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My Helen (God Bless Her) wrote it and Mike Caro did the recording. I made the video.
It's actually Mike in the video, playing the instruments.
In this version Its sung by one of Mikes singers Mina.
I hope that you enjoy
God Bless to all
Roy and Helen
--------------------------------- Original Post
Helen dosnt do writing these days, so sometimes I like to take an old song of hers that is dated and have it redone.
It gives her a real boost.
So here is one that she wrote sbout 30 years ago.
The original music and melody was written by a friend of ours Debbie Fox Little. We sent that to Mike Caro and asked him to bring it up to date. It was terribly dated.
So Mike stripped it bare and completely redone it for us.
Mostly the same melody, although he changed it for the Instumental and Bridge. And a completely new arrangment.
We think he did an amazing job and so so happy with it.
Verse1 WHEN YOU'RE DOWN AND FEELIN' LOW, AND YOU KNOW IN YOUR HEART, THAT YOU GOT NO WHERE TO GO. LATE AT NIGHT, BEEN SLEEPING ROUGH, WELL, YOU KNOW LITTLE RUN-A-WAY, YOU'VE GOT IT TOUGH.
Chorus IS THERE ANY ONE WHO'LL UNDERSTAND, A KIND WORD, MAYBE A HELPING HAND. COS, ALL YOU NEED IS A BREAK, JUST ONE, JUST ONE, THAT'S ALL IT TAKES.
Verse2 WHEN YOU FEEL CLOSE TO DESPAIR, OH, IF YOU ONLY KNEW SOMEONE WHO WOULD REALLY CARE. I GUESS YOU FOUND, THERE'S NO WORK AROUND, WHEN YOUR PENNILESS, HOMELESS, YOUR BED IS THE GROUND.
Chorus IS THERE ANY ONE WHO'LL UNDERSTAND, A KIND WORD, MAYBE A HELPING HAND. COS, ALL YOU NEED IS A BREAK, JUST ONE, JUST ONE, THAT'S ALL IT TAKES.
I GUESS THAT'S ALL IT TAKES.
Instumental
Bridge WELL I KNOW, JUST HOW YOU FEEL, YOU WANNA WAKE UP, AND FIND THAT IT ISN'T REAL, YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES, THIS IS NO DREAM, COS THE WIND AND THE RAIN ON YOUR FACE, MAKE YOU WANNA SCREAM.
Chorus IS THERE ANY ONE WHO'LL UNDERSTAND, A KIND WORD, MAYBE A HELPING HAND. COS, ALL YOU NEED IS A BREAK, JUST ONE, JUST ONE, THAT'S ALL IT TAKES.
JUST ONE, JUST ONE, Just one, Just one
THAT'S ALL IT TAKES.
I GUESS THAT'S ALL IT TAKES.
YOU KNOW THAT'S ALL IT TAKES
I GUESS THAT'S ALL IT TAKES.
Last edited by Roy Cooper; 10/29/1906:39 PM.
'You Have To Kiss A Lot Of Frogs To Find A Prince'
Wow! This is the best demo I heard in your stable of pretty good demos (so that is saying a lot).
The soulfulness of the arrangement and the singer really brings out the emotion in this lyrics. This one sounds really, really good. I see Mike still has that classical guitar laying around.
This really is a monster song, arrangement and performance!
This sounds fantastic! Lyrically, it's as relevant today as it was 30 years ago so good for Helen on that. Once heard like this, it's hard to imagine it any other way, but it would be interesting to know how this differs from your original. Very cool!
This is really a great song, and Mike did great on the music and I love the vocals..but mostly I love Helens lyrics...Helen is a great writer and I love her songs....thanks roy for having this done...i'm sure Helen is smiling...
Roy, This is one that shimmers and shines from the opening chord to the last beat of the drum. The vocalist just owns it, squeezing every last drop of emotion out of Helen's lyrics.
This is one to be proud of. Mike hit this one out of the ballpark for you. "All you need is a break. Just one, just one, that's all it takes."
Write from your heart, not what you think others want to hear.
Thanks Douglas for stopping by for a listen. I keep telling Helen to write again and maybe she will now that she sees that others think her stuff is good.
We are so pleased that you liked the song and YES we are proud of it.
Thanks again friend -------------------------
Ricki. Likewise, we are pleased that you enjoyed Helen’s song and we always appreciate your comments. Especially those with words like fantastic in them.
Lots of her older songs have stood the test of time.
Actually the original is now under the bed in a packet that’s in a bag that’s in a suitcase and we wont be posting it lol.
Although the original was actually quite good in it’s day, this version that Mike has done, pales it into nothingness.
Thanks again friend
-------------------------
Glynda, thanks so much for having a listen and for your lovely comments.
We agree with all your comments and Helen hasn’t stopped smiling since she heard it.
I read all the comments out to her and she always feels like she is on cloud nine.
Thanks best friend.
--------------------------
Dan, we appreciate that you always find time to listen to our songs. We both love your description of the song, ‘that shimmers and shines’
Yep we are proud and Yes Mike did wonders. Far Far better than we envisaged.
Maybe we will get that break…Just one… Just one… lol
Thanks again friend. ------------------------
Polly, your comments are always so important to us and we both know that one word you reserve for really good songs is, ‘STELLAR’. So we are really appreciative of your comment 'STELLAR'.
Thanks friend.
-----------------------------
God Bless to everyone Roy and Helen
'You Have To Kiss A Lot Of Frogs To Find A Prince'
Okay let me get this straight.....Helen wrote a great lyric 30 years ago, Mike wrote a winning melody, painted a more than persuasive production, recruited Magnificient Mina to do the vocals and hence a masterpiece!!! No wonder Helen's "over the moon" and I'm gonna join her!!!
Wonderful joint effort!! Enjoyed this upbeat jazzy number. His name might be Sub but there's no Substitute!!!!!! I'm thinking Gloria Estefan!! That guitar work is over the moon also!!
Hats off to you and Helen on this one. Reminds me of Miami Sound Machine and Gloria Estefan.. Outstanding. Let's get this baby on the radio. Every possible thing with this song is perfect. Hats off to Mike for he recording and of course Helen for writing. Very very nice, Roger P.S> Sounds like Helen should write some more.
Roger Sosnowski The happiest people in life are those involved in music
Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it... Professor Albus Dumbledore
Colin, thanks friend for making you way here for a listen.
When Mike suggested the Latin/jazz feel to the song, we just said, go for it. And he went for it in a big way and its superb.
We also love that little harmonized guitar riff when the drums stop, in fact we love it all.
Thanks again for stopping by, your thoughts are valued.
-------------------------
Tracy. Thanks also for having a listen and Helen is overjoyed with your comments.
-------------------
Stan. We did love the original and Debbie did sing it really good, but dated is dated, and it had this horrible ummmpa sound that was throughout the song.
The original was done on an Atari I think. God that is old… lol
We are so pleased that you loved the song and big kudos to Mike for doing such a great job.
Thanks again friend.
----------
Lynn.
I have altered the post heading to explain a bit better. Helen wrote the lyrics 30 years ago and our friend Debbie wrote the music and recorded it then.
Mike redone it and changed the melody slightly in places and did a brand new arraignment. And as you say ‘he painted a more than persuasive production, recruited Magnificient Mina to do the vocals and hence a masterpiece!!! ‘
We are glad that you like us are over the moon with it. And yes the guitar work is incredible.
Thanks again for stopping by
---------------------
Roger. Glad you like it so much and thanks for your kind words. Gloria Estefan.. ummm
We would love to hear it on the radio. Helen would pass out I think. Lol
Thanks again friend
-----------------
Tammy. Thanks for your visit and we are pleased that you enjoyed the song so much. _________________________
Mackie.
Your visits are always appreciated and thanks for the really nice comments. ‘Top Shelf’ means something else over here..lol but the sentiments is well appreciated.
Thanks friend. _________________________
JD.
Glad you hade a listen and enjoyed the song. Mike deserves real praise and we are with you on this.
----------------
God bless and thanks to all who have visited and left some wonderful comments.
Both me and Helen are really appreciative
'You Have To Kiss A Lot Of Frogs To Find A Prince'
I'm very impressed, I absolutely love all of it, the chorus, is so catchy, Mina you done excellent on singing it. Mike, you just make me smile, fantastic, and Helen, Wow, what a write.
I love how Mina stops after the word BREAK, and then sings on with Just one, Just one, that's all it takes, CLEVER.
Roy I'm so pleased you brought this one out of the closet, I'm hoping we get to see & hear another one of Helen's writes hah.
Man, I've got a few of your tunes, but this one is sensational. Have you been hanging with Carlos ?
Roy, kudos to you and Helen. A well written song will always scrub up well, and with a great producer such as Sub, makes a very fine and VERY cool song.
Wow, love the vibe and connectedness of this. Uplifting lyrics and melody as well as a phenomenal arrangement make for a great listen. Mike deserves some high praise for the arrangement on this, as does Helen for a great starting point.
Sexy sexy tune man. It's got a freakin ace groove, you don't hear many tracks with the old bongos on the go these days. I know that you wanted to bring this up to date and I feel that Mike has done that but he's also managed to keep a really cool 70's vibe going in the feel. The instrumental break is just to good and the vocals are so amazing I'm know on my third listen. The mix is perfect!
TUNE!!!!!!!!
Work for hire Producer. I will also produce and master any old/new work tapes up to demo standards. :-) Just PM or email:
Roy and Helen, Great song! Love the latin/spanish vibe. Great producing and recording Mike. Agree with the Miami Sound Machine comparison. Very, very listenable and enjoyable! Ricky
It has enough there to capture the whole feel, but has the sparseness to allow a producer or arranger to get different grooves into their head.
I can hear the brass arrangement without hearing it. I can hear perhaps a xylophone as an alternative or cross lead break. I can hear a muted trumpet perhaps, as an Havana reference.
The musical cues are all there, with a subtle reference to the sounds that were used 30 yrs ago, and modernised at the same time.
This is an almost perfect example of how a demo should be done. It demonstrates without saying "this is set in concrete".
And it sounds damn good too without being a finished piece.
This has a cool groove to it. I like the lyric too…I get a feel of a friendly camaraderie going on….and the message is clear….making a connection…just one, with someone can make all the difference in the world…a timeless message, really. Very nice! Enjoyed it!
Kristi
A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be. -- Abraham Maslow, American Psychologist
Roy and Helen, I really enjoyed this song.Had me swaying to the music,and I havent been doing alot of swaying lately.As a few others have mentioned,it has a Gloria Estafan sound to it...love the latin groove.Mike did a great job with this and his vocalist is awesome!!Congratulations.Helen deserves to be very proud of this as does every person involved. Michelle Chapman
*****You know I'm a dreamer,but my heart's of gold*****Motley Crue
Wow! This is the best demo I heard in your stable of pretty good demos (so that is saying a lot).
The soulfulness of the arrangement and the singer really brings out the emotion in this lyrics. This one sounds really, really good. I see Mike still has that classical guitar laying around.
This really is a monster song, arrangement and performance!
Well done.
Kevin
Yes I do still have it laying around Thanks a bunch Kev that made me smile...
Thanks to everyone for leaving such kind feedback on our work. I am extremely happy that Helen & Roy are so pleased with it and are enjoying it so much. Especially Helen And I know it's extra rewarding to Roy to see her so happy & excited.
I know how it feels to hear your creation played back at you. And it's probably personally the most rewarding thing in the whole world, with the exception of your child staring back at you. So for me that would be my song back at me...
It originally was done very very well, but that version had the Miami Sound Machine going on. The 80's Drum machine and the infamous DX7 keyboard. The keyboard brass of the time etc... we eliminated that problem of sounding super dated.
I dabbled with the idea of changing it around completely but wound up keeping the song in the roots that it sprung from. The keys were to strip it down, keep it real with all real wood instruments. Then use a young sounding singer who had soul mixed with a softness. By the songs end there is Live Drums, 2 acoustics, Nylon guitar, Bass, Piano, Percussion's & lead vocal & harm yet you don't get banged over the head by it, or notice there's that much in there.
Thanks to my friend John Paladino for sitting in on drums on this one. My body wasn't having it that night and especially to Mi Na who really came in and stepped up big on this one. She is the singer on my song "Right Here On This Earth" and my violin player here in the studio, She's all of nineteen.
Especially thanks to Roy & Helen for sharing something special with me. People here around the studio really enjoyed your song as well. I appreciate all these great comments, I'm trying to do my best and better myself all I can. And boy do I need to do that. As I'm typing this with my right hand my left is bouncing a drumstick off the practice pad with the metronome set at 100 bpm.
I must be the last person to see this, I'm sorry I haven't been very active on the boards these last few weeks. This sounds great! You and Helen must be thrilled Mike has done a fabulous job!
One Detail kinda bugged me, until I researched it: The signature Guitar Riff I'd heard Somewhere-Before... Turns out, it's from the Doobie Bros' "Long Train Runnin'"..(The one about "Without Love, Where Would You Be Now"...)
What A wonderful thing to do. If she's anything like me, she sees her songs, old or new, as her babies and you gave one of her babies, new life and Bless you for that.
As for the song itself, I'm speechless. The write is beautiful and the treatment is flawless. The vocalist has a sweet set of pipes and production is right on point.
Top notch musicianship and loved that guitar solo. Sweeeeet
I don't know how I missed this one... but Mike and his band of merry music makers did Helen's song to the nines! I had to search a bit to learn the vocalist was Mina, one of Mike's singers. From what you provided, I assume this was a collaboration between Debbie Fox and Helen, sent to Mike for a "Do-Over"... and it absolutely soars.
So far, I have not experienced the degree of loss you've undergone with Helen's passing... I know it will be knocking at our door in due time... but it must be a good feeling to hear something so good... and performed so well to stir some really great memories.
Thanks for sharing. It deserves tons of "air-play" from my limited perspective.
Good stuff Roy. That silhouette of Mike playing is cool, you can see what he's doing on the guitar. Jazzy chords the minor 7ths and 9th chords, Doobie Brothers rhythm. Soulful vocals.
It's refreshing to hear the real deal on demos. We've become so accepting of software and electronic alternatives, this is organic with feel.
Great sound here--phenomenal guitar player for sure. It does have that Doobies vibe for sure, but I liked the blend of Latin influence. A treat for sure!
Aside from the fact that this is a solid, classy recording with a lively, uncluttered arrangement, a fine vocal turn by Mina, an infectious groove (the bongos are a nice, earthy touch) and a killer acoustic-guitar solo, I admire the kind and generous spirit of the lyrics--the desire to understand and respond to another person's unfortunate situation. The words convey sympathy and hope. Taken together, the music and lyrics--especially in the chorus--brought to my mind some of the unvarnished streetwise poetry music that Gil Scott-Heron recorded during the '70s. It's that concern for the welfare of down-and-out others that I most always find touching and laudable. And that's what I hear most clearly and beautifully in this song.
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