MacJams.com - Song: Stranger (version 1) by jiguma

Stranger (version 1)
by jiguma

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Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial

Guest profile visits: 1428
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Song comments: 15
Tokens: 0
Plays: 232
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Downloads: 72
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Submitted on: Jun 19, 2005 - 08:09:41 AM
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Description Written and recorded over the past 12 hours (I did cheat a bit with some lyrics from my youth though), Stranger started out as an excuse to try out my new Seagull guitar - at first I was aiming for a Blue Nile feel, but Neil Young snuck in from somewhere and so you have it - a Neil Nile number!

Lyrics Stranger Copyright 2005 jiguma

A friend of mine had wandered
And he wrote a song
All about his travels
And his travels were long
One way or another
Had to make his stand
Now he is a stranger
In a strange land

I’ve seen a lot of things
I’ve heard the pipes of Pan
Felt alpine snow
On a warm hand
Getting down to basics
Knowing where I stand
I have been a stranger
In a strange land

Chorus:
I’ve been flying to the stars
I’ve been howling at the moon
Sleeping rough and dodging cars
This can only end too soon

I’ve seen colours in the sky
Like you would never guess
The northern lights exploded
Oh blood red Marakesh
All the time she’s with me
Driving on the sand
Holding out through winter
Thank god for strange lands

Chorus:
I’ve been flying to the stars
I’ve been howling at the moon
Sleeping rough and dodging cars
This can only end too soon

A friend of mine had wandered
And he wrote a song
All about his travels
And his travels were long
One way or another
Had to make his stand
Now he is a stranger
In a strange land

Hardware Seagull S6 CW Quantum II Cedar top guitar (love it!)
Yamaha PSR 300 midi Keyboard
Shure DM1000D
iMac G4

Software: Garageband

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snowdragon said 1263 days ago

Diggin' your stuff
You're quickly becoming one of my favs, jg.

Like to put a philosophical suggestion to you.

I'm wondering if the line "stranger in a strange land"
might be better served by the inclusion of the word "very"
or something. ie "Now he is a stranger in a very strange
land."

For me, it improves the metre of the line in this
application but that's not why I suggest it. Heinlein's
classic line has become something of a cliche and while
that in itself is neither here nor there, I couldn't help draw
comparisons with Leon Russell's Stranger in a Strange
Land. Perhaps it's just Joanna's forum thread has me in a
strange land, philosophically.
enjoyed the tune a lot.

jiguma said 1262 days ago

Diggin' your stuff
Thanks Snow - always appreciate your comments. I know what you mean
about THAT line! I was a little nervous about it when I put it on, but it was
just one of those songs which came to me in a rush and I just had to get it
down. To be honest, I wasn't aware of the Leon Russell SIASL song - must
look it up - but agree that the line is a big cliche. Will try out your suggestion
though and see what that brings - I'm pretty much a weekend MacJammer, as
work keeps me very busy, so it may take awhile.

	jiguma said 1262 days ago
	Diggin' your stuff Enjoyed Joanna's forum - see what you mean!

	rovert10 said 1262 days ago
	Ditto... ... on Snowdragons comment... and extra 2 syllables on that line work give that part of the chorus a nice bounce. Definitely Neil Young flavoured, this will go straight into my 4 stars playlist.

	alley-oop said 1262 days ago
	Whoa! This is really, really nice! Very pretty. You do have a Neil/Comes at Time thing going. Vocals are excellent, guitars and instruments are excellent. Melody is sooo nice. Lyrics take the listener on a nice ride. I love this! Great job!

Jim Bouchard said 1262 days ago

Yes, "very"
I think that additional word would work very well. Excellent suggestion!
This is a really cool song. I like it a lot. It's a little flat, that, is I keep thinking some lead instrument would be good, and there's a funny sort of drum fill that strikes me a little oddly, so there's definitely ways to improve it. Pretty good for a 12 hour turnaround. It reminds me more of the group America than Neil Young.

	jiguma said 1261 days ago
	Aaargh! Struck by the dreaded 4-bomber!

	thetiler said 1260 days ago
	The guitar sounds very nice Plus the quality of your voice sounds right on. Like the guitar work on there. Love the duet of the guitar, very touching! Sounds like a very nice guitar! I hear a little Neil Young sound in your voice. The guitar really sets the tone of this song. When the duet of the guitar comes in at various times is a real treat!

	Retro Plien said 1258 days ago
	nice and simple! up front production on this - love the guitar duet bits - maybe that's enough of an instrumental break because you wouldn't want to clutter this one up i think this works so well because its so restrained - vocals are out there, but make the song - the drum fill does grate a bit tho love this!

	BoiAfrica said 1229 days ago
	intriguing your vocals remind of of Ben Gibbard, a la death cab for cutie or postal service, both bands I enjoy immensely. very intimate, wish i could sing like that. I agree with the above suggestions about additional syllables for the 'stranger...' line, i sang along in my head and it definitely adds a bouncy bouncy bounce...fun.

	jiguma said 1262 days ago
	Ditto... Thanks Rovert10 (can I call you Trev?), The song just fell out, and the Neil Young channelling was very wierd - I didn't know I had that voice, it was just on the track when I stopped singing! Thanks for the comment and support.

	alley-oop said 1262 days ago
	Whoa! I just had to stop by again and tell you how much I like everything about this song. I don't think anything needs to change. The vibe is so great!

	jiguma said 1258 days ago
	nice and simple! Thanks Retro Will see how the changes go over the weekend. May just leave it the way it is (but without those pesky drum fills).

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