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I wrote ORDINARY MAN a while ago with fellow songwriters Ray Bertram and Donovan Plant. I recorded all the instruments in Germany and Donovan added all the vocals in his studio in San Francisco. In the video you see me lip-syncing Donovan's vocals. I tried to keep it as ordinary as possible. Enjoy it and feedback is always appreciated.

All the best
Robert

https://youtu.be/yPx_X6g2znc

Ordinary Man
(Ray Bertram / Robert Baitinger / Donovan Plant)

Verse 1:
He gets up every morning
Every ordinary day
He gets ready, goes to work
In an ordinary way
What he likes is normal
What he does, routine
He lives out
His ordinary dream

Chorus:
Oooh, ordinary man
Oooh, he does the best he can
Every ordinary day
Every ordinary night
Of his very very
Ordinary life
He's hard to hold back
He's hard to understand
Because he's
An ordinary man
Oooh, ordinary man

Verse 2:
The whole world just spins and spins
So completely unaware
Of this ordinary man
With his ordinary cares
But it don't bother him
He don't even know
That's the way that
Ordinary goes

Chorus

Bridge:
We chase after
We race after
The extraordinary
When there's treasure
Beyond measure
In the ordinary

Chorus

www.robertbaitinger.de

I remember this one from a while back, Robert. Very nice production and video.

The title grabbed me Christy Moore recorded a song with the same title. But that's not an issue of course.
Good song and enjoyed
Travis

Hi Rob,


Wow, what a nice song and a COOL performance
Something to be proud of.


Calvin


http://www.soundclick.com/bands/0/calvinstewart

Pleasant tune. Liked the video.

Martin

I thought of that Christy Moore song too, Travis. You're right that the songs have nothing in common besides the title. Just like the song I'm working on called "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." It's a death metal reggae polka, so I don't think anyone will confuse it with the other one.

Hey Gavin,
I wrote this one in 2009, therefore you may have heard it before. I had just bought myself an entertainer keyboard back then. I was playing around with the one finger automatic accompaniment when this one came to life. This was one of the first songs I recorded on my own.

I never heard of Christy Moore before. That song is very different. Good luck with Sergeant Pepper's Hearts Club Band...

All the best
Robert


www.robertbaitinger.de

Hey Travis,
thanks for giving it a listen and your feedback.

All the best
Robert

Thanks Calvin. Even after 9 years I still love this song to death.

All the best
Robert

Hi Martin,
thanks for taking the time to listen to the song/watching the video clip. Glad you liked it.

All the best
Robert

I enjoyed that. The chorus invites sing-along. Nice harmonies especially on the bridge. The stark black and white video works well with the theme of the lyric.

Hey Mike,
thanks for the feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed it. This tune remains one my all-time favorites.

All the best
Robert


www.robertbaitinger.de

Rob,

A well-conceived and inviting tune, with compelling lyrics and harmonies (on that bridge, particularly) to pull the listener in. The simplicity of the arrangement—the execution of the tune, the relatable vocals—matches the theme perfectly. Strong production. And I think the video is killer.

In short, an impressive and cool listen. Liked and admired it a lot.

Regards,

Deej

Hey Deej,
you nailed it. You described my intention perfectly. When I read these lyrics I just thought the song needed something simple and catchy … a sing-along song. The video wasn’t that easy since I didn’t sing the song myself. I had to lip-sync Donovan’s vocals.

I’m glad you liked the song. Thanks for taking the time to watch the video and share your thoughts.

All the best
Robert


www.robertbaitinger.de

WOW loved this. Very cool. This was not the ordinary way to do a video. Lol. Loved the end of the video where the music speed up and your credits show.. just like in the movie theater. Awesome job.

Well put together, Rob, the song and the video. I enjoyed my listen/watch. I too wrote an "ordinary" song. Mine was Ordinary Woman though so I don't think they'll be confused.

Ricki

Hi Ricki and Sharthejoysheila,
thanks for taking the time to listen and comment. I'm glad you guys liked the song and the video. At the very end of the video I used a punk version of the exact same song. That version was recorded and produced by Donovan. It's kind of like a cover version of the slower original.

All the best
Robert

I liked the playing and singing. To me, when your 1V lyric is written the way it is, (to express the "ordinary") then the melody shouldn't reflect that. It should be up; I don't mean "happy" I mean very interesting. Liked the first two lines of the chorus, but unfortunately, I got tired of the number of "ordinary" examples in the tune.
Best!
-Mike

P.S. I didn't watch the video-just listened....

Hi Rob.
Reminded me a bit of the Kinks, "Dedicated follower of fashion" in the general idea of the song. I liked the simple musical arrangement but also wondered what it would sound like with a more upbeat sound, much as suggested by Mike's comment.
Nice one.
Vic

Hi Vic, hello Mike
Thanks for your comments. I'm glad you like it. You brought up some good points. Ok, you want to know what the song might sound like when it is more up – as in upbeat. Is this what you guys were thinking of?

https://youtu.be/x9JOV0TlPqQ

All the best
Robert

That's the flip side.
😀

Nice relaxed vibe to this. Sound quality is top notch. And a great message too. Enjoyed that a lot

Rob,

Well, your alternative upbeat version is pretty killer. But to my personal tastes, it doesn't accentuate the song as well as the softer version—there's the risk that a listener skips over those great lyrics. I far prefer your original take—but that may just be me; it has far more feeling and comes off more original and less generic. Personal preference aside (and either way), it’s a great tune.

Admirably yours,

Deej.

Hi RainyDayMan,
thanks for the feedback. I’m glad you liked the song.

Take care
Robert

Hi Deej,
thanks for giving the tune another listen. Both versions that I posted here are a question of taste. There are times when I’m very focused on a song. That’s when I prefer the softer version because of the strong lyrics. Then there are times when I listen to a song just to feel good or to sing along with it. In that mood I would probably go with the upbeat version.

The melody is very versatile. I have a German version of this song that I produced with a Reggae beat which is kind of in between these two. You can’t sit still when you hear that one.

All the best
Robert