A lofi acoustic song about being in love and going on first dates...

A nostalgic song about the period of time when my future wife and I were first going out together in London. We were still living in our own places at that point and would meet up twice a week to go to the cinema or have a picnic on Primrose Hill ("lying on the grass with a bottle of wine as the sun goes down").

*** Watch the video! https://youtu.be/E9yFCxIGcwU ***

I deliberately recorded this one in a spontaneous and less-polished way than the album (Short Stories) which I put out recently. Although I played everything on the track, in my head it is a "band" song! I really enjoyed working this way and the plan is to continue recording like this for now.

The song is released on Spotify/Apple etc. on 29.04, so you can hear it (and lots of other music) there if you like. Links are below.

Thanks for listening and for all of your comments. I really enjoy reading them.
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Get a free copy of my album "Short Stories": 
http://bit.ly/robert_gray_mailinglist
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LYRICS:
Sweetness, sweetness I can hardly wait
To see you smile again.
Sweetness, sweetness my heart starts to race
Whenever I see your face

Meet me at six on the Circle Line.
Couple of stops I'll be feeling fine.
Can't wait to make you mine for a couple of days.
Got an idea for a place to go:
To a movie or a picture show.
You're my belle and I'm your beau when we go out tonight.

Sweetness...

The sun is out, I'm feeling fine.
Got a brand new Valentine.
Lying on the grass with a bottle of wine when the sun goes down tonight.
You go home, there's an empty space.
Maybe soon we can find a place,
Disappear without a trace together you and me.

Sweetness...
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LINKS:
- website: https://www.robertgraymusic.com
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7PPlIPRaK0VCvpT-7x6zpw
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1zf4ux62YMZ2Lry8qdEtTh?si=Vu4DGbkFQ6ek4tzcGoj17g
- Bandcamp: www.robertgraymusic.bandcamp.com
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/robert-gray-music
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertgrayTMM/
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Sweetness

Pick up the pieces and throw them aside!

This was a co-write with a friend, Troy Utz, and it's about picking yourself up again when life has kicked sand in your face! We did a demo with a female singer thinking the song would be good as a kind of diva-pop epic, but it was bloody awful! As so often in life, the stripped-back version seems to work better here.

WATCH THE VIDEO: https://youtu.be/-GauxYsYVsM

I hope the song helps anybody who is going through a hard time at the moment.

CREDITS:
Words & Music: Robert Gray & Troy Utz.

MAILING LIST:
Get a free copy of my album "Short Stories": bit.ly/robert_gray_mailinglist

COPYRIGHT
Copyright Robert Gray and Troy Utz 2001.
All rights reserved with no unauthorised reuse or distribution.

Rise Up

My acoustic cover of the James Taylor classic.

I love playing this one. I guess for the oldies here this might bring back some good memories, hopefully I can introduce a few young 'uns to a great tune too!

Here's the video of me playing this song: https://youtu.be/wC-fXEvE9Wk 

*  I'll be doing a livestream on YouTube this coming Sunday so make sure to look out for that!  https://youtu.be/saUhGBFWoKU  *

The guitar is a beaten-up Höfner from the 70s, by the way.

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY:
https://bit.ly/robert_gray_spotify

LISTEN ON YOUTUBE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fflhlIshUDg&list=PLb1mFKZFvyldAPlrNskUfaxkP4bODI9hf&index=3 

MORE INFO:
https://www.robertgraymusic.com

#acousticcover #jamestaylor #soothingmusic #fingerstyle #60s #robertgray #aachen #hofner

You Can Close Your Eyes

Take Me Back (Sarah Jarosz) acoustic cover - featuring Madison Jarboe (vocal), Robert Gray (vocal/guitar) and Laurent Cinus (violin).

Link to the video of our collaboration: https://youtu.be/Q5BID2vbCaQ

It was such a pleasure to work with these two wonderful musicians! And a truly international collaboration, with our performances being recorded in the US, Germany and France respectively.

Thanks to Laurent for initiating this project! Please be sure to visit his and Madison's channels.

Madison:
https://youtube.com/c/MadisonJarboe

Laurent:
https://youtube.com/c/laurentcinus

CREDITS:
Words & Music: Sarah Jarosz


Links to Robert's music:

SPOTIFY:
https://bit.ly/robert_gray_spotify

APPLE MUSIC:
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/robert-gray/1538677514

AMAZON MUSIC:
https://music.amazon.com/albums/B08QGJZRV5

BANDCAMP:
https://robertgraymusic.bandcamp.com/

MORE INFO:
https://www.robertgraymusic.com

#acousticcover #fingerstyle #duet  #folk #collab #acousticguitar #violin

Take Me Back

Here's a new song in demo form. You can watch the video here if you need some visual input to complete your listening experience: https://youtu.be/VLK4Mcqvg3Y

Listen to the finished studio version: https://soundcloud.com/robert-gray-music/stones-in-my-pockets

LYRICS:
Stones in my pockets, dragging me down.
Got to reach the riverbank before I drown
I'm wading through water, it's deep and it's brown.
I've got stones in my pockets
Dragging me down, down, down.

I'm spinning my wheels
Driving on sand
Don't seem to move forwards,
And I can't understand.
I had gold, I had silver but they slipped right through my hands.
I'm spinning my wheels
I'm driving on quicksand.

   Politics and preachers, dividends and deeds.
   I'm sickening slowly with the modern disease.
   I don't belong here, I'm down on my knees.
   Somebody help me, help me please.

I'm walking in circles, drifting around
Tell me where I come from, tell me where I'm bound
And the dreams I've been chasing have been run into the ground.
I'm walking in circles
Spinning around.
Stones in my pocket
Dragging me down.
Stones in my pocket
Dragging me down, down, down, down, down.

CREDITS:
Words & Music: Robert Gray
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SPOTIFY:
https://bit.ly/robert_gray_spotify

APPLE MUSIC:
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/robert-gray/1538677514

AMAZON MUSIC:
https://music.amazon.com/albums/B08QGJZRV5

BANDCAMP:
https://robertgraymusic.bandcamp.com/

MORE INFO:
https://www.robertgraymusic.com

COPYRIGHT NOTICE:
Copyright: Robert Gray, 2022. All rights reserved. No use or duplication without prior permission.

Stones In My Pockets (acoustic demo)

Written after the breakup of a friend's marriage, this is a musical portrait of someone going crazy. 

WATCH THE VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/jNGatMdU45M

AVAILABLE TO STREAM:
https://robertgray.hearnow.com/you-said-you-loved-me

MUSICIANS:
Robert Gray: vocals, guitars, bass
Troy Utz: harmony vocal
Laurent Cinus: violins (https://www.youtube.com/c/laurentcinus)
Lukas Dahle: drums

Mastered by Olav Christensen
Photo: Pexels.com (lisa_fotios)

You Said You Loved Me

This one was a bit of a labour of love - the joy of recording, mixing and filming yourself! This was my first collaboration with Vlad on the drums - I love his 70s-inspired tone and the energy that he brought to the track. The piano part was inspired by the playing of Nicky Hopkins on John Lennon's "Jealous Guy", as were the strings (another first for me).

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/U49kiqmwoOM
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/15ADXjnv6Sh6RvE4Obso1E

As always with my songwriting, the song is a mixture of autobiography and observation of other people. I'm sure that the many problems in the world had something to do with the dark subject matter too (the song was written in the middle of the pandemic). But in the words of Richard Thompson: "I like to visit dark places, but that doesn't mean that I want to live there"!

Thanks for  listening and, if you would like to support my music-making, please visit my Spotify page and listen to a few tunes there!

Personnel:
- Vocals, instruments, recording and mixing by me
- drums by Vladislav Leskovsky
- mastered by Olav Christensen 

CREDITS:
Words & Music: Robert Gray
Photo: Robert Gray


SPOTIFY:
https://bit.ly/robert_gray_spotify

APPLE MUSIC:
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/robert-gray/1538677514

AMAZON MUSIC:
https://music.amazon.com/albums/B08QGJZRV5

BANDCAMP:
https://robertgraymusic.bandcamp.com/

MORE INFO:
https://www.robertgraymusic.com

COPYRIGHT NOTICE:
Copyright: Robert Gray, 2023. All rights reserved. No use or duplication without prior permission.

Stones In My Pockets

A song I wrote years ago, but for some reason have never posted here. I hope you enjoy it :)

Accompanying video: https://youtu.be/4p2ZgneqRGs

LYRICS:
We left in a hurry, no time for speeches or crying.
On the back of the bus we played "For Nobody" on our way back to the island.
I kicked myself: I should have known.
I didn't see 'til I was home.

Chewed all my pens up to write you a letter
And make up for lost conversation.
We traded secrets, swapped our life histories
Mailed them over the ocean.
And, dropping hints from time to time,
I knew you'd read between the lines.

It took a while to settle down; get bored all over again.
But it's no surprise to realise that life carries on just the same.

And lying awake on a deep winter's night
I dream of a silver horizon.
A boat on the river gathers us up
And carries us back to the island.

Back To The Island

Robert (GB) and Ryo (Japan) collaborate on JJ Cale's "Cajun Moon". 

Watch the video of our performance: https://youtu.be/hhV4aQxBl3w

Robert: guitar and vocal
Ryo: lead guitar, bass, drums

Cajun Moon (JJ Cale)

A collaboration with Laurent Cinus (violin) from France. All other instruments and vocals are by me.

You can see the video of Laurent and me performing the song here: https://youtu.be/ocxdxddNb34

The song is from the Disney film "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", originally sung by Dick Van Dyke. My favourite version, though, is by Richard Hawley and Lisa Hannigan.

Hushabye Mountain

If you enjoyed this track then please support me by listening and following on Spotify (or wherever you listen to your music): https://open.spotify.com/artist/1zf4ux62YMZ2Lry8qdEtTh

This song started out as a bit of a throwaway but then took on a life of its own. A big shout-out to Troy who did a great job on the trumpet, despite only playing the instrument for a year or so.

Words and music by Robert Gray
Photograph by Robert Gray

Vocals, guitars, keys and bass by Robert Gray
Trumpets and jungle noises by Troy Utz
Mastered by Olav Christensen

Map Of Nowhere

Live recording from a concert in "Piano", Stolberg in Germany on 11.01.24. Thanks to Natalie for hosting me and letting me play her beautiful Blüthner baby grand.

Video of this performance: https://youtu.be/jVcwsWUOfIg

Words and Music by Robert Gray
All rights reserved

Hiding In Plain Sight (live version)

A song from 2017 that came from the experience of having a child going through surgery. The day before the operation we visited Bolton Abbey in the Yorkshire Dales. The song draws a link between the landscape and the ruined church with the human body.

Kings & Bishops

A few words of advice from a father to his son. 

All vocals and instruments performed and recorded by Robert Gray.

Take It From Me

From the album “Short Stories”, released 22.01.21

Get a free copy of my album "Short Stories": 
http://bit.ly/robert_gray_mailinglist

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1zf4ux62YMZ2Lry8qdEtTh?si=6oWM6uKJRQWhVsi78TUTxg

Let's Grow Old Together (album version)

I'm a songwriter, guitarist and singer in that order. I play some bass, keys and drums too. I have been writing and recording songs for most of my life and what you hear on my profile is a selection of my work over the years. 

My songs are a mix of autobiographical and storytelling. I write about family, life and happenings in the wider world.  


COMMUNITY
I genuinely appreciate anybody taking the time to listen and comment. I really make an effort to listen, comment and repost back. 

Thanks for listening! Robert.



CREDITS:
Main profile photos: Frank Peterson and Frank Kind
All other photos: see individual credits

Robert Gray Music

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