Think about the Good Things

Award-winning singer-songwriter Jeremy Buck experienced an unlikely jolt of good-feeling inspiration one night during the quintessential tear-your-hair-out parenting task: bedtime. Story goes, Jeremy was attempting to put his baby son to bed the night before a big songwriting retreat. Every time he thought his boy was down, his baby son would wake up crying, and dad would have to start the arduous bedtime process over again.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Jeremy’s son was born prematurely and had to spend 34 days in the NICU. It was a nightmarish touch-and-go period, as the newborn was hooked up to every machine imaginable, and there were no guarantees he would be okay. Jeremy recalled that painful journey the night he was struggling to get his boy asleep. When he thought back to those frightening times of uncertainty, the past emotions came flooding back, and he felt a rush of gratitude his son made it through.

Jeremy’s latest single, “Good Things,” out October 15, 2021, is inspired by this warmly epiphanic moment. It is an unflinchingly positive reggae-tinged pop tune that celebrates the joy that comes after intense pain and anxiety. It’s an exhilarating sing-along that recalls the sunny dispositions of Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” and Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy.” It’s the perfect ray of sunshine the world needs after being battered by an onslaught of sickness, division, and anger.

“I remember holding my son in the dark bedroom and thinking how lucky I was to have a healthy son to cry in my arms,” Jeremy recalls. “I became conscious of ‘thinking about the good things.’ It made me conscious of all the things that I feel fortunate to have in my life, and how, oftentimes, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life that we sometimes see only obstacles or negativity. We forget about the gifts that truly matter, like family, love, friendship, and all the wonderful opportunities available to us on a daily basis.”

Always fine-tuning his artistic game, Jeremy took the downtime the pandemic afforded to take part in several online music production courses and select songwriting retreats. His latest single, “Good Things,” was fleshed out during a retreat helmed by Andrea Stolpe, an accomplished songwriter, author, and educator who teaches at Berklee College of Music. It was a weekend online seminar, and the goal was to collaborate and finish one songwriting idea. Jeremy was paired with Rachel Rubenstein in Vermont, Matt Shepard in New Zealand, and both felt his idea was the one the trio should dedicate their time to finishing. “It was a real treat to go on such an intimate creative journey with two strangers I just met who all live in different time zones thousands of miles apart,” Jeremy says.

Jeremy’s vision for the song was to create an undeniably upbeat tune with great melodic and chordal prosody with the lyrics. He modernized the track with a head-bob hip-hop beat, and kept the production clean and tidy with minimalist guitar parts that conjured the clipped groove of reggae and the sweet melodicism of country.

The song’s ear-worm melody is tastefully orchestrated throughout the track, often appearing as a balmy whistled passage. The tune bounces along with a snappy modern groove, and clean-toned chords that feature some tastefully sophisticated Beatles-esque changes. Throughout, Jeremy’s vocal has a smooth as molasses soulfulness with touches of grit to make key phrases pop and bring forth dynamics. The lean production is deceptively simple, but has impactful touches like harmony vocals and infectious melodic motifs that stave off any ear fatigue from an ultra-catchy pop song.

The lyrics here feature cleverly tweaked catchphrases, and they also masterfully employ simple uplifting aphorisms. One standout passage reads: When Life gives you a lemon But then smacks it out your hand/It seems so unforgiving/And hard to understand It’s a time of constant troubles Where you’re fighting to survive/But the fact that you’ve got problems Means you’re still alive. The chorus is almost a mantra of positivity, here Jeremy sings: Think about the good things/Think about the good things/When your life seems uncertain/Or you’re feeling down and hurt’n/You can choose/To think about the good things.

“The big theme here is that no matter what happens in your life, you have a choice of how you can deal with it,” Jeremy says. “You can’t change outside forces, but you can change the way you respond to them. I guess it’s the perspective of the optimist, and it touches on having gratitude for the people, places, and things that we are lucky to experience.”

Jeremy is a LA-based consummate creator with an intrepid DIY spirit that informs all of his artistic endeavors. He produces, engineers, and mixes his own tracks at his garage studio, affectionately dubbed, “The Chateau Motel.” He earned a BA in Visual Communication Design from Purdue University, and he also produces and directs his videos. Previously, Jeremy has released 6 albums—3 as a solo artist—1 EP, and 9 singles.

Career highlights include working with a legendary rhythm section, consisting of drummer Steve Ferrone ( Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Duran Duran etc.) and bassist Rhonda Smith, (Prince, Jeff Beck) for his single, “All for You”; playing well over a 1,000 shows, including touring Japan; working with producers/engineers Kevin “The Caveman” Shirley (Joe Bonamassa , Led Zeppelin,  Aerosmith) and Grammy-winner Sadaharu Yagi (Shania Twain, John Mayall, and Marc Anthony); and one of his videos accruing 17 million views on Facebook and earning a feature on the TV show Good Morning LA. Jeremy’s songs have been licensed to major network TV shows, indie films and international commercials. In addition, he has performed on live TV as a sideman alongside Morris Day and Snoop Dogg on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE, playing keyboards and singing backup vocals.

Up next, Jeremy is working on a new album to be released in 2022, and “Good Things” will be the album’s first single. He’s also keeping busy with his monthly livestream series, “Live at the Chateau Motel,” and, once COVID restrictions are lifted, he plans to get back out on the road and tour.

 

Here is the Link to LISTEN on All digital Platforms:

https://bit.ly/GoodThingsSong

Good Things

Jeremy Buck, Rachel Rubinstein, Matt Shephard

[ VERSE 1 ]
When Life gives you a lemon
But then smacks it out your hand
It seems so unforgiving
And hard to understand
It’s a time of constant troubles
Where you’re fighting to survive
But the fact that you’ve got problems
Means you’re still alive

[ PRE ]
So don’t Let it get you down
cause it could always be worse…

[ CHORUS ]
Think about the good things
Think about the good things
When your life seems uncertain
Or you’re feeling down and hurt’n
You can choose
To think about the good things

[ POST ]
(Whistle)

[ VERSE 2 ]
No, I’m not proclaiming
It turns water into wine
But it doesn’t cost you nothing
To pour a glass and try
It makes no sense to worry
Or bury yourself in doubt
Cause unless your 6 feet under
You can still dig yourself out

[ PRE ]
So don’t Let it get you down
cause it could always be worse…

[ CHORUS ]
Think about the good things
Think about the good things
When your life seems uncertain
or you’re feeling down and hurt’n
You can choose
To think about the good things

[ POST ]
(Whistle)

[ BRIDGE ]
So when life hands you a lemon
Make sure to hold on tight
Somewhere in there’s a lesson
That could someday change your life

[ PRE ]
So don’t Let it get you down
cause it could always be worse.

[ CHORUS ]
Think about the good things
Think about the good things
When your life seems uncertain
or you’re feeling down and hurt’n
You can choose
To think about the good things
Think about the good things
Think about the good things
When it’s hard to make a living
And if you think that you’re not winning
then you loose
Think about the good things

[ POST ] (w/ Whistle)
Think about the good things
Think about the good things
Think about the good (x lots)
Good things