a long time  ...well done tom !!
why didnt we enter a song of this greatness in eurovision?
i want to buy it ...is that possible?

[MartynRich]

This is effing superb. I have a soft spot for a bit of pop and this really hits the mark! Great harmonies, arrangement, vocal performance, lyrics, inventiveness and CARE taken over the whole thing. Little touches like the slight slow down at the end show you have put so much into this. Like Tina, I loved the bridge and the twist in the verse that followed.

I can hear this in a film - it tells a great story. Gotta be another contender for SOTM with Suzy. Fab fab fab.

[pompeyjazz]

Well Tom, In my opinion this is absolutely sensational. There are so many things about this song. Stripping it down to the bare bones, it has a great melody, some clever time changes and a great story. Next, the instrumentation is superbly arranged and the song has loads of lovely light and shade. Your vocals are rich and have loads of soul. Finally the production is absolutely top notch. You are the toppermost of the poppermost Tom. Stunning stuff 

Cheers John

[hardtwistmusic]

Hi all,

Been working on this one for a while. It's the story of a relationship where the girl is drifting away and moving on with her life slowly, while the guy tries to hang onto what was there in the past.

It's the first piano heavy arrangement I've tried for a while and is full of lush strings. In fact the whole arrangement has a chamber-pop feel about it, with it'll all written around small motifs that grow through the song. The part of me that loves classical music loves that stuff. Hope you guys do.

The whole effect is hopefully emotional in a slightly overwrought, teenager sort of way. Please let me know if I hit the mark there.

https://soundcloud.com/t-j-boswell/where-did-the-time-go-emily

Tom.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Where Did The Time Go, Emily?
(T J Boswell)

One short summer
Every last moment by your side
Thinking these are feelings that can't be denied

I always knew you
Were set for college in the fall
But it really didn't stick in my mind
No, not at all
Now your bags are packed in the hall

Where did the time go Emily
Slipping away, so readily
And it's much too soon to say goodbye
We're making hay while the sun shines
Here in the moment, I know you are mine
But I keep losing track of time

When you're lonely
It seems the hours drag slowly by
An email or call doesn't quite satisfy

So many months waiting
Now I'm finally at the airport
Their call flight 65
Searching for the girl with spark in her eyes
But there's a woman I don't recognise

Where did the time go Emily
Slipping away, so readily
And it's much too soon to say goodbye
We're making hay while the sun shines
Here in the moment, I know you are mine
But I keep losing track of time

Days rush by
And in the blink of an eye
are gone astray
I can hear you say
"Don't let life slip away
Making time stand still"

Where did the time go Emily
Slipping away, so readily
And it's much too soon to say goodbye
But you've grown some wings
And you must fly away

Where did the time go Emily
Slipping away, so readily
And it's much too soon to say goodbye
We're making hay while the sun shines
Here in the moment, I know you are mine
But I keep losing track of time

(c) T J Boswell 2016

I haven't even listened to the music yet.  I'll wait for the effect of the lyric to wash away before doing that.  This song is essentially the same story as told by Eric Clapton and Cream in the song "White Room."  And, to my ears, yours is just as effective and layered.  That's a pretty good comparison - one that I hope you appreciate.  

I'll listen on another day.  Gonna read the lyric one more time now.  

[KaelJay]

It. Is. The. Best. Song. In. The. Forum. Period.

It reminds me of Madonna's True Blue Album. Thinking 'bout it, it would be perfect for her! What a dreamy thought that would be!

Very beautiful and great! Would love to hear more great music from you!

Mikael

[delb0y]

Superb job, Tom. You always nail it - and this one is no exception. I'm so impressed with the consistent stream of great songs you come up with here. Just brilliant.

The little themes all work well together and all develop nicely as the song and the story grows. Reminds me of some of the great pop music of my youth. Just superb!

[Binladeda]

 Hi,

 This is real class.  I agree with everything that's already been
 said.  Calling this 'Pop' doesn't seem to do it justice, in my mind
 this is way above mainstream pop.  Quality work Mr Boswell
 I'm in awe of your talent.....and what a voice

[Paulski]

To drawer
nothing more.. to say.
Well, actually I do - loved the vocals, the progressions, the bridge, arrangement etc etc.
Loved it all - should be on the radio

Paul

[ShinyThang]

Top notch song writing and performance. Very clever string arrangement. How do you do that? Seriously, how do you make strings sound so good? What are you using? Anyway it's a very accomplished work overall. All I'd say is that possibly the strings are a little too prominent in places but that's just nit-picking. You've managed light and shade beautifully and the vocal is crystal clear. The lyric is focused and I always think that is important.

[Skub]

T.J.Boswell you have surpassed yourself with this one.

If this is the new level of the bar for songs,I'm gonna be a fair bit backwards in coming forward with new stuff of my own. A truly lovely song with a well thought out and supremely effective arrangement.

My only thought is on the final master of the song,it seems to lack a little fullness and bottom end,but that could be my tired old ears,or just plain old preference. No one else has mentioned it,so..what do I know.

Regardless,this is a new era for you,a classy song Tom,many thanks for sharing your talent. 

[adamfarr]

What a treat musically. From the melody and progression (love the little pre-chorus lines that pick up the pace), to the orchestration, but I particularly appreciate the light and shade and changes in rhythm and tension. The sheer amount of work to layer the sounds and score all the instruments is really something (if you think how many professionals would have been needed to do this live or in the studio). I know you are a string player but still.

Lyrically, I'm never sure about "name" songs - they can be very non-universal so if you or someone you know has the name its very direct and for others it's potentially unrelateable. I think this works because of the little detailed scenes (the packed bags and the airport scenes are perfect) which coupled with the dramatic backing creates a little movie for us to see in our minds.

I feel terrible for even going there but I have to say I kind of wished you hadn't gone for the "Emily-readily" rhyme. I imagine you tried lots of things, but it stuck out for me on the first listen and to me it sounds unnecessary. Not that I have any brilliant alternative, so what do I know, and it's in no way worse than plenty of songs out there.

Anyhow, small beans compared to the overall achievement here, brilliant stuff.

[tboswell]

Thanks everyone for your very generous comments! 

you have a great voice! i realy like it its quite distinct ..still trying to work out your accent are you a geordie ?
...
i want to buy it ...is that possible?

I am from Yorkshire originally but I support the Boro. Wouldn't be seen dead in Newcastle! 

I should totally get it up on Bandcamp or something I suppose but right now it is just on Soundcloud

It. Is. The. Best. Song. In. The. Forum. Period.

It reminds me of Madonna's True Blue Album. Thinking 'bout it, it would be perfect for her! What a dreamy thought that would be!

Wow! Mikael, glad you like it. You know I had that Madonna LP in my youth, think I swapped something to get it off my older brother...

Very clever string arrangement. How do you do that? Seriously, how do you make strings sound so good? What are you using?

I use a string package called LA Scoring Strings Lite. It is pretty good. Along with that I play Viola in an orchestra so know what to do with them a bit. My main advice would be:
- Follow the pattern of the bassline with the string lines often
- Keep the parts moving along, with plenty of moving notes BUT never over the top of the melody. Make them work between the melody.
- Make the lines go somewhere, up and down the octaves. The should be tunes in themselves.
- Use the expression controls a lot, lots of swelling and control the velocity.

I LOVE working with the strings, lots more string arrangements on the way 

I feel terrible for even going there but I have to say I kind of wished you hadn't gone for the "Emily-readily" rhyme. I imagine you tried lots of things, but it stuck out for me on the first listen and to me it sounds unnecessary. Not that I have any brilliant alternative, so what do I know, and it's in no way worse than plenty of songs out there.

I know what you mean, Emily-Readily. Emily-Steadily? Nothing seems too strong but I wanted a rhyme for sure and it seemed to fit the theme of "movement of time".
I have wanted to use a name in a song for a long time, and I do know an Emily. This totally isn't about them but still you get nervous in case they think that.

[Movin Flavour]

All the other contributors have summed this up very well, an amazing composition.

The violins and pianos are the highlight for me, they facilitate the transistion from section to section so easily.

Great lyrics complemented by your voice....could imagine this in a West End Musical.

Well done

Sandeep