Happy Lies - Song by Me+Wife about being "different" in a world of normies

Aww.


Such Moxy.

nice

I have no idea what that means, but thanks!

I looove it!!!🥰🥰🥰

You have no idea how much this song ministered to me and was needed right now.

So happens I'm going through a ton of drama right now and it brought out the worst in people who I thought loved and cared. But it revealed who they really were.

So this song . Wow

It's beautiful. Thank you for sharing!!

Love it- thank you

Thanks a lot for this comment - I showed it to my wife and it brought a smile to her face!

The entire point of making art is to share something of yourself in the hope it will touch someone else. It's what gives meaning to the work, so feedback like yours is worth more than you think.

considering the crap usually posted here I would say that was quite more than expected.

I liked it.

As videographer I can say that the video can be improved by better editing. Few shots are interesting while most are very bland and you are quite selfaware. Maybe the final dance was a bit cringy.

But the song itself is quite good.

As musician I think that with some professional production to improve it can turn a little gem.

You're definitely not wrong. Pros would do a much better job for sure!

But this isn't a professional production made by a team of professionals, each plying their chosen trade. It was made as a hobby project by a 57 year old office worker in her spare time. Getting video in and out of Premiere was a challenge to overcome in itself to her!

I actually think people should dare to do more things on an amateur level, and stop comparing themselves with professional productions with a big budget and a big staff.

When making this, my wife had to:

1. Write a song
2. Write lyrics for it
3. Arrange it
4. Sing
5. Play mandolin
6. Play violin
7. Play guitar
8. Act in front of a camera IN PUBLIC (a huge challenge!)
9. Direct the scenes
10. Edit the video

There are people who specialize in each of these things and make a career out of it and spend their professional lives perfecting their skills. Such people will unsurprisingly do a better job than someone who is a total newbie and trying to do it all at once (while holding a totally unrelated day job)!

What I'm trying to say here, is that our intent isn't to make a flawless professional production, since that isn't possible, it is merely to dare to make something, to have the guts to show the result to others on a small scale, and to have fun in the process!

We're both doing our best to learn and improve, but there are realistic limits to how far you can take a hobby project. This music video already approaches our limit, such as it is at this time.

I know writing something like this may seem like I'm being defensive and can't take constructive criticism, but I'm really just trying to make a point I think is important:

We modern humans are constantly saturated with super flashy professional media productions, and this tends to harm our belief in ourselves and make us think we aren't good enough, just because we can't possibly compete. Anything we might do ourselves is going to suck in comparison!

Doing something anyway, in spite of realizing it's inevitably going to be inferior in quality, is a revolutionary act.

It's about claiming your space as a living and breathing human being, and refusing to be reduced to a mere consumer.

That said, I'm glad you liked the song!

I understand your point but then there is an error in your approach.

first consider that people after decades and decades of entertainment expect some quality as default. Especially it is necessary to maintain people attention...and the attentuon must be on the song, character or story. In the other hand if your intention was to get attention only from people able to catch the genuine energy on it, would not be even necessary to make that kind of video to begin with. It is clear that for one reason or another in a most shots your wife feel out of place and self-conscious about it, dont kniw what to do. So maybe less attempt to make an entertaining video, with less shots, and more situations where she would had feel comfortable and looking less out of place would had a better outcome. No necessary to look in the camera or make dances. If not you will get people attention to focus on those weakness instead of enjoying the song.

I'm telling this just as feedback. Good work anyway.

consider to get few long scenes in more comfortable set up and better framed picture and edit these on top of what you already had.

the shot on the side of the bridge and the one on thd park bench with the wind moving her hair are the best. If you can bring the rest to that level it will be quite an improvement. Tip...avoid those layered dissolvence with instruments and her singing. It is hard to do it well.

Thanks for this feedback, you bring up some interesting points.

It's hard to strike the right balance here, because we have found that video really is necessary to hold people's attention. If you go to her YouTube channel you can see that she avoided showing her face for the first 15 videos, opting to make simple animations instead. And you'll also notice that out of the 18 videos before this one, the two where she showed her face got the most views and feedback by far.

My theory, is that people relate better to what they hear when they also see it. When they see the person singing they're more inclined to bother listening. So video matters.

But making GOOD video is really more involved than we are able to get into at this time. Our focus is on the music after all, the video is just there to be something to look at while you listen.

As you say, one option is to scale down the ambition and make a simpler video in a more comfortable environment. If it is clear to the viewer the video isn't aiming at looking professional, then it's probably easier to accept the fact it isn't! ;-)

We won't be touching this one any further though -done is done!- but I will keep it in consideration for future videos.

Thanks again for the feedback.

You're most welcome. I'm glad

with some serious professional background music, this song would be lit!!

Hahaha, that's exactly what I always say about our music - it would sound awesome if we could just get some people who can actually play to redo it!

Knowing yourself, and sense enough to know, it telling it like it is. Moxy good word.
It is a good truthful song it fits a lot of people.

It is said music is the window to ones soul. If that is true you and your wife have truly beautiful souls. Make no mistake, the video would not have been the same without your contribution. Even the music itself, while a seemingly simply tune was very relaxing and your wife's voice was very believable if you get my meaning.

One quick note, you suggest the song is about the struggles of being "socially inept". While that may be true for you folks personally it is really the same for all of us. Life is tough, especially in these times, it is a daily struggle and the message of your and your wifes song is one we all need to hear....thank you, sincerely.....

Good job. Good talent.
NVM the "pro" critics, they lost their passion long ago. They're like grammar police, busy nitpicking, missing the message, the emotions. Most hotshot "musician" TODAY are really gamers on instruments, no soul. It is what it is.

It is soothing and calming.
Keep it up.

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Moxy good word. That's all a I needed to know, thanks!




Three adult sons, but it doesn't seem like they're going to reproduce. Two have no girlfriends, and the third got himself vaxed, so I think you are safe.

Love the song. Very dirge-like tune with an optimistic lyric. Sweet and sour, love it.

Love it

Thanks for this very sweet comment!



I see.

Yeah, making that selfie shot spinning around and singing in the middle of the town square took some moxy for sure. Even if it's a sleepy town and no-one was there at the time.

Fun fact:

This shot had to be retaken on a second day, because in the first take there was some kind of gender-fluid NPC with a bright orange raincoat standing around in the background. They/them totally ruined the shot!

Great effort to share your world with the "normies".

I have to agree with this comment.

Do you folks realize how many of us don't know how to do any of the things on this list of yours?
BRAVO!! to both of you, carry on.

1. Write a song
2. Write lyrics for it
3. Arrange it
4. Sing
5. Play mandolin
6. Play violin
7. Play guitar
8. Act in front of a camera IN PUBLIC (a huge challenge!)
9. Direct the scenes
10. Edit the video

Nice job, there’s something raw and sincere about it, probably because it’s from the heart. I liked the music.

A poster who’s a musician and probably has a lot of experience gave some good advice about production, one thing he said though that I disagree with - that there are too many shots where she appears too self-aware/uncomfortable, I think that’s what makes it relatable. It helps give it its raw feel.

I know. Truth be told, I'm way too much of a nitpicking grammar police myself.

The search for perfection is mostly just a sign of deep-seated self-doubt. I think nothing I do is ever good enough unless it's perfect to point of transcending any possible criticism.

This is clearly not a healthy state of mind. I'm working on it.

I loved the simplicity and any “imperfections “, I thought were a brilliant move. The song is about embracing and being ok with who you are and quit lying about being “ perfectly “ happy.


It doesn’t need any changes or tweaking. It’s perfectly imperfect, just like all of us.

Last Edited by Square peg on 06/29/2022 09:52 AM