Don't You Forget About Us

Leon

Genre: Ballad

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Description

A pop song about a failed relationship, the broken promises and shattered dreams, and the painful, impossible longing to bring it all back together.

Unabashedly romantic and sentimental...Pop-haters, start sharpening your knives. :-)

I posted this song 2 days ago, but after a few suggestions, I decided to pull it and revise it. Thanks to those who made constructive comments! It's all good fun...

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Lyrics

DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT US
(musical arrangement and vocals by Leon)

Gotta wipe these tears away
I know you're on your way
This is the end of the day
Please, why can't you just stay

Gotta put these things aside
These fears and dreams I'll hide
This is the end of the ride
Baby, you know I've tried...

Please, don't you try to make it fade
The memories of love and the joy,
the tears we cried together
and laughter and fun that we shared...

REFRAIN:
Don't you forget about me
and the world where I exist
when you look outside your window
Don't you forget about us
and our dreams you denied
Think of our hopes when you
come to your crossroad.

(Don't you forget about us...)

Gotta wipe these tears away
I won't be on your way
This is the end of the day
Please, why can't you just stay

Gotta put these things aside
These fears and dreams I'll hide
This is the end of the ride
Baby, please, you know I've tried

Don't you try to make it fade
The memories of love and the joy,
the home we built together
and laughter and fear that we shared...

Repeat REFRAIN

Don't you forget about us...
Don't you forget about us...
Don't you forget about us...

Song Stats

Hits: 3464
Comments: 46
Fans: 8
Plays: 966
Downloads: 146
Votes:
Uploaded: Dec 29, 2005 - 02:47:04 PM
Last Updated: Feb 02, 2006 - 12:56:05 AM Last Played: Oct 25, 2009 - 03:56:14 PM

Song License

Creative Commons License:
Attribution-NonCommercial

Song Actions

Keywords:

Leon (22), ballad (177), love (1151), forget (11), romantic (38), goodbye (33)

Hardware:

iMac G5
MBox
Radioshack microphone (I'll be getting a pro mic soon, I promise!)
Acoustic guitar
Yamaha keyboard

Software:

Garageband

Comments

MisterFrap	MisterFrap said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)
	Beautiful Another great song. I hope one day to listen your wonderful voice over my music Keep up the good work Check out my latest song called Crazy Heart (vocals by Richard Schletty)

Leon

Leon said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)

Beautiful
Hi there again, Luca. Thanks so much for the encouraging comments. This
song was partly inspired by your heart-rending song Twenty, although I had a
little more hip-hop kind of beat in mind.

I was busy and gone for a while but I haven't forgotten about your song. As a
matter of fact, I was listening to it again yesterday, as it has some plaintive
melody line like this song. I was wondering if you would allow me to use it as
the main melody for an upcoming project (still in my mind) but I wanted to add
a rousing refrain to it (or if you have an idea of a refrain, let me know), and
credit you as a co-author of the song. Of course, the song will still be built
around your song's awesome melody.

---
The lion roars, the eagle soars.

Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

Audiologic	Audiologic said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)
	Catchy That was some pretty good stuff, that had some pretty classic pop elements to it with the claps and such. Your voice was really good as usual. Ben Check out my latest song called Dessert Parade

Leon

Leon said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)

Catchy
Thanks, Ben. Coming from a masterful musician like you, that means a lot. This
strays a little bit from the typical ballad but I wanted to experiment on a more
contemporary beat, and good thing you liked it. I am still trying to learn more
about classic/electronica music (which obviously you are excellent at) and not
just guitar, which served as the template for the other layered sounds and
rhythms. I now realize how much skill and talent you have employed in your
compositions to make them sound so good!

---
The lion roars, the eagle soars.

Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

Einarus	Einarus said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)
	Really nice Very nice, very poppish and very sweet. You really have a great voice and you sure can use it. I also liked the subtle percussion - not too overwhelming, but let's you know it's there. A very nice ballad, indeed! Great. Check out my latest song called Running Scared (w/ Ziti)

Leon	Leon said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)
	Really nice Thanks, Einarus. You have such great musical sense and artistry, so comments from you weight a lot. --- The lion roars, the eagle soars. Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

cjhoose	cjhoose said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)
	sometimes I wish... I could say things like that. Really sad yet sweet. I like that. I would've changed some instruments, but that's just personal taste. Check out my latest song called Julia

screamalexz	screamalexz said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)
	great song this is great. your voice is good. and the lyrics are great. i like the part 2 1/2 minutes in. the back up vocals are nice too. Check out my latest song called Die (Album Version)

	said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)
	No Bad!~ Good Ballad my friend! Sorry to hear about your girlfriend! There's plenty o' fish in the sea! Maybe you will find a Shark?

Leon	Leon said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)
	No Bad!~ Yeah..a shark to replace the barracuda and the bloated whale before that...Ha- ha! Thanks for your funny comments, Biz. You never fail to amuse me:-) Don't forget the Ritalin. --- The lion roars, the eagle soars. Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

selters

selters said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)

very nice!
Really like this song mister Leon. The vocals are very real and emotional, it sounds so near and real. And i like that it sounds like you actually mean what you are singing! I really like the guitarplaying and all the other instruments. sounds Very pro! listening for the second time now, really like the playing in the intro. It seems like you have a few layers of instruments going on here, it sounds very balanced and professional. Gotta listen to more of your stuff now. Impressive stuff mister, Youre added to my favourites!

Check out my latest song called So Far (Out Of Reach)

Leon	Leon said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)
	very nice! Thanks, Magnus. I'll definitely be checking your stuff too. I love the alternative style of your singing and melodies and I should pick up a lot of pointers from you as well. --- The lion roars, the eagle soars. Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

Leon

Leon said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)

In fairness to all...Previous comments posted
These were the previous feedback/comments before I deleted the 2
day-old earlier version for revision. Thanks to Dreadmon, Whitehawks
and Joshosh18 for their insightful observations and comments that led
me to this supposedly better version.

Nice work
Authored by: dreadmon on Sun, 25 Dec 2005 21:31:25 -0600
Pretty melodies! The delays on the doubled vocals are a bit distracting,
maybe cut them back a little. The guitar textures are nice, also I like
the odd arrangements of the rhythms - not so thrilled with the analog
synth sound, something warmer seems wanted here. I really liked the
lyrics and the hook is very satisfying. Nice vocals - again, they're a
little too drenched in reverb and delay. The call and response also
seems to get a little "busy" and this causes some conflicts in the flow,
distracts from the main voice - I think this is more note clash than
arrangement. When you're confident in the vocals, they soar
wonderfully; when you're not, you're losing some breath support and
the notes are losing their consistency. Although I can hear some other
things in the arrangement, I think the more you listen to this, the more
you'll come up with some of your own conclusions about what to fix in
the mix and the arrangement. This could be either left-of-center for a
ballad, or it could be very conventional, which is why I don't want to
weigh in too heavy style-wise. It could go either way and I like it. Nice
work.
(Note: I have minimized the reverb in the background vocals and made
the arrangement "less busy" in response to Dreadmons erudite analysis
of my song. Thanks, man.)

very nice Leon
Authored by: White Hawks on Mon, 26 Dec 2005 05:09:21 -0600
I like this song very much. Your vocal is superb!!!!
thanks for sharing.
(Note: I think she was responsible for giving me the quadruple 9's;
maybe you can put them back again, Jem :-)

Authored by: Joshosh18 on Mon, 26 Dec 2005 17:05:59 -0600
Honestly, I like this song... Dude, you wrote a great song! Who cares if
one person "rained 6's" on it? Your music is very good, and your score
will eventually reflect that.
(Note: Josh was very kind and mature in his advice about not taking the
"bombers" seriously)

Authored by: Joshosh18 on Tue, 27 Dec 2005 00:43:59 -0600
Oh dude, nothing bad really from me. I like this song a lot. Your vocals
rock. The only thing I have is completely subjective. The layered voices
sound really good together, and the mix sounds tight. For me, it's just
the rhythmic spacing of the lyrics are a little, (I don't know, forced
maybe?) up top in the first verse. It's a really nice song, and upon
listening more, the hook grows on you nicely...
(Note: I have revised the lyrics since then. Thanks, Josh.)

Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

dreadmon	dreadmon said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)
	There's that voice shining Wonderful reworking, Leon - can't believe you've only been writing songs for a short while - this is a true gem. Sounds like you added some other little touches as well. This is a strong, assured and very powerful piece - super job! Check out my latest song called Dive!

Leon

Leon said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)

There's that voice shining
Thanks a lot, Dreadmon... what wonders it can do to just listen to someone's
keen observations and recommendations, and I have you to thank for that.
When I first read your comments, I immediately reacted negatively, but then I
finally thought, that hey this guy really knows what he's saying. So instead of
getting mad, I decided to work on the details you pointed. I removed a lot of
the stuff that cluttered the Refrain which you noted quite perceptively to be
sounding "too busy" and then cleared both the main and background vocals
by significantly reducing the echoes and reverbs. I did re-record most parts
of the vocals especially parts where you noted some short-of breath and
inconsistent notes. You were so keen to observe that it sounded like a one-
take recording, which it was, and it did sound unpolished. This version
definitely is an improvement. Thanks again, and much apologies to my
earlier immature response.

---
The lion roars, the eagle soars.

Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

Alannah	Alannah said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)
	Emotion ! Your emoting on this song is awesome .... can hear that you are truly "feeling what you are singing" ... LUV the harmonies also ! GREAT STUFF Leon ..... I will put you on my fav list so I can be alerted to your songs in the future!!!!! Nice job on the mixing too ! Check out my latest song called I'm Drownin' - Smokey VW (feat Alannah) + Outtaorbit

Leon	Leon said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)
	Emotion ! Wow... the goddess has bestowed her blessing! :-) I've become immortal. Ha-ha! Thanks Allanah! --- The lion roars, the eagle soars. Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

ChrisKevin	ChrisKevin said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)
	Great voice The music is the perfect backdrop, for a utterly beautiful voice. This song is VERY well composed, and the voice has great strength and command. Bravo Check out my latest song called Wave ( vocal remix)

Leon	Leon said 1428 days ago (December 29th, 2005)
	Great voice Much appreciated, Chris. Regarding the voice, back at ya, dude! --- The lion roars, the eagle soars. Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

J.A.Stewart

J.A.Stewart said 1428 days ago (December 30th, 2005)

Way to Languish, Leon
Much like I admire the lyrics of R.C. Andrews for their emotion and
honesty, so do I find those same elements in your work.

It's a healthy way to deal with life's disappointments, creating something
positive out of negative circumstances.

You once again display a good voice with good range and an interesting
approach to the instrumentation in this song.

Nice piece of work.

Check out my latest song called A Night @ Neverland

Leon	Leon said 1427 days ago (December 30th, 2005)
	Way to Languish, Leon Thanks Joe. Nice to here those comments from an admired musciian. Just to let you know, Song of this World remainns ones of my all-time favs here in Macjams. --- The lion roars, the eagle soars. Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

Leon	Leon said 1427 days ago (December 30th, 2005)
	Way to Languish, Leon ...and i did check rcandrews' catalog. Wow, man, i was blown away! --- The lion roars, the eagle soars. Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

aclarke	aclarke said 1428 days ago (December 30th, 2005)
	Great Voice This is terrific, Leon. Great emotion displayed in the singing of the song. Very interesting beats help make this a unique sounding ballad. Nice work! Check out my latest song called Ballad of The Little Tiki

drakonis

drakonis said 1427 days ago (December 30th, 2005)

PGP
Pretty Good Pop.

Music: The very first note of the first guitar strum starts far right, and
started the song off a little off-balance. Overall the main melody was
nice, pretty backing instrumentation, but it was very even, the refrain
was pretty much the same as the main melody, so there was no real
break. I would have liked some kind of bass instrument, it seemed
very midrange & high-end heavy.

Lyrics: The words flow well when sung, but they don't tell the story that
you mention in the description very well, I think you may want to get
more punch and emotion in there somehow, they feel watered down a
little. Don't use phrases like "you know I've tried"... the girl's just
gonna roll her eyes and say "yah, not hard enough!" If you are asking
her to stay, then you think there's still hope, but then saying "this is
the end of the ride" sounds like you know its over. Be consistent in
your message :-) Tell her the grass is not greener, you two fit so
nicely, and you won't know how to love if she leaves... or something :-)
Or better yet, e-mail "PeaceGirl" here on Macjams and ask her (a pro
lyric writer... not me!) to make some suggestions.

Singing: This is the good part... I really enjoy your smooth voice and
clear enunciation, and nice harmony parts.

Hope this is a helpful critique!
ttfn,
Drakonis

Check out my latest song called Lullaby for the Inner Child

Leon	Leon said 1427 days ago (December 30th, 2005)
	PGP Thanks Drakonis. The student learns from the master :-) --- The lion roars, the eagle soars. Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

illuminati

illuminati said 1427 days ago (December 30th, 2005)

I was about to change stations on this one
and then it got going. It got good. If you are fielding suggestions (and who am I to tell you what to do with this fine effort) I would say that the introduction doesn't do the song justice. I would dive right into one of the choruses or otherwise change the intro. Also, the vocals carry the whole thing here (and they are good). The music lacks the same kind of star quality the vocals have. That said, I'm really nit-picking.

Check out my latest song called Vainglorious

Leon

Leon said 1427 days ago (December 30th, 2005)

I was about to change stations on this one
Did you mean the instrumental intro or the first vocal phrases? Someone
emailed me to say the guitar plucking intro was one of the best parts..so i don't
know who to believe anymore... The first few verses were low key and rather
deliberately unimpressive, that's true, but I was hoping that it will be a send-off
to a greater build, which thankfully you waited for.

Thanks for taking time to listen beyond the 15 second point and discovering the
rest of the song :-). i imagine we miss a lot of great songs by being impatient
and judging too quickly. I myself am guilty of that occasionally as well.

---
The lion roars, the eagle soars.

Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

White Hawks	White Hawks said 1427 days ago (December 30th, 2005)
	wooow and wooow! Very beautifuly done. You've mixed it very well i think. very improved from the last one. thanks for sharing. and ofcourse DLed and FVed. - Hawks Check out my latest song called Shepherds Out in the Field

White Hawks	White Hawks said 1427 days ago (December 30th, 2005)
	wooow and wooow! Very beautifuly done. You've mixed it very well i think. very improved from the last one. thanks for sharing. and ofcourse DLed and FVed. - Hawks Check out my latest song called Shepherds Out in the Field

Leon	Leon said 1427 days ago (December 31st, 2005)
	wooow and wooow! Thanks, too, Jem... Always a pleasure to share the joy of music. --- The lion roars, the eagle soars. Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

ragurner	ragurner said 1427 days ago (December 31st, 2005)
	Very pleasant voice If you were to elide over your "R" sounds, rather than fully pronouncing them, it would more fully showcase your clear voice. Nice fade out. Thanks for the link! Check out my latest song called Fantasy on a Midwinter Theme

jgurner	jgurner said 1427 days ago (December 31st, 2005)
	Nice I like the overall dreamy feel. Very solid pop tune. You've got a great voice and I can't wait to hear what you do with a pro level mic. (I got a MXL 990 recently. Makes a HUGE difference.) The layered vocals on the second verse are a nice touch. Enjoyed it. Check out my latest song called Bourbon Street Dawn

Leon

Leon said 1427 days ago (December 31st, 2005)

Regarding the mic...
Thanks, jgurner... I am really inspired by your suggestion that the microphone
does make a difference. I will be taking your recommendation and be looking
for a bargain somewhere. I suppose it will also make the guitar sound crisper,
like other songs here where you can almost hear the fingernails scratch the
strings. Those mics are awesome! I'll be checkng your songs to spot the
difference inthe mic recording.

Again, thanks so much for your inspiring and motivating comments!

---
The lion roars, the eagle soars.

Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

qthrul	qthrul said 1426 days ago (December 31st, 2005)
	nice cuts This song has very nice harmonies and the way you cut in to them is really strong. The keyboard part is a nice touch that I didn't pick up on the first listen. This is my favorite of the ones you have listed here. Check out my latest song called Restless

Leon	Leon said 1426 days ago (December 31st, 2005)
	nice cuts thanks a lot, man.... Great to here comments and pointers from all musicians of different musical orientations and backgrounds.. Certainly appreciated it.. will be checking your stuff soon. --- The lion roars, the eagle soars. Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

springclock	springclock said 1426 days ago (January 1st, 2006)
	good great recording and beautiful chords and melodies. Like the choice in effects for the vocals as well....great Check out my latest song called Magnetar

Joanna	Joanna said 1426 days ago (January 1st, 2006)
	Wow! This is fantastic! I love those soaring vocals -- wonderfully emotional and evocative. This is really wonderful, Leon. Thank you so much for nudging me over here. I would've missed a fantastic song if you hadn't. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

thetiler	thetiler said 1425 days ago (January 1st, 2006)
	like the Neville sound, almost a freddy fender texture. Like the style here. Lots of nice work here. Cools sounds, good singing. Check out my latest song called Little Drummer Boy Variations

jed81	jed81 said 1425 days ago (January 1st, 2006)
	Yeah! Really nice song. I liked this one real much. A nice piece of music! Check out my latest song called Neverending Dream

jed81	jed81 said 1425 days ago (January 1st, 2006)
	Yeah! Really nice song. I liked this one real much. A nice piece of music! Check out my latest song called Neverending Dream

echoroom	echoroom said 1425 days ago (January 2nd, 2006)
	sweet song Really lovely, this. I love the backing vocals (sounds like Jon Bon Jovi joins in at one stage), and the clear, clean production. Great work - this sounds like it would be great used in a movie (montage of the hero alone). Check out my latest song called Deeper (w/t Racerat)

	said 1423 days ago (January 3rd, 2006)
	a well crafted song This song has a soul, a fiery center that radiates the sorrow of love's labor lost. You have a fine voice and an acumen for making the instruments work with it. Bravo. A pleasure to share the pain.

Leon

Leon said 1423 days ago (January 3rd, 2006)

a well crafted song
Wow..thanks, Richard, my fellow Minnesotan! I think I should bold print your
comment and frame it! To get that rave review from one of Macjams' most
respected artists is like winning a Grammy on this website! I am truly honored to
have my song included in the exclusive list of favorites of probably the most
versatile and prolific singer/songwriter at Macjams... Your wonderful songs are
familiar to me, and your musical and recording skills, as well as your generous
sharing of your well-thought opinions, have served as a benchmark, motivation
and inspiration for us newbies in improving our craft as well. Thanks...this
means a lot to me.

---
The lion roars, the eagle soars.

Check out my latest song called The Nightingale (music and lyrics by Oceans)

RickW	RickW said 1421 days ago (January 5th, 2006)
	Great vocals The harmony was wonderful and the song full of feeling. Well done Leon! God bless, Rick Check out my latest song called Picture of Perfection (MJRF)

milkus	milkus said 1404 days ago (January 22nd, 2006)
	leon you rock I downloaded this a few weeks ago and have been listening to it ever since. Great song and ballad, I'm hoing for much more of the same in the future. Check out my latest song called Pyramid

buckhorn

buckhorn said 1399 days ago (January 27th, 2006)

Awful nice
I must admit Leon, I was getting ready to rake the coals. Because of all
that talk on the threads about votes and such. That was rubbing me the
wrong way. I don't think people should dwell on that aspect. ( BTW the
lowest vote I have ever given is a 6.) After listening to few of your songs
Im totally disarmed. This is some good stuff. You have something here.
If you keep creating a body of work such as you have so far, a few bombs
won't be able to touch you. Keep up the excellent work.

Check out my latest song called salience #2

Fan List

Artist Info

Name: Leon

I make music to balance the left and right sides of my brain. Arts and music have always been my area of strength, but unfortunately my day-to-day adult life now revolves around the mechanical rituals of science and the coldness of technology . I sti... [see more]

Check out some of my other songs:

Genre Info

A ballad is a story in a song, usually a narrative song or poem. It is a rhythmic saga of a past affair, which may be heroic, romantic or satirical, political (affected by the previous three types mentioned, refers to either glorifying the exploits o

More songs in Ballad:

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