FAWM: "LOST IN THE MELODIES OF YESTERDAY"

LOST IN THE MELODIES OF YESTERDAY

Liner Notes

I'm out here on the East Coast now because of the grandkids, but on those occasions I get back to my "hometown" of Omaha I regularly get together for breakfast with an old bandmate and some other old musician friends, and we call ourselves the "Aging Musicians Club" (a couple of old bandmates have passed on...) Anyway--this song is for them. I hope you enjoy it!

Lyrics

LOST IN THE MELODIES OF YESTERDAY

Words & Music By Jerry Pettit Facebook.com/JerryPettitMusic

I'm sitting at this piano where I've sat a thousand times Running through these old progressions, singing half-remembered lines The mirror on the wall shows someone I don't recognize But my fingers know the stories that these ivory keys hide

There's a box of dusty records in the corner of this room Songs I wrote when I was younger, when the world was mine to move And I wonder if those audiences remember how we swayed Now I'm LOST IN THE MELODIES OF YESTERDAY

CHORUS: LOST IN THE MELODIES OF YESTERDAY When every note was poetry, and music was my way The spotlight's gotten dimmer, but the music still remains And I'm lost, beautifully LOST IN THE MELODIES OF YESTERDAY

I can still hear the applause echoing through empty halls See the faces in the front row singing every word, I recall Those late-night recording sessions, chasing magic 'til the dawn Now those songs live on without me, though the young man's gone

My voice has lost some thunder, my hands don't move the same But the songs I gave the world still carry on my name And that's a kind of forever that time can't take away So I'm LOST IN THE MELODIES OF YESTERDAY

So let me play one more time for the ghosts here in this room For the bandmates and the lovers, for the stages that we knew They say you can't go backwards, but they don't understand That music lives forever in the heart of every man

Comments

@kristi 15h

I like how you take us inside the places where the music happened. I felt like I was there with those wonderful descriptions. That title is a good one and you sing it with heart. Well played as always.

@williamjames 1d

Nostalgia abundant! That first verse just hits the feels. I love the melody here, you really sound like you sing from the heart. The "so let me play one more..." part was such a great moment. This is a really good song!

@freshspotlessyouth 1d

Ah, lovely and wistful. You're still making magic right now. I'm not all that interested in "forever" of any kind. I love the lines about playing for ghosts; there is a presence one can detect as one loses oneself that way. I prefer to lose myself right here right now, though

@wacha 1d

A solid, heart felt ballad which I have come expect from you which is a compliment. You capture moments in time so beautifully and deliver them beautifully.

@ttg105 2d

Absolutely beautiful. Lyrics are top-notch, particularly "The mirror on the wall shows someone I don't recognize" and "the stories these ivory keys hide." Chorus is dripping with melancholy melody, and I could imagine this being a hit on 70s am radio. Vocals smooth but get across real emotion. A gem!

@richaaaay 2d

This such a nice song of recollection. This feels like an important personal song, and a tribute to those friends who have passed. Some wonderful lyrical lines…Are you sure you were a math major 😜? I would have thought you were more of a creative writing guy.

@nancyrostMod 2d

I can feel the real sentiment in this one. This gives me happily nostalgic 70s vibes. Really nice chord changes and structure, with some happy surprises.

@bxphane 2d

It's nostalgic and beautifully performed! I love the instrumentation; it really gives the impression of a full band accompanying the excellent vocal performance!

@darcistrutt 2d

Music lives forever - I agree! So many memories are related to those poetic notes. Very sweet song. Lovely layers.

@mikeb 2d

A very nostalgic song - both the lyrics/story and the overall music. I bet Omaha is not what it was back then - I drove through Omaha last year, quite a big city!

@sbs 3d

Yes, I miss those days, too. Many miss their physical activities but I miss the memories that live in the music… the people, the performance, the applause, the place.

@cleanshoes 4d

I think what I appreciate most about this song is that it never sinks into self-pity; instead, it's sweetly, joyfully nostalgic. Easy listening!

@gwynjones 4d

I was in bands for most of my adult life and I totally get where this lyric is coming from Jerry and yes, a few fellow musicians have left the stage for good now. I have to congratulate you on this song and everything contained within!

@wynia 5d

Cool chord progressions and the style is remniscent of some of the greatest classic smooth rock! I wasn't alive when a lot of those melodies you speak of might have been written, but I grew up steeped in them from my parents exposing me to them, and a lot of my own music comes out sounding like it's from the 60s or 70s...I just say this all to say that I feel that nostalgia for these melodies as well as they transport me back to the good parts of childhood. Great production and I just loved listening to this! Cheers to all those folks to whom you dedicate this song!

@raspberry33 6d

I like your chord progressions especially the F to Bb to C at the end of the verse. Great title, vocals and piano work. Good stuff in the opinion of another member of the Aging Musician Club.

@guatecoop 6d

You just keep cranking out these songs that sound like they’ve been around forever! The sentiment is very special and the song communicates that so well. Very well written!

@musicsongwriter 6d

Beautiful song, singing, playing and sentiment. I love your title, singing and playing. And presentation. A real treat to listen to.

@metalfoot 6d

A nice slice of nostalgia tastefully delivered. Good stuff, Jerry.

@acousticmaddie 6d

Wow what a beautiful track. And thank you for the backstory I can really feel you guys sitting there.

@billwhite51 6d

this is such a beautiful track. i love the way the verse comes in after the chorus, like some guy cutting in on a girl at a dance. lost of my friends who never left seattle are still playing together and packing in, not only the old fans, but the children of those old fans as well. i dont envy that, but sometimes i can see the appeal of being in the same band and playing the same songs for 50 years. your take on it is more to my likeing. we get old but the music stays young and lives on. and once in a while we take a bath in it and feel like our old selves for an hour or so.