        Happy Belated Valentine's Day to everyone out there young and old! Here's a new song for all you lovers and a video to celebrate this Valentine's Day! 

VIDEO - https://youtu.be/PTGthfTkiwY

I wrote this song late last year. We really need some love today more than ever, it seems we are running on hate alone! I am old school and still am a true believer in love, so this song is very corny and old fashioned ballad, the lyrics are simple but come from my heart. I sat at the piano before Christmas last year and asked myself "What does love really mean to you?" And this was my response, words and music both came to me as one, just like that! I apologize for my vocals, Charlie and I were on Christmas break at the time I wrote this. What can I say? I don't know much and I'm terrible at math but this equation I know still holds water: Love = Life, Hate = Death. So there you go, as four famous hippies once said in 1967 "All you need is love, love is all you need!"🙏✌🏼

“WHAT LOVE MEANS TO ME”

CLOUDLESS DAYS, SUN WARM AND BRIGHT,    
WHISPERY OCEAN BREEZE,    
GENTLE WAYS AND STARRY NIGHTS,      
THAT’S WHAT LOVE MEANS TO ME,                

DINNER FOR TWO BY CANDLELIGHT,  
FRAGRANT WHITE JASMINE TREES,    
A SMILE TO EASE A HEAVY HEART,   
THAT’S WHAT LOVE MEANS TO ME,

LOVE APPEARS IN MANY WAYS,        
MYSTERIOUS SOMETIMES,       
MUNDANE BUT YET SUBLIME,          
PAINFUL BUT YET DIVINE,       
BUT WHEN WE FALL,        
WE FALL FOR IT ALL,
     
LOVE IS YOU, LOVE IS ME,              
LOVE IS WHAT WE WERE MEANT TO BE,              
AH,AHHH,        
  
HOLDING HANDS, SHARING A BOOK,   
OR JUST WATCHING T.V.         
A MORNING KISS, A CARING LOOK,    
THAT’S WHAT LOVE MEANS TO ME.       
      
BY JIM VALDES © 2024

"WHAT LOVE MEANS TO ME" (Video - https://youtu.be/PTGthfTkiwY)

This is a very old song and the only one I sang a duet with Sharri! I was trying to write like an old Doo-Wop Buddy Holly type of song, like in the late 50's but I kind of ruined the song with my singing! I really wanted Charlie to sing this one with Sharri but Charlie was not available at the time. Please forgive my horrid vocals, I apologize in advance! I should have just let her do a duet with herself in harmony. Sharri once again did a fantastic job singing her part, she is a treasure, and always on one take with no edits! It's just a simple little happy jangly tune with a lot of heart, we all want to be loved, right? This is another song written around 2002 in my crazy mid-life crisis moment where I was pleading for someone to just love me! I had issues, I know! A few years afterward my wife rescued me! I think this would be a good country song for 2 people to sing, maybe modernize it a bit. So I'm still in a Valentine's Day mood and here's to love! The video is new so please watch it and give it a little "love" or maybe a little "like" even! Cheers!🥂

VIDEO - https://youtu.be/zI-zbKlpIZQ

“LOVE ME”

LOVE ME, ALTHOUGH I KNOW YOU DON’T MEAN IT,
CALL ME, ALTHOUGH I KNOW YOU DON’T CARE,
TELL ME, HOW MUCH YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT ME,  
LET ME, BELIEVE YOU’LL ALWAYS BE THERE,            

TRICK ME WITH ALL YOUR LIES AND YOUR KISSES,
SHOW ME HOW MUCH OF A FOOL I CAN BE,
     
BUT HOLD ME, LET ME PRETEND FOR AN INSTANT,
THAT YOUR LOVE’S NEVER ENDING, 
THAT YOUR FEELINGS ARE GENUINE,
AND YOU’LL ALWAYS BE LOVING ME,     
          
TRICK ME WITH ALL YOUR LIES AND YOUR KISSES,
SHOW ME HOW MUCH OF A FOOL I CAN BE,

BUT HOLD ME, LET ME PRETEND FOR AN INSTANT,
THAT YOUR LOVE’S NEVER ENDING,       
THAT YOUR FEELINGS ARE GENUINE,
AND YOU’LL ALWAYS BE LOVING ME, 
      
THAT YOUR LOVE’S NEVER ENDING,
THAT YOUR FEELINGS ARE GENUINE,
AND YOU’LL ALWAYS BE LOVING ME,
WON’T YOU LOVE ME,
LOVE ME, WON’T YOU LOVE ME.
   
BY JIM VALDES © 2002

'LOVE ME" (Video -https://youtu.be/zI-zbKlpIZQ)

    This is an old country crying-in-your-beer type ballad of mine written in 2001. One of the first songs Charlie and I recorded together. I re-recorded it recently and added some organ and background vocals and had Charlie sing it again on my new equipment. Instead of a love song, it's a not-love song!  It's what remains after the love has gone, and you try to drink away the pain,  that's what broken hearts do! The lyrics are good and there's a nice hook in there. I remember feeling really lonely at the time, 2001 was a bad year for me, lots of heartache and refection going on. The video is brand new, I just finished it a few weeks ago, during day after day of snow! It's one of my best videos, I think. Some of my best songs appear when I'm feeling melancholy. No pain, No gain, right? 

VIDEO - https://youtu.be/V922dXTszD8

    This was one of about a dozen songs I had for Charlie to sing and all of those songs were recorded pretty badly, so I'm re-doing many of them and this is one that I particularly liked a lot! So as we say goodbye to February, the month of Valentine's Day and love, grab your beer and tissues and let's begin with the water works!😂 Thanks for watching and take care!🥺🍺🥲

“WHAT BROKEN HEARTS DO"

NO MAN’S AN ISLAND,
NO ONE’S IMMUNE, 
WE ALL GET LEFT BEHIND,
IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME, 
IT’S NOTHING NEW,
     
LOVE’S A FICKLE FRIEND,
AND IN THE END,
IT LEAVES YOU HIGH AND DRY,
FEELIN’ SICK INSIDE,
IT’S NOTHING NEW, 
IT’S NOTHING NEW,
        
SO I WON’T SHED A TEAR,
NO I WON’T LET IT SHOW,
I’LL FLY AWAY FROM HERE AND LOSE MYSELF,
ON THE AVENUE, 
IN A DRINK OR TWO,
IN THE ARMS OF SOMEONE NEW,
THAT’S WHAT BROKEN HEARTS DO,  

THE PAIN SUBSIDES,
AS TIME GOES BY,
OLD MEMORIES WILL FADE,
AND NEW LOVES WILL BE MADE,
IT’S NOTHING NEW, 
IT’S NOTHING NEW,                     
           
SO I WON’T SHED A TEAR,
NO I WON’T LET IT SHOW,
I’LL FLY AWAY FROM HERE AND LOSE MYSELF,
ON THE AVENUE, 
IN A DRINK OR TWO,
IN THE ARMS OF SOMEONE NEW,
THAT’S WHAT BROKEN HEARTS DO, 
THAT'S WHAT BROKEN HEARTS DO,
THAT'S WHAT BROKEN HEARTS DO.
         
BY JIM VALDES © 2001

"WHAT BROKEN HEARTS DO" (Video - https://youtu.be/V922dXTszD8)

       This song I wrote back in 2000 and it's another one of the first songs Charle and I recorded together. Written during my bachelor mid-life crisis phase when I was in between marriages. Needless to say I was feeling alone and blue during that time but even worse than that, I was bluer than blue!? So that made me Blue Blue! I rocked out on this one a bit in the solos and Charlie sang it very well, I double-tracked his voice, and I think Charlie played some harmonica on this one too! I had my old recorder so please forgive the quality. The video is brand new, I put it together last month and played around with colors and strobes, so be careful if strobing effects bother you. The video will drop on March 1st.

VIDEO - https://youtu.be/C8SF28zQGTk

 I like my lyrics here, they are very simple but to the point and I think it sounds ok. It's actually a very fast uplifting song with a kind of anxious lyrics behind it, so whenever you're blue just remember that I used to be Blue Blue! ✌🏼✌🏼✌🏼  

“BLUE, BLUE"

MAYBE I’M PARANOID OR A LITTLE BIT OFF TRACK,   
CAN’T HELP BUT WONDER EVERY TIME YOU LEAVE,   
IF YOU’RE EVER COMING BACK,

I KNOW IT’S FOOLISH AND IT MAY SEEM IMMATURE,   
BUT THIS FEELIN’ OF EMPTINESS,  
FILLS ME EACH TIME THAT YOU WALK OUT THE DOOR,
         
I’M BLUE, BLUE,          
AS THE SKY IS, 
BLUE, BLUE,             
AS THE OCEAN,         
BLUE, BLUE,         
WHAT I’M FEELIN’ EVERY SECOND I’M WITHOUT YOU,
      
I KNOW I’M CRAZY WITH A THOUGHTLESS JEALOUS HEART,             
AND I TEND TO OVERREACT,   
WHEN YOU DON’T CALL AND TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE,   

MAYBE I’M INSECURE AND IT HURTS ME WHEN YOU’RE GONE,     
BUT ALL I DO KNOW FOR SURE,               
IS THAT WITHOUT YOU THERE’S NO NEED IN GOING ON, 
   
I’M BLUE, BLUE,         
AS THE SKY IS, 
BLUE, BLUE,         
AS THE OCEAN,        
BLUE, BLUE,         
WHAT I’M FEELIN’ EVERY SECOND I’M WITHOUT YOU,
I'M BLUE.
                                          
BY JIM VALDES © 2000

"BLUE, BLUE" (Video - https://youtu.be/C8SF28zQGTk)

This is my poor attempt at another Country song back in 2008. I wanted to write a song about playing Blackjack but using plenty of love metaphors, it's a very simple song with a catchy hook! It's a bit old fashioned and certainly not what Country music sounds like today, something like Hank Williams would have sung back in the day! Charlie sang it very well and played some harmonica on it too! That Jaw Harp you hear is a whole lot harder to play than you might think and the Banjo made my finger bleed!! I'm not a gambler but I have played before and have lost many more times than I have won, that's for sure! The video was a lot of fun to put together, I found lot's of clips of people playing cards. I made the video last summer. If you're going to a Casino remember one thing, the house wins 99.9% of the time, so needless to say I don't gamble, not even on Fantasy Football. 

VIDEO - https://youtu.be/z9d39qQ_hI0

It's just a fun little ole country song, so grab a beer and sing along if you wanna! Oh and never split face cards or tens, you've already got 20 so stick with that and of course ALWAYS split aces, no matter what! So, here's to everyone getting a Blackjack sooner or later! Cheers! 🥂

“BLACKJACK”

THE CARDS HAVE DEALT ME ANOTHER BROKEN HEART,   
IT SEEMS I CAN NEVER WIN,   
ALL THIS WHEELIN’ AND DEALIN’,     
AND THIS ACHE THAT I’M FEELIN',                
HAS ME BUSTED BEFORE I BEGIN,      

I PULLED THE QUEEN OF CLUBS SITTIN’ ON MIDNIGHT,  
HMM, THE DEALER WON AGAIN,     
BETWEEN THE PULLIN’ AND THE PUSHIN’,    
I’M STEADILY LOSIN',   
TO THE JOKER ON THE OTHER END,

I NEED A BLACKJACK, 
TO GET BACK, ON MY FEET,       
I’M DOWN FOR DOUBLE AND IN TROUBLE AS YOU CAN SEE,
     
I’LL GO THE LIMIT SO HIT ME ONE MORE TIME,   
YOU KNOW THE TABLES HAVE TO TURN,           
I’VE BEEN SWEATIN’ AND BETTIN’,  
FOR SO LONG I’M FORGETTIN’,        
HOW TO QUIT BEFORE I GET BURNED,
      
I NEED A BLACKJACK, 
TO GET BACK, ON MY FEET,        
I’M DOWN FOR DOUBLE AND IN TROUBLE AS YOU CAN SEE,
        
I NEED A BLACKJACK, 
TO GET BACK, ON MY FEET,        
I’M DOWN FOR DOUBLE AND IN TROUBLE AS YOU CAN SEE,        
I’M DOWN FOR DOUBLE AND IN TROUBLE AS YOU CAN SEE,         
I’M DOWN FOR DOUBLE AND IN TROUBLE AS YOU CAN SEE.

BY JIM VALDES © 2008

"BLACKJACK" (Video -https://youtu.be/z9d39qQ_hI0)

       This was written in collaboration with Katarina Jovchevska last year. Kate Jo wrote and performed the music and I wrote the lyrics, added some guitars, sang, and produced the video. I thought Kate Jo did an awesome job with the music and I tried my best to sing it, not very well I'm afraid. The story is about a whale calling for her mate across the vast ocean but then she turns out to be a mermaid instead. A diver is lured to join her in the ocean by her calls & whispers. The story really goes nowhere but I wanted to write something about whales & mermaids. I had tremendous fun recording it and it was great putting the video together as well! 

VIDEO - https://youtu.be/tjmetS-_yOw

This song was our second collaboration, we also wrote "Sunny Miami Day" which was a blast as well! Check out Kate Jo's songs they are awesome, she's here on SoundCloud! (https://soundcloud.com/katarina-jovchevska-1) Thanks for watching and I hope everyone enjoys this Sea Shanty but beware of Mermaids, they literally take your breath away! Cheers!🙏

“WHISPERS”

A SOFT VOICE LOST AMONG THE OCEAN TIDES,
I CAN HEAR HER CALLING ME,
FROM A DISTANCE OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND MILES,
I STILL HEAR HER CALLING ME,             

WHISPERS, A SOMBER REVERIE,
WHISPERS, A HAUNTING MELODY,
WHISPERS, I HEAR HER IN MY SLEEP,
WHISPERS, INVITATIONS FROM THE DEEP,
WHISPERS, MURMURS EBBING FROM THE SEA.         
WHISPERS, RUSHING OUT TO ME,

FIND ME, FIND ME, FIND ME, 

A SIREN LURING ME ACROSS THE WAVES,
A BEACON GUIDING ME, 
MY INHIBITIONS HAVE ALL BEEN SWEPT AWAY,
BY THIS SEABORNE MYSTERY,         
WHISPERS FROM THE SEA,
WHISPERS FROM THE SEA,
WHISPERS FROM THE SEA.
          
BY JIM VALDES & KATARINA JOVCHEVSKA © 2024

"WHISPERS" (Video - https://youtu.be/tjmetS-_yOw)

This is a very old song written a few months before my divorce when I found out how truly hateful a person can be. *WARNING - This is NOT one of my corny lovey dovey songs and it expresses betrayal in the worst way. Vindictiveness is not a pleasant experience and it's pretty dark but hey you never know a person until you marry them, then it's too late! I always thought love was forever but evidently not! I was really skeptical about love after that crippling experience but a few years afterwards I finally healed mentally, emotionally, financially, and even musically! The video is rough ride as well, so watch at your own peril! It will drop tomorrow! PLAY IT VERY LOUD!!!

VIDEO - https://youtu.be/BkLOYBo1CIA

I regained my faith and met and married the complete opposite of that rotten hateful demon woman I was first married too! My wife today is the love of my life and the most kindest, beautiful, good-hearted woman I have ever met. There's a trail of flowers that blossom after her wherever she goes! I have written her many, many songs of love! I'm so happy now and have been for almost 20 years! My experience and advice, to anyone that wants to hear it, is to NEVER marry young, take your time and nurture a relationship, live several years together and see if both of you are compatible with each other. I married at 19 and that was a big NO NO! Be scared, be very scared!!🥺🤔😣😖🤢🤮

“VINDICTIVENESS”

I SEE THE DAGGERS IN YOUR EYES,   
I FEEL THE TENSION SLOWLY MOUNT,    
THE VINDICTIVENESS IN YOUR SOUL,     
GOT ME DOWN FOR THE COUNT, AGAIN,             
      
I SENSE THE HATRED FROM A DISTANCE,   
YOU'RE DRESSED TO KILL FOR YOUR REVENGE,   
THERE'S NO COMPASSION OR REMORSE,    
IT'S YOUR PRIDE YOU MUST AVENGE, IN THE END, 

I DON'T KNOW WHAT MAKES YOU ACT THIS WAY,         
IT SEEMS YOU CAN'T REST UNTIL I PAY,       
YOU SHOULD'VE WON AN OSCAR FOR YOUR VICIOUSNESS,          
HOW WELL YOU PLAYED YOUR PART,        
WITH VINDICTIVENESS IN YOUR HEART,         
YOUR COLD, COLD HEART!
          
I'M OVERCOME BY YOUR REACTIONS,    
HOW MERCILESS CAN SOMEONE BE,     
I SEE THE CRUELNESS IN YOUR CHARACTER,   
BURNING OUT OF HAND AND CRAVING THE DEATH OF ME,

I DON'T KNOW WHAT MAKES YOU ACT THIS WAY,          
IT SEEMS YOU CAN'T REST UNTIL I PAY,         
YOU SHOULD'VE WON AN OSCAR FOR YOUR VICIOUSNESS,           
HOW WELL YOU PLAYED YOUR PART,         
WITH VINDICTIVENESS IN YOUR HEART,        
YOUR COLD, COLD HEART!
          
BY JIM VALDES © 1996

"VINDICTIVENESS" (Video - https://youtu.be/BkLOYBo1CIA)

Here's another love related ballad that I wrote in 2006, around the time when I married my wonderful wife and my best friend Anita!! The lyrics are about how seldom my beautiful wife wears blue, which is my favorite color, but she looks great in all colors! It's another love ballad that wasn't recorded so well, I still had my old 8-track Tascam back then and I think it could have been mixed a whole lot better. I was still tinkering and getting used to the recorder! Charlie sang it perfectly and I double tracked his vocals, he also added some harmonica on the track as well. The video I put together last month and I threw in a lot of eye-candy and special effects at it to enhance it! 

VIDEO - https://youtu.be/52xIijX6vOs

 I had forgotten about this song but when I was producing the video for "She Rescues Me" I noticed the song on the CD and did a video for it too! The melody is nice and the lyrics are sweet and it flows ok. Not my best song but it ain't my worst either! Very corny and old fashioned lyrics but hey, I'm an old fashioned lyric myslefI!😂 Take care and I hope everybody enjoys it! Thanks for dropping by and listening! (Oh and by the way, watch the video because all women look heavenly in blue, am I right?)🙏😎👍

“HEAVENLY IN BLUE”

YOU’RE SO HEAVENLY IN BLUE,    
LIKE A CLOUDLESS, BRIGHT, AND SUNNY DAY,   
OR THE CALM THAT TRANSCENDS A SUMMER SEA,  
YOUR SMILE ALONE CAN CHANGE MY POINT OF VIEW,   
YOU’RE HEAVENLY IN BLUE,
        
YOU’RE SO BEAUTIFUL IN RED,  
LIKE A CRIMSON ROSE KISSING AN AUTUMN DAY,
OR A SUNSET REFLECTING ON THE SEA,  
YOUR WHISPERS ALWAYS LINGER IN MY HEAD,   
YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL IN RED,
                                     
YOU’RE SO BREATHTAKING IN WHITE,   
LIKE A SILVER MOON OVER BISCAYNE BAY,     
OR THE GENTLE FOAM THAT PLAYS UPON THE SEA,  
YOUR STARRY EYES DANCING IN THE NIGHT, 
YOU’RE BREATHTAKING IN WHITE,

YOU’RE SO HEAVENLY IN BLUE,  
LIKE THE MORNING DEW THAT ALWAYS GREETS THE DAY, 
OR THE DEEP, DEEP, BLUE COLOR OF THE SEA,  
YOU RADIATE TRUE LOVE IN EVERY HUE,
BUT YOU’RE SO HEAVENLY IN BLUE.
  
BY JIM VALDES © 2006

"HEAVENLY IN BLUE" (Video - https://youtu.be/52xIijX6vOs)

      This is a brand new video that's dropping on YouTube later tonight!.  I finished it last week and couldn't wait to see what you guys think about it, so please watch the video after listening because without the video the sound effects make no sense and neither does the song! It's an instrumental piece and was part of the song "She Rescues Me" that I had to edit out of the song due to it being too long, so here are the sections that I edited out. 

VIDEO - https://youtu.be/70LHA6YNi6Q

     It's one of my space adventures videos and I'll leave it up to the viewer to make sense of it!😂 It's pretty long at over 6 minutes but stay with it because it's pretty cool! I threw a ton of special effects at it, both video and audio, and most of it is in 4K, which absorbed lots of memory and it was very time-consuming to put together! Crank it up and watch it on a big screen TV for a mind-blowing experience. I love astronomy and Sci-Fi films, so periodically I'll post one of my Space Videos along my songs, so climb aboard and let's trip the cosmos together! Thanks for listening & watching and I hope you enjoy it and remember this before lift off: "Turn off your mind, Relax, and Float downstream...." 🙏😎🙃🖖

"SHE RESCUES ME AGAIN" (Video - https://youtu.be/70LHA6YNi6Q)

This song is a weird one, I wanted to write like a fairytale song and it became like a scary tale instead. How does it happen that where once there was love, now there is hate? Failed relationships are hard for everyone and this song just states the very sad truth that sometimes it's best to just walk away from a relationship after a short time rather than hanging in there for many years when you know it's never going to work. Been there, done that! I kept the music light and very Beatleque! The first line in the chorus says it all "Once upon a time, she was the one!" Well, they all can't be love songs, you know! It's a very simple song written around the "D" chord on the guitar, very jangly like those poppy folk songs of the 60's. I should have worked on this song a little longer, it's missing something? I'm singing it so maybe that's the fly in the ointment!😂 

VIDEO - https://youtu.be/GdWGCXAwtJo

The video is new however and I had a very good time putting it together last year. I tried to support the lyrics as close as possible. The video is actually better than the song, I think! Not much to say about this song or video, both were kind of throw-aways! I wrote it at the beginning of the pandemic, maybe that's why it's so unmemorable? I like the Unicorn at the end of the video letting everyone know that Once Upon A Time it was a fairytale romance! Cheers! 🥂 

"ONCE UPON A TIME”

I TRUSTED HER,    
WHEN EVERYONE AROUND ME,  
SAID I WAS CRAZY,    
BELIEVED IN HER,   
PUT FAITH IN LOVE NOT REASON,   
NEVER THOUGHT SHE'D BE LEAVIN',  
NEVER THOUGHT SHE'D BE HURTIN' ME, 
OH BUT….       
     
ONCE UPON A TIME,       
SHE WAS THE ONE,      
NOW SHE'S LOST HER MIND,        
AND SHE'S COMING UNDONE,       
ALWAYS AND FOREVER,        
I'LL NEVER SAY NEVER,         
AGAIN, OH, 
          
SHE WRECKED MY LIFE,     
IT NEVER CROSSED MY MIND,    
THAT SHE WOULD BETRAY ME,       
RUINED MY LIFE,    
I CURSE THE DAY I MET HER,    
GUESS I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER,    
SHOULD HAVE KNOWN IT COULD NEVER BE,   
OH BUT…
     
ONCE UPON A TIME,        
SHE WAS THE ONE,        
NOW SHE'S LOST HER MIND,           
AND SHE'S COMING UNDONE,         
ALWAYS AND FOREVER,          
I'LL NEVER SAY NEVER,        
AGAIN, OH, 
         
I KNOW, SHOULD HAVE TOLD HER SO,               
SHOULD HAVE MADE HER GO,              
AWAY,

ONCE UPON A TIME,     
SHE WAS THE ONE,        
NOW SHE'S LOST HER MIND,          
AND SHE'S COMING UNDONE,        
ALWAYS AND FOREVER,         
I'LL NEVER SAY NEVER,         
AGAIN, OH BUT! 

ONCE UPON A TIME,
SHE WAS THE ONE!
                                          
BY JIM VALDES
 © 2020

"ONCE UPON A TIME" (Video - https://youtu.be/GdWGCXAwtJo)

Hi everybody, my name is Jim and I’m a songwriter, I've written over 300 songs, I play guitar, bass, piano, and am a pretty good lyricist.  I play all types of music and have my own recording studio.  I use no A.I. or DAW or any computers to make my songs, all the instruments are played by me live on a multitrack studio recorder and Charlie, my vocalist, sings most of my songs and also plays the Harmonica on several tracks. I'm not a pro or a great musician but I do what I can with the tools that I have! I belong to the "Keep Humans In Music Movement" (KHMM)! Thanks everyone for listening and the world needs more music now, real music made by HUMANS not MACHINES! So let's all sing a song with our own voices, please! If anyone wants to collaborate, I am more than willing to do so and help write music or lyrics with any artists here on SoundCloud! Take care!👍😎✌🏼.

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