The Grip of Love

[RonKujawa]

I started writing this song last winter as a GYAWS entry. Dean Taylor then took my rough lyric ideas and put this together. Your input would be greatly appreciated. Arrangement, production, delivery, instrumentation, etc. We are aiming for the TV/film market. Thanks in advance.

Ron

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https://soundcloud.com/ronkujawa/the-gr ... ve-ss-love

The Grip of Love

VERSE 1
Senses waking, shaking, need to breathe
Passion racing, chasing a dream
Chest beat pounding, sounding, it hammers the drum
Take me, save me, and make me succumb

CHORUS
The grip of love is pulling me near
It’s closing strong, it’s stronger than fear
It holds my heart, I can’t break from
The grip of love

VERSE 2
Cyclone churning, yearning, desire and need
Spinning, surging surrounding me

CHORUS A

BRIDGE
Scared of the changes, scared of forever
Scared that I won’t be good enough
It overpowers, overcomes
Pulls me through all that I’m scared of
The grip of love

CHORUS B
The grip of love is pulling me near
Its hold so strong, it’s stronger than fear
It’s got my heart, I can’t break from
The grip of love

[feaker66]

Wowser

I felt like I was Adam on the voice and I punched the red button down immediately and turned my chair around

I am not good at dissecting, but this to me is awesome. Your voice is so innocent and pure.

Not to take away anything from your production, but I think Philip Philips would grab this in a minute if he heard that chorus.

congrats man

sincerely

Paul

[divinorivera]

Hi Ron,
Nice one. I like the instrumentation and texture. There's a Christian Contemporary (not overtly) feel somewhere and one good thing is its universal theme. I was wanting to hear some harmony vocals too on the chorus to add some lift. I was also looking for something more climatic towards latter part of the song I guess- maybe a step up on the key. Just my thoughts.

-Divino

[RonKujawa]

@Paul - Thank you so much for the compliment! That means a lot. I really made an effort to try to capture the mood of the lyrics in the vocal delivery more than I have in the past. It was cool to focus on that. Approaching it more like an actor.

@Divino - I take the CC comment as a compliment. I have spent much time in that genre over the last decade, mostly from stage, but sometimes in writing and production. I thought about the vocal harmony too. I'll have to play around with it. Same with arrangement. I'd like each chorus to have a little more of its own thing happening.

Thanks for the listen and the comments!

Ron

[VanderBoegh]

Hey Ron, I think you're ALMOST there! Really cool song, and I think you've got something that could find multiple placements in the right TV shows. My only concern is the drum sounds and the drum mix. Everything else seems to be mixed well, but here's my thoughts on the drums:

1) I don't hear the sparkly stuff, aka cymbals. Occasionally I can hear a low-pitched crash cymbal, but that's about it. Maybe you didn't use a hi-hat, or it's just mixed too low because I can't seem to locate it. One good idea to add some sparkle into the track would be to add a tambourine track playing 8th notes (and then 16th's in the chorus). But I'd add some closed & open hi-hat as well.

2) That snare doesn't seem to suit the song. I think I'd find something a little more low pitched and robust, and then add a touch of reverb to set it back in the mix. Right now, I'm hearing it as too upfront, and since it's a sound I'm not satisfied with in the context of this song, it started to grate on me after a while. But I just made a comment about drums on another track here in peer-to-peer today, so maybe I just need more coffee, haha.

3) Lastly, there seems to be some over compression going on in the drums, giving it a pumping sound every now and then. This started with the very first sound of the whole song, which would definitely start you off on the wrong foot when you're pitching to libraries and supervisors. Don't want to ruin your chances with the first note!

Hope this helps guys. It's a great song with plenty of potential to make you some money.

~~Matt

[marcblack30]

Nice work on this one! Matt has offered some good tips. I agree that some bgv's would elevate this one for sure.

Really nice work though!

[RonKujawa]

Thanks for the additional comments/suggestions, Matt and Marc. I updated the SC link with a new version with a new drum set (Apple Logic). I also tweaked the overall mix. I still need to re-track some vocal lines, especially the bridge. Also, I added a cello part that doubles a high guitar part. Not sure if that's working for me, but I'm trying to glue that chorus together more. Backing vocals are forthcoming as well. Thanks for all the help everyone!

Ron

[songmaster]

Hey Ron and Dean

I love this song from the get go. I think the music is great and hooky and the lyrics are well thought out. The only thing that I was wishing , was that it was a little more personal in the chorus. Also, I feel a little taken aback by the title " The Grip Of Love " I know what you mean, but when I think of "grip" I think of holding on for dear life or some kind of strangulation. I really don't mean to sound harsh and all the other members didn't seem to mind , so I may be out in left field

Having said all that, here is my little version if I was writing this song, please take it with a whole bucket full of salt.

Your burning love is pulling me near
It's closing strong, stronger than my fear
You hold my heart, within your sun
Your burning love.

I just thought that maybe adding a real person might elevate the emotion. Of course you could use any adjective for love...Your constant love, your endless love, etc.

Anyway, it's just my 2 cents. I really like this song and I think it is great for film and tv. Best of luck with it.

Tom

[deantaylor]

Thanks all. Love the feedback. Love Ron's work on this song.

Tom, I hear you. Your approach is textbook, proven. I considered it, but felt the edgier, fresher, more abstract (grip) approach worked better for this song and fit Ron's original idea better. But you got me thinking, I may be on to something that meets in the middle. Thanks.