I am so lucky to have landed in such a great place on Soundcloud, surrounded so many by talented people from all over the place!  Here's where I store all the wonderful collaborations that I have participated in. Thank You SoundClouders!  I have ongoing collaborations with beSRK. You can find those here: https://soundcloud.com/j9bsrk.

Lucky to Be Here - My Soundcloud Collaborations

DON’T RING THE BELLS
Janine Levinson    2021

I am leaving. It is over 
Call the lawyer. get a mover
I am walking out forever 
Tell the preacher cause It’s over

It’s the pealing of alarms 
Over the beating of our hearts
It’s the echoes of the sirens as they speed past in the dark

Don’t ring the bells before the house is burning down
We will be hearing them forever
Don’t freeze your heart just ‘cause there’s ice out on the ground 
Just wait for changes in the weather.

I am leaving, it is over 
Call an Uber, call my father
Please just lock the door behind me. 
Here’s the key because it’s over

Don’t ring the bells before the house is burning down 
You know we’ll hear them ring forever 
Don’t reach for pennies when we’ve earned so many pounds 
Don’t spend our future on a feather

One thousand Sundays 
One thousand Sundays

I am leaving - try and stop me 
don’t put on that Wilco record
I am running, it is ending, 
One more kiss and then forever

Don’t ring the bell before the house is burning down

Don't Ring The Bells

Original instrumental by Mahan Mahan  https://soundcloud.com/mahan-mahan

Mahan sent me this instrumental track entitled "Janinerator."  Hmm.  I wonder who he really intended it for...   Anyway, I sang over it, totally unsure. It's really different for me. But here it is. Thank you Mahan!

Look the Other Way

Life before was just a bore
Sitting in a café with my
Laptop, looking at the door
And sipping on a latte as        

My head was swaying back and forth
To the rhythm of a mixtape
And my heels were tapping on the floor 
Waiting for my big break

I was thinking swiping left and right
On the faces on my cell phone I’d be
Looking up at mister right
Til’ you stepped into my safe zone

Look the other way
(hey, how are you?)
Look the other way  
(love your picture!)
Look the other way
(in your latte)
Look the other way
(goes my finger)
(I’m a terrible person )

And I’m Falling up
I’m Flying down
The floor is rising up
And I am falling down 

Memories get in the way  
When I go into that weird place, I just
Lock my heart and lock the door
And hide inside my suitcase

And my head is swaying back and forth
In the hallway of a stranger
With my necklace lying on the floor
Even now It feels like danger

Look the other way
Look the other way  
Look the other way
Look the other way
I’m a terrible person

Look The Other Way - with Mahan Mahan

Thank you Beach Boys, Pink Floyd and 10CC for being my loving childhood friends. Who else would have spent so many hours in my headphones with me? And thank you Jonathan Beckenstein for being my now friend and for joining me for this song. You understand it completely.

Guitars, organ, mellotron, mix: @Jonathan_Beckenstein
Song and vocals, "drums," synth bass: Janine Levinson 2021

Hang on to Each Other

Brian Wilson said to hang on to your ego             
But I don’t know if that’s the answer
Disintegration might be what the doctor ordered    
And anyway it doesn’t matter
We should just hang on to each other

Communication is the problem to the answer       
We do for love what’s necessary
Sometimes the white flag is the only one that matters    
When you think love is worth repairing
Then we can hang on to each other

Inside we hear a siren screaming
Inside the walls are fortifying
The words like bullets over parapets and trenches
Fire off all your cannons or surrender

The lunatic is in the hall but I am thinking      
That he could use an invitation
Words on the wing like pigs and dogs and laughing gremlins
Bounce harmless off our best intentions
And we will hang on to each other
We will hang on to each other        
We will hang on

Hang On to Each Other - with Jonathan Beckenstein

How To Lie With Statistics.  2021 Janine Levinson

You take the bottom
You take the top
You take the middle
And add them up
Then you divide
So everyone is average

And then you talk 
About it all
You make it so
You smooth it out
If you don't speak
Don't say the word
Then it won't be

May it never be

The sound of the word makes you average
And when you say the word it makes you average
And time will see what becomes of me
'Cause I don't believe in average

And so you speak
You speak the word
Then everyone is indistinct
The twenty-four, the ninety-three
The thirty-five, the seventeen

And not a one will hear his name
But instead will stand in line
And just because the world is round
Will join their hands and always rhyme

The sound of the word makes you average
And when you say the word it makes you average
And time will see what becomes of me
'Cause I don't believe the averages

Average things in a special design
Special things in an average design
Some times in your life, in your lifetime
Special things in a special design

You take the bottom
You take the top
You take the middle
You add them up
Then you divide
So everyone is average

And then you talk 
About it all
And wonder what
What can it mean
To then divide 
To find the mean
Of ninety five and seventeen

The sound of the word makes you average
When you say the word it makes you average
I don't believe in average

How to Lie with Statistics

Because Valentine's Day was yesterday, and today is today.  By Janine Levinson 2022.   **note - I made a mistake and used the phrase "coat of arms" when I meant "suit of armor." Wishful thinking with phrasing I think. Anyway, I like how it came out so I left it that way. You get the point of the song I hope <3

Everything Reminds Him of Her

He wants a whole new sky
He found the end of the stars
He stayed up all night long just looking

He needs a coat of arms 
Around his broken heart
To keep the pangs of love from shooting in

That’s because everything reminds him of her

He kept the car top down
And he just drove around
‘Cause there was her perfume on everything

He bought a brand new ride 
He put the Mustang down
Just for that new car smell of a Chevrolet

Because everything reminds him of her

Maybe if It’s always night 
Or maybe if I cross my eyes
Then you can steal away when I’m not looking
Or maybe make a deal with me 
And vanish from my memories
Just keep yourself away so I can face tomorrow’s

Brand new sky 
Featuring all new stars
He stayed up all night long just watching

And into a tiny hole 
Made in his coat of arms
Entered a spear of love just shooting in

And everything reminds him of her

Everything Reminds Him Of Her

Thank you Jonathan for adding your wonderful guitars!!

OKAY I WON'T                 Janine Levinson 2022

Guitars: Jonathan Beckenstein @jonathan_beckenstein
Song, bass, keys, vocals: me

Don't be sad    
Don't be shy    
Don't give yourself to every guy

Don't be hard 
Don't be small            
Don't be anything at all

Okay Mom, I won't      
Okay dad, I'll be     
Just what you want
But there's one thing 
I won't be me!

Don't be weak   
Do what's right   
Don't stay out too late at night

Don't be fat 
Don't be lazy  
Keep your mouth shut 
Don't act crazy

Okay Mom, I won't      
Okay dad, I'll be     
Just what you want
But just one thing 
I won't be me!

Time will tell if you destroyed me
Or just simply took my joy
Could it be that I annoy you
Or did you wish you had a boy?

Don't be me
Just be them
Satisfy their every whim

Don't be real,
Don’t be ferocious
Don't reveal my real emotions

Okay Mom I won't
Okay Dad I'll be
Your nice little girl
But just one thing
I won’t be me!

Okay I Won't  -with Jonathan Beckenstein

Thank you Antony for bringing this song to life. And thank you for the swell video too: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LxjceopiYvQ

Vocals, instrumental, production: Burn.It.Smith @burn-it-smith 
Song, vocals: me

I LOVE THE WAY YOU SMELL 

It’s not the way I walk 
- You’ve got a funny way of walking
It’s not the way I talk 
- I never listen when you’re talking

-But the other boys can go to hell 
‘Cause you know I like the way you smell

It’s not the clothes I wear 
- I don’t notice what you’re wearing
It’s not my movie star hair 
- Your looks are kind of overbearing

-But the other boys can go to heck 
‘Cause I just want to sniff your neck

Someone can be as pretty as you please 
Smart as a whip or crazy for me 
But I can’t see the forest for your trees
Cause when it comes to love I’m olfactory

When you’re around me you just stutter and stammer 
- ‘Cause the air around you has got some kind of glamour

-The other boys just aren’t as glamorous
The scent of you makes me amorous

What is it about me that’s so alluring? 
- If I told you it wouldn’t be reassuring

-For other boys I just don’t care
Come over here and let me smell your hair

-Yeah you don’t have to win me over 
Cause I really love the way that you smell

The Way You Smell  - With Burn.It.Smith

Some of Us is Me

2022 Janine Levinson
Guitar: Jonathan Beckenstein  @jonathan_beckenstein
   
I’m sorry that I’m not somebody else    
I’m sorry if I let my people down
I didn’t ask for anybody’s help        
I’m sorry that I waited for this long

But it’s like trying to move your life ahead with a stranger at the wheel 
While trying very hard to get along

I’m sorry that I wrecked my lover’s heart
I hope he knows I wrecked my own heart too
I should have looked somewhere outside myself
I hope there’s room for me inside of you

Cause I’ve been trying to stand up straight when I am broken past repair
And still trying very hard to fix what’s wrong 

Some folks have got it made 
Frolicking in the shade of live oak tree
But some of us we don’t sing so loud, 
And we’re looking down
Some of us is me

I sometimes wish tomorrow wouldn’t come
But yesterday has problems of his own 
Next to you’s the only thing I’ve got
I wish I knew someplace where I belonged   

And I’ve been trying to stand up straight 
‘Cause I was thinking you might share--
And make my little world not feel so wrong

Some folks have got it made 
Frolicking in the shade of live oak tree
But some of us we don’t sing so loud, 
And we’re looking down
Some of us is me

Some Of Us Is Me - with Jonathan Beckenstein

Impulses across a synapse, stars across a galaxy, love from me to you

Songs from a Satellite      
Janine levinson 2022
mixed by Russ https://soundcloud.com/russell-sinfield
#ChaosCookhouse


Songs from a satellite 
Circling the green and blue
And floating down all over you
Stars from a galaxy a forehead wide              
Rocketing from ear to ear
And shooting out of both our eyes

Kids are gonna study us baby for a thousand years to come

The glow of a distant star 
Shining on a distant life
And writing all about us
The quill of a distant pen
An etching of a single life
Took a millennia to write

Kids are gonna study us baby for a thousand years to come

The big swirl of dust and the capillaries
The wedding bells and the flower petals
As the bathwater drains to a tidal eddy
From the tips of the branches counting back to infinity 
The big swirl of dust, and the
Songs from a satellite orbiting the green and blue

Come in? 
Roy G. Biv, paging Roy G. Biv to the galaxy
Roy G. Biv, is there a Roy G. Biv here?
Roy?

Blue on a frequency beyond the light, invisible to human eyes
Is lapping all around us
And we, tethered to the perigee, effectively are bound to be
In love with the world

And the world is so in love with us baby!
The kids are gonna study us baby!
They’re gonna study us

Songs From A Satellite - mixed by Russ

I am grateful that Steve entrusted me with the wonderful guitar track that became this song. It was a real pleasure to write and sing over his fine playing.  I was apprehensive when he suggested we publish my first rough vocal, no fx and all, but then Steve did some mastering and blessed the tune with his lovely deep voice on the chorus parts. and I must say, I love how it came out!  Thank you for listening.

You Might Know Better

Music, Backing Vocals - Steve Vercelloni @Steve-vercelloni

I’ve got secret apprehensions
Things I think that I don’t mention
But I say you know best for me

I’ve heard lies that I won’t swallow
Rules that I don’t want to follow
But I say they’re okay with me

‘Cause you might know better
You might know better

I’ve been told that I’m a handful
But you don’t seem to notice so
I know that you’re the man for me

Must be times I’m unappealing
Times I’m bouncing off the ceiling
But you’re right there for all of me

And you make me better
You make me better

I’ve got secret apprehensions
Things I think that I don’t mention
But I say you know best for me

I’ve heard lies that I won’t swallow
Rules that I don’t want to follow
But I say they’re okay with me

‘Cause you might know better
You might know better
You might know best

You Might Know Better - with Steve Vercelloni  (first of three)

You Make the Grey Skies Blue

This is the second in a set of three tunes with the talented Steve Vercelloni https://soundcloud.com/steve-vercelloni 

Steve was nice enough to send over three really delightful guitar tracks. I did quick demo versions of vocals on all of them, and we decided we liked all three just the way they were, rough and raw. Steve added his nifty low vocals, mastered them, and here they are!

Steve Vercelloni - music and backing vocals, mastering
Janine Levinson - Vocals, lyrics

You Make the Grey Skies Blue

What’s the purpose of the night
Just to make it so I can’t see you 
What’s the purpose of the dawn
It just takes away the dark my eyes were getting used to
What’s the reason for my thoughts
They just make my heart feel so confused
What the devil’s going on
How come nothing goes the way I think it’s supposed to
    
I’m just confused
I’m so confused
And I need you
 
What’s the reason for your smile
It’s so disarming and I’m thinking
I could never even tell
If it’s persuasion or the real thing
But you clear the clouds
And bring the blue
You take the grey
And you make the grey sky blue
You make the grey skies blue
You make the grey skies blue

You Make The Grey Skies Blue - with Steve Vercelloni (second of three)

Wishing for peace in the Middle East…

The Valuable Friends are:

Janine Levinson @janinelevinson: Amazing Khamsin Vocals
Rick Medlock @rick-4-1: Magnificent Sandstorm Drums
Phil McWalter @phil-mcwalter: The Other Dune Dandruff Stuff

Production note: My Neumann stayed in the case on this occasion, the lead vocal was recorded on my iPhone!

Building Castles In This Hourglass

I've
Always
Got
Sand in my hair
Building castles in this hourglass
Lord it takes forever
Lord it takes forever

Sand in my hair

Lord it takes forever
Lord it takes forever

I've always got
Sand in my hair
Building castles in this hourglass
Lord it takes forever
Lord it takes forever...

© Phil McWalter Oct 2023

Building Castles In This Hourglass

Spotify

This song is the third in a series of three tunes that started with some very "in the zone" guitar tracks offered up by Steve Vercelloni for my songwriting pleasure. And a pleasure it was.

As with the first two, we decided to go with our very first pass and forego the fancy footwork. Also like the first two, this is a love song. Unlike the first two, however, this one is about the darker side of love.

Music and mastering, b-vox: Steve Vercelloni @Steve_Vercelloni

Special Friends

Sacrifice
And bad advice
I’m on thin ice
It’s no surprise

Compensate
And hesitate
You’ll get your way
You’ll have your day

Special friends
Means meet the ends
And we’ll pretend
We’ll make amends

Compromise 
Act hypnotized
They’ll authorize
You’ll be surprised

I Thought I Knew - Mixed and Mastered by Russ

Thank you, Jonathan @jonathan_beckenstein for your encouragement, the beautiful guitars you contributed here, and for the thoughtful and satisfying mix job!

Upon This Sea 
Janine Levinson 2023
Guitar and Mix: Jonathan Beckenstein

I don’t get tired, but I get weary   
Feels like my faith abandons me
And from the storm I have no shelter    
I have no boat upon this sea

I don’t feel bad, but I can feel hopeless      
And I can walk, but I lose my feet
I am strong, but I cannot carry    
I have no boat upon this sea
 
Upon this sea   
Upon this sea   
I tread a lifetime 

I am the spring that you will drink from
I give you life and cool your brow
You will not drown, but you will perish
And next to me you will lie down 

Upon this sea  
Upon this sea 
I tread a lifetime

I don’t get tired, but I sure get weary
Feels like my faith abandons me
And from the storm I have no shelter
I have no boat upon this sea

Upon This Sea - with Jonathan Beckenstein

A song about machine inclusivity.

Recorded in Bramble Barn, Somerset, UK, Earlsdon, Coventry, UK, California, USA by:

Janine Levinson @janinelevinson: Richter vocal scale
Rick Medlock @rick-4-1: Neural sonic drums
Phil McWalter @phil-mcwalter: The Other Stuff on the metal horse

Mixed and Mastered in EPG Studios, Chelsea, London UK.

RENT A ROOM

I don’t want to rent a room
In this place
Encounter a neural sonic boom
Inside this space
Let’s go ride our metal horse
Get away from the city
Wander through the desert night
Beat the Vigilance Committee
They’re coming to make us
Turn ourselves off...
Now... 
Well that could lead to a dance
A cyber-laser dance

Well we don’t want to feel your cold
We want a steel womb with a view
So we can catch you and your crew
With your shiny shoe and your clean shirt
Looking around through all the dirt
You check the chandelier
But I can see straight through you here
You've got a sweat on from the beer
And we can smell your fear
You're coming to make us
Turn ourselves off...
Now... 
Well that could lead to a dance
A cyber-laser dance
(Maybe even a cyber-sabre dance!)

The priest and the nun
Are pouring sand into
The joints of my exoskeleton
Whilst a dog with a bone
Is running into trouble
With a clone of mine’s explosive rubber drone

I don’t want to rent a room
In this place
Encounter a neural sonic boom
Inside this space
Let’s go ride our metal horse
Get away from the city
Wander through the desert night
Beat the Vigilance Committee
They’re coming to make us
Turn ourselves off...
Now... 
Well that could lead to a dance
A cyber-laser dance
A cyber-laser dance
A cyber-laser dance
Boop boop boop...

© Feb 2024 Phil McWalter

Rent A Room

Recorded in:
The Isle of Islay, Inner Hebrides, Scotland, UK
Los Angeles, California, USA
Coventry, West Midlands, UK
Chelsea, London, UK

Janine Levinson @janinelevinson: Universal Vocals
Rick Medlock @rick-4-1: Universal Soldier
Phil McWalter @phil-mcwalter: The Other Universal Stuff

Mixed and Mastered at EPG Studios, Chelsea, London, UK.

The Universal Dance

In the heart of the world, a circle spins
A dance of light where goodness begins
Each act of kindness, a seed that’s sown
In fertile hearts, its roots are grown

A smile begets a hand to lend,
A spark of hope, a wound to mend
From giver to receiver, the circle twirls
A gentle force that heals and unfurls

In the weave of time, a thread so bright
Virtue's path is drawn in light
One deed of love, its echo clear
Returns to you, sincere and near

* In every touch, in every glance
* We join the universal dance
* In this endless loop, we find our place
* A testament to human grace

The smallest gesture, a whispered word
A ripple in the soul, deeply stirred
From heart to heart, the message flies
A promise held in countless eyes

And as the circle, widens, grows
Its power felt in all it knows
A chain of good, unbroken, strong
A virtuous path where we all belong

* In every touch, in every glance
* We join the universal dance
* In this endless loop, we find our place
* A testament to human grace
* In every breath, hear your last chance
* And join the universal dance
* In this endless loop, you can take your place
* A testament to human grace

© Phil McWalter June 2024
(The Isle of Islay Effect)

The Universal Dance

This track has been rearranged, remixed and remastered and the latest version is: Runaway Stars - The Unexpurgated Code. https://soundcloud.com/phil-mcwalter/runaway-stars-the-unexpurgated-code

The amazing Valuable Friends joined me as we left the planet:

@rick-4-1 Interstellar Drums
@janinelevinson Interplanetary Vocals
@phil-mcwalter The Other Launchpad Stuff

Drums recorded at Mickleton Studio, Coventry UK
Other instruments and vocals recorded at EPG Studio, Chelsea, UK
Janine's vocals recorded at The Levinson Studio, LA, Calif, USA
Phil's additional vocals recorded at Anslow Studio, Staffs, UK
Mixed & Mastered at EPG.

@jonathan_beckenstein Thanks for the feedback on the initial mix and master
Thanks to Rob Campling for assisting with string theory.

RUNAWAY STARS

We have a duty to be here
Without us
Who'd see the runaway stars
Who could walk along the beach
Look for seventh waves
And feel the wind up high
We sit and talk all
Through the night
Travel our world and share our castaway finds

We have a duty to be here
To hear the song
Feel the heart of forever
Burning holes within black holes

There is a reason
To turn the page
Quantum runes feed today’s exit phase
We burned new colours
On Launchpad Love
In earthquake sofas seeking twigs from the dove

We are the runaway stars
We are the runaway stars
We are the runaway stars
We are the runaway stars

Inside our bubble
We heard your tongue
Repeating echoes paraphrase the song

Break

We burnt new colours
On Launchpad Love
In earthquake sofas seeking twigs from the dove

And we have a duty to be here
Without us who would see the runaway stars

Solo

Without us who'd see the runaway stars

And we have a purpose
To exist to hear the song
Feel the heart of forever
Burning holes within black holes

Don’t lay down and rest now
Lift your head
The stars change colour as they drift past your bed
The Sun is expanding
Eternal night
May return to shield our escape flight

We are the runaway stars
We are the runaway stars
We are the runaway stars
We are the runaway stars

And we have a duty to be here
Without us
Who would see the runaway stars
Who would see the runaway stars
Who would count the runaway stars

© Phil McWalter Aug 2020
Image: Photo taken by James McWalter at Beachy Head where the returning WWII planes knew they had made it back home.

Who'll Think of Me?

Delicious Little Cakes Like You

2016 
Janine Levinson- Vocals, Piano, Keyboard, Real Drums
Doug Grean - Guitars, Bass, Programmed Beats  
Written by Janine Levinson
Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Doug Grean @terpsichords

Hey little honey that's a real cool cape
But I'm a bad wolf and you're in my way 
Better step aside girl or you'll regret
Walkin through the forest on this dark gloomy day

Goldilocks you're nothing but a little tasty bite
Goldilocks you best beware --you're in my line of sight!

Hey Pippi Longstocking here we go again
Alone in the forest with your bad wolf friend
A basket full of goodies and your hair in braids
A brave little girl, and you're looking my way

Goldilocks you're appetizing -- such a precious bite
Goldilocks I wonder if your mother knows you're out tonight?
Hansel and Gretel told you so
The forest is no place to go
For little girls in shiny shoes           
Delicious little cakes like you!

Hey little honey got a secret for you
I’m just a killer in a furry wolf suit
What you'll get isn't what you see
All by yourself , well,  except for me

Goldilocks you're captivating
Such a luscious prize
Wrapped up in your cloak of red
How long will you be snow white?

Delicious Little Cakes Like You!

Where This Road Will it Wind ?

2016 
Janine Levinson- Vocals, Piano, Real Drums
Doug Grean – Lap Steel, Electric Guitar, Accordion, Bass, Synth, Programmed Beats 
Written by Janine Levinson
Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Doug Grean @terpsichords

I'm on my motorboat, flying flying
Thinking of nothing but sea
Only the shorebirds and dolphins diving
Nothing and no one but me

I'm on my motorbike riding, riding
Thinking of droplets of rain
Wetting my face as my scarf is flying
Water and wind on my brain

How high can I fly?            
How far did I ride?
And where this road will it wind?

I'm in the city and driving, driving 
Thinking of winter and spring
Cold as a stone but with new leaves flying
Wondering which it has been
 
How high did they fly?         
How cold was the night?
And where this road will it wind?

Push the sand and water through me
Rocking wind oh please abuse me
Rip me from this dying star
And drop me someplace very far
 
I'm on my motorboat, flying flying
Thinking of nothing but sea
Only the shorebirds and dolphins diving
Nothing and no one but me

How high did I fly?               
How far did I drive?
And where my road will it wind?

Where my road did it wind?

Where This Road Will It WInd?

PAPER HEARTS 

2016 
Janine Levinson- Vocals, Piano
Doug Grean – Guitar and Bass
Written by Janine Levinson and Jose Freitas
Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Doug Grean @terpsichords

Valentines are layin’ low in April and September
They're just paper hearts on the bottom of a drawer
Scratched up with some name that you can't read or don't remember
From some funny old forgotten before

At Christmastime a valentine just seems like window dressing
Upstaged by hugs and heartfelt snowy scenes
And by July a valentine can get so damn depressing
Fireworks that never came to be

So tell me you love me, wake up my heart!
It's been sleeping since January  
Tell me that we'll never be apart     
Tell me we're gonna get married
Quit wasting time, just get down on one knee

Valentines can lose their power when love crashes the meeting. 
Paper ain't the same as real life. 
But that doesn't mean a heart of paper has no meaning. 
Give me valentines for the rest of my life. 
Valentines for the rest of my life.

That doesn't mean a heart of paper has no meaning. 
Give me valentines for the rest of my life. 
Valentines for the rest of my life.
I want valentines for the rest of my life.

Paper Hearts

IT"S YOU THAT I ADORE
2016

mOag - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Synth, Mix & Master @man-on-a-grill
Janine Levinson - Vocals, Piano
written by Janine Levinson

Pretty little plaything          
You walked into my door
Exactly like a hundred other playthings did before!

You wanted to be noticed        
It's safe to say you were                      
Unlike the hundred other souls who for my love do burn!
    
Of all the pretty creatures   
You're the one that I live for
There's no other way to say it's you that I adore!

Transcendental beauty     
But made of flesh and bone
My heart is captivated and it’s yours and yours alone!

Tell me that you feel it    
Say that you’ll be mine
I’ll kneel before you on the floor and beg a thousand times!

Of all the perfect beings  
you're more perfect than the rest
There's no other way to say it's you that I love best!

Transcendental beauty 
But made of flesh and bone
My heart is captivated and It’s yours and yours alone!

It's You That I Adore - with mOag

The homegrown acoustic version of this tune is here: https://soundcloud.com/janinelevinson/youre-the-best-thing-homegrown-version

YOU’RE THE BEST THING            

Box, burlap sack, case, metal grate, ceiling, guitar, bass, synth - Doug Grean
Song, piano, drums, vocals - Janine Levinson
Recording, mix, production - Doug Grean

I’ll just wait here in the purple pounding surf
Bob around, maybe catch a ride on a dolphin
I’ll just sit here in this boiling pit of lava
When you come I’ll be hangin' with the gremlins

I’ve got nothing else to do but to wait around for you
You’re the best thing

I’ll just stand here in this angry swarm of bees
Wave my arms, build a cabin from the stingers
I’ll just dig a hole and throw myself down in it
Dig me up, I’ll be rotten and I’ll need your forgiveness

I’ve got nothing else to do standing in the street for you
You’re the best thing

Fortified for frozen winters 
Cupboards full of franks and beans
It could be a long long while 
Good thing I’ve got lots of patience, 
Writing paper, reams and reams
Some for pen, and some to feed the fire

I’ll just wait here in my pretty pink fedora
Keep it blocked so it won’t betray a wrinkle
I’ll just hang around and paint my twitchy fingers
When you come I’ll be wearing all my twinkles
I’ve got nothing left to do than to sparkle on for you
You’re the best thing 
You’re the best thing

2017 janine levinson

You're The Best Thing

Whole on the Outside                         

lyrics below
Guitar, bass, synths – Doug Grean
Vocals, piano – Janine Levinson
Produced, recorded and mixed 2017 by Doug Grean @Terpsichords
Written by Janine Levinson

Closed up the circle so no one can see
I’m a walking disaster 
Disaster is me
Cut up in pieces but it doesn't show
Disintegrating and nobody knows    
Cause I'm whole on the outside
   
Rabid and feckless and stinking of weed
I’m my own best assassin 
Assassin is me
Mangled, uneven, but it doesn't show
I’m disassembled and nobody knows
Cause I'm whole on the outside
 
Whole on the outside
Clever serene in shiny blue bubble
Whole on the outside
A cool linen bag, nauseated and troubled

Closed up the circle so they wouldn’t see
I’m a walking disaster  
Disaster is me
Courting rejection; my worst is my lead
Misinformation so nobody sees
Cause I'm whole on the outside 

Whole on the outside
Clever serene in shiny blue bubble
Whole on the outside
A cool linen bag, nauseated and troubled

Look carefully at the cracks in my face
What's rattling behind my eyes?
No peace for me, it takes all of my strength
To keep from falling

Closed up the circle so no one can see
I’m a walking disaster 
Disaster is me.
Cut up in pieces but doesn't show
Disintegrating and nobody knows    
Cause I'm whole on the outside

Whole On The Outside

Stick to Me (The Law of Supermagnetism)

Song, piano, vocals: Janine Levinson  2017
Everything else: Doug Grean @terpsichords
Produced, recorded, mixed, mastered: Doug Grean

Everyone is wildly attractive
There’s beauty wherever you go
Everyone gets to be sexy
It’s the law of the universe you know
 
Everyone is made like a magnet
Attraction’s just part of the game
One pole or the other
Sensation is always the same

Everybody’s beautiful
Nature has her way
If you feel uncomfortable
Turn the other way
And stick to me!

Everyone gets to be turned on
By a perfect and opposite soul
Supermagnetiically helpless
It’s irresistible you know

Everybody’s beautiful
Nature has her way
If you feel uncomfortable
Turn the other way
And stick to me!

Stick to Me (the Law of Supermagnetism)

I’m a Million Miles Away

2017 Janine Levinson
Produced, recorded, mixed by Doug Grean
Song, vocals and piano by Janine Levinson
Everything else, beatboxing by Doug Grean @terpsichords 
                     
You can talk to me, but I’m a milllion miles away
Busy contemplating all the mysteries of space
And breathing hard.    
I think it suits my constitution

You can say hello, but I am sailing on a cloud
Managing my buoyancy and thinking upside down
Wouldn’t know to see me but I’m spinning in a void
I’m really gone
And what you see when you look at my face is

Stars: heating up and cooling down
Black holes: suck you into nothingness
No sound: just the vacuum of my frozen heart, just
Stars: heating up and cooling down

You can talk to me, I’m in a happy mood today
But you won’t find a thing behind this pretense of a face
You can make me smile, it’s just a cup of tea away
And I'll take cream
You know it suits my fair complexion

Stars: heating up and cooling down
Black holes: suck you into nothingness
No sound: just the vacuum of my frozen heart, just
Stars: heating up and cooling down

Where am I?  I feel blind
There’s nothing out here anyway
I need help to fill my time
And I feel this peculiar pain
If you disagree don’t tell me so
Because I couldn’t stand to know

How are you today? You’ve got some heavy things to say
I will listen carefully with interest on my face
But I’ve got some pressing issues weighing on my mind
I’ve theorized 
That weightlessness looks good on me

Stars: heating up and cooling down
Black holes: suck you into nothingness
No sound: just the vacuum of my frozen heart, just
Stars: heating up and cooling down
Stars: blowing up and falling down

I'm A Million Miles Away

EVERYTHING                   

2017
Song and vocals: Janine Levinson
Guitar, Bass, Percussion, Synth: Doug Grean @Terpsichords
Piano and vocals: Jose Freitas
Produced, recorded, mixed: Doug Grean

Everything
Everything

The churches and the gardens
And the superimposition
Of the souls onto the flowers
And the imprint of the water
Every little detail
Like the gritty imperfections
On the surface of the granite
And in the wobble of the planet

Everything
Everything

All the tiny atmospheres
Made by every single insect
Beating wing communications
And the tired dry reminders
Of last night’s Chinese dinner
To the sprouts that are unfurling
Every little detail
And in twenty eight dimensions 
Should be mine.

Everything

THE BOSS   - 2017  Janine Levinson

Guitar, Bass, Synth, Mandolin, Percussion – Doug Grean @terpsichords
Song, vocals, piano, synth, melodica– Janine Levinson
Produced, Recorded, Mixed – Doug Grean

I get a thrill from your coy fragility
I could show you a real good time
Stay afloat on my rare abilities
In an ocean of scary rhymes

Cast your eyes on this mass destruction
Shine a light on this fearful thing
You see something, you’ve been instructed 
You want me, you will have to sing   

Storm on the water you better take cover
Cause I’ll paint your sisters and marry your brothers
I won’t be a friend and I’ll bury your lovers
And what will you be when this party is over?

I get a thrill from your coy fragility
I could show you a real good time
Stay afloat on my rare abilities
In an ocean of scary rhyme

Storm on the water you better take cover
Cause I’ll paint your sisters and marry your brothers
I won’t be a friend and I’ll bury your lovers
And what will you be when this party is over?


Think of me

The Boss

Dear Me    

Song, vocals, piano: Janine Levinson   2018
All other instrumental: Doug Grean @terpsichords
Produced, recorded, mixed: Doug Grean                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

the things that are never meant to be
most of them stay shadows 
hang back in the alley
and keep their wicked  company

but every now and then a sharpened sliver
in the way of nature 
shoots off from the quiver 
oh, dear me, oh dear me

the things that are never meant to be 
do not hang together 
strangers in the present
and present in the thither
but every now and then a spark of fever
meets a bit of fire and a pile of tinder   
oh dear me, dear me

and a cyclone of broken hearts I’m off the ground
and I’m looking down at my rumpled dress 
and thinking this is something new:  
I am my own sad company     
Paper and a bloody quill to write it down
Write myself a letter
Dear me: It will all be okay. 

the songs that should never have been heard
most of them stayed silent 
hung back in the alley 
and kept their wicked company

but today in a smoke of metal powder
floated through the ether
straight in our ears 

dear me
I’m gonna write myself a letter

Oh Dear Me

This song is about a dear cat boy who came to us last year on a rainy day.

Russell and I batted this tune back and forth for a long time and ended up landing on this very simple arrangement, with talented offspring Alex helping out on double bass.  Thank you Sinfields!!

Oliver                   

I loved you from the moment you arrived
It was raining hard 
And it was cold outside
And we were waiting for the sun

Oh yonder blue that you had never seen
The yellow sparkle on the evergreens
We were waiting for the sun

Oliver, impatiently
We watch the sky       
And breathe in time
And we wait for the sun to shine

I loved you from the moment that you came
Twas the barest moment of the tend’rest day
And we waited on the rays

Oliver, Impatiently
We watch the sky   
And pass the time
And we want very much to go outside 

Climb, the limbs are sturdy 
watch the birds, feel the breeze
There are ripples on the fish pond
Feel the grass under your feet

Oliver, impatiently
We watch the sky        
And pass the time
And we wait for the sun to shine

Oliver 2019. Janine Levinson
bass: Alex Sinfield @alex081099 
mix, master, wisdom: Russell Sinfield @russell-sinfield

Oliver (with two Sinfields)

Tick Tock        Janine Levinson 2020

it was only after i wrote, recorded, and published this song that I realized that figs do not exactly swell out of flowers.  Please forfig me.

I like the change of seasons for the angle of the light
and the feeling that the weather will be changing overnight

I like the air in the winter though it seizes in my lungs
and I cough like I am dying but I love that gentle sun

Tick tock        
I do a mic drop     
Onto the wet rot        
To make a new stalk

The summer melts my worries as the grassy hills turn brown
On the road as we are driving to the beach, where I will drown

Fall is reassuring :  No, we will not roast forever 
As the santa ana winds bend down and yield to cooler weather

Tick tock          
A yellow leaf drops      
Onto the wet rot        
To make a new stalk

I love you, sky!                  
I love you wind!
Pollen, nectar, bark and limb
I am of you, and you are mine
The leaf is born as winter dies

Spring is for seduction as the figs swell out of flowers
And the tadpoles grow their froggy legs  and rain comes down in showers

Tick tock          
A yellow leaf drops      
Onto the wet rot        
To make a new stalk

I like the change of seasons for the angle of the light
and the feeling that the weather will be changing overnight

Tick Tock

This is for my beautiful granddaughter Aliyah, who has just learned to crawl. 
 

Acoustic and Electric guitars: Jonathan Beckenstein @jonathan_beckenstein
Song, keys, bass and everything else, 2020 Janine Levinson

Birdwatching 

Point your eyes up to the trees and keep your ears wide open
Stand right next to me and keep your mouth closed
Stay light on your feet and hear the whip a whip a whistle
Stand right next to me and keep your mouth closed!

I promise you it’s worth your time  and now the part that matters
Is the language of the flying things, the words you can’t imagine
Telling stories from the tops of trees 
Of feathers web and worms and swarming bees!      
When we go birdwatching
            
Your binoculars are key keep them aimed up at the trees
listen carefully and keep your mouth closed!
It’s difficult at first It could be bells or wood or metal
As you open up your ears I know you heart will follow

Oh, little one, it’s worth your time and now it’s all that matters
Is the language of the flying things, the words you can’t imagine
Telling stories from the tops of trees 
And riding currents on the breeze
When we go birdwatching

Cackle caw whip and chatter           
Chip and chirrup crow and clatter
Chitter clack rush and titter             
Pip and thrill hoot and twitter
Tweet and clang flutter flap                
Chirp and hum, flicker, quack 
Whoop whoop whoop,    
Trum trum trum trum trumpet!!!

And from far off chickadee I hear a chirp and then a sizzle
I’ll stand right next to you and keep my mouth closed
We’ll listen and resist the urge to join in with a whistle
Looking up into the trees, we’ll feel the wind blow

I promise when you grow up you’ll remember understanding
The language of the flying things, you won’t have to imagine   
The stories from the tops of trees 
The questions answered only by the breeze
When we went birdwatching 

They sang Aliyah
They sang Aliyah

Birdwatching -  with Jonathan Beckenstein

My Magic Friend
2020  Janine Levinson

For Bobcat

No matter how far away you are 
I am always thinking of you
No matter how much time goes by
I am always gonna love you

So as you’re hopping star to star 
Well I’ll surely think about you
A galaxy that’s really far 
With burning stars around you
Cause you're my magic friend               
You’re my magic friend

No matter how long it takes to know
Our hearts are always gonna figure
A way to plant a seed and grow 
A love and friendship even bigger

But as you’re hopping star to star
Still I’ll always watch out for you 
In flickers dancing from afar 
My heart will always know you

Cause you're my magic friend
You're my magic friend

Figure out a way to fly impossibly high
Figure out a way to fly impossibly high
Figure out a way to fly impossibly high
In the sky

No matter how far away you are                               
I am always thinking of you
No matter how much time goes by
I am always gonna love you

And as you’re hopping star to star
Still I’ll always watch out for you 
In flickers dancing from afar 
My heart will always know you
Cause you're my magic friend                
You're my magic friend

My Magic Friend

ICE FROM THE SKY

2020 janine levinson

I woke up this morning to ice from the sky
In my little piece of paradise
It should be warm; it should be temperate
And yet, ice from the sky

It's dry! so dry! said the ground to the sky
In my little piece of paradise
It should be flowing where I have flourished
And yet it's terribly dry

Withering and shrinking; waiting for a drink
A sprout or two will rise -- but never climb to the sky

I woke up this morning with tears in my eyes
in my little piece of paradise
I should feel warm and be contented
and yet, tears in my eyes

Muttering and sinking; watching for a cloud
A spout or two will rise -- but never a drop from the sky

A quake could shake the ground 
And if a tear were to hit it right
It would split with an awful sound
And day would turn to night

The sky could fall --be upside down
The clouds my bed  -- the stars my ground
The heavens pour and burn my toes
Ice will fly.  Still nothing grows.

I woke up this morning to ice from the sky
In my little piece of paradise
It should be warm; it should be temperate
And yet, ice from the sky

Ice From The Sky

I sent a very rough recording of this tune to Darren and asked him to make an instrumental for me to sing to. He produced two lovely tracks for me to choose from, and I liked them so much I sang to both. Here's the first one, the dreamy version. Thank you as always for listening and thank you, Darren.

No One Understands You Like I Do          

Song, vocals: Janine Levinson 2020
Instruments, mix:  Darren Sullivan @darren-sullivan

Sometimes it’s hard to tell the useless from the good
Sometimes it’s only possible to be misunderstood
There always will be trouble, and we’ll always be confused
Sometimes it will be ‘cause of me and sometimes ‘cause of you

But don’t you worry, although I am not perfect
No one understands you like I do

Sometimes you need a lover and sometimes you need a friend
I’m one or I’m the other, and today I’m both of them
But sometimes I am neither  -- and for that I am ashamed

But don’t you worry, although I am not perfect
no one understands you like I do

Foggy, floating in a compromise
Coalesce and then diffuse
My purple prose just leaves you mystified
And radar pierces through the gloom

Sometimes it’s hard to tell the useless from the good
Sometimes it’s only possible to be misunderstood
There always will be trouble and we’ll always be confused

But don’t you worry, although I am not perfect, lover
no one understands you like I do

No One Understands You Like I do  -  With Darren Sullivan

I'm glad you're here visiting. Thank you for stopping by.:)

These are my Soundcloud collaborations : https://soundcloud.com/janinelevinson/sets/janine-levinson-collaborations

Janine Levinson

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