JAMES VINCENT MUSIC

🎼 Under the Moon 🎼 🌛 — Story Behind the Song

“Under the Moon” began with my longtime friend Tracy from our hometown of Freehold. Tracy was one of those genuinely grounded, good people who also happened to have a wonderful way with words. She wrote poetry, lyrics and history, and one day she reached out about getting together to see if I might put music to some of her lyrics. I was more than happy to give it a shot. We sat down, went through some of her writing, and we both kept coming back to “Under the Moon.” I picked up the acoustic guitar and started fiddling around—finding chords, melody, phrasing and structure—while we talked about where this little song wanted to go.

Once we found it, everything started falling into place. Tracy wanted me to sing it, but I kept hearing another voice answering mine, so I called MarySue Proveaux to add the female vocal. MarySue had a wonderful instinct for phrasing and, more importantly, for putting real human emotion into a performance. We kept the arrangement warm and intimate and added harmonica to give it that little touch of Americana. And because we were recording on a hot summer night, we even recorded the crickets chirping outside and put them on the session. Sometimes Mother Nature makes a pretty good background singer.

All these years later, digging through the vaults—or these days, the old hard drives—I came across “Under the Moon” again. I wasn't interested in turning it into something it never was. I simply wanted to give it a little more polish and present it in a way that honors what Tracy captured so beautifully in the first place: that wonderfully simple, universal moment when the rest of the world seems to disappear and there are only two people, a midnight-blue sky, and the moon above them.

Today I describe “Under the Moon” as Contemporary Country-Americana—a tender male-female duet celebrating love and connection under the stars. But I've always thought this one was made for a Hallmark movie. You can almost see the scene while you're listening: a warm summer night, two people finding their moment together, crickets singing in the background, a little harmonica drifting through the air, and that big midnight-blue sky overhead. Tracy managed to capture all of that in a wonderfully simple lyric—a little three-minute love story for all of us.

Does this song connect with you? — Leave a comment and let me know. 

Attention Artists, Music Supervisors, Sync Agencies, DJs & Playlist Curators:
All James Vincent Music is copyrighted, published under JVMEDIA MUSIC PUBLISHING, and registered with BMI, with accurate co-writer splits, metadata, and licensing information fully documented. Every track is ready for immediate sync use, making it a risk-free option for film, television, advertising, and other projects. 
For inquiries, licensing, or placements, visit JamesVincentMusic or email us at JamesVincentMedia@Gmail.com 

🎼 Under the Moon🎼 🌛 - (Contemporary Country-Americana, Romantic, Mid-tempo) - a tender male-female duet celebrating love and connection under the stars, ideal for romantic film and TV scenes, heartfelt commercials, and Hallmark-style storytelling.

🎼 Shame on Us 🎼 💔 — Story Behind the Song

Back in the early 1980s, I was beginning to push beyond writing songs just for myself. I was listening to a lot of Tom Petty at the time, and somewhere along the way I became fascinated with the idea of writing a male/female rock duet—two voices telling the same story from opposite sides of the same heartbreak. I reached out to the best female rock singer in our local music scene, MarySue, and to my delight she agreed to record the demo with me. The moment we started singing together, the song seemed to come alive. We recorded it on an old Fostex 8-track recorder, probably with nothing more than a drum machine holding down the beat, an electric guitar, bass and I mapped out some electric piano fills.  If I remember correctly, we even sang our vocals together in the same session. The recording itself never sounded the way I imagined, but MarySue's performance was unforgettable. She brought a depth and honesty to the song that convinced me we had created something special.

Shame on Us tells the story of two married people who find themselves caught in an affair—two people who know they're wrong but can't seem to walk away. The chorus became the emotional center of the song: "Shame on me, shame on you... we can't live together, we can't live apart... because the two of us share one broken heart." Friends who heard the demo kept asking, "What are you going to do with this song?" The truth is... I didn't have an answer. Like so many independent songwriters, I was caught somewhere between believing in my songs and wondering how they'd ever find their way into the world. Maybe I was waiting to be discovered. Maybe I was afraid of rejection. Looking back now, I think it was probably a little of both.

For years, Shame on Us quietly waited in what I often call my "ship of songs"—dozens of recordings that never stopped meaning something to me, even if no one else had heard them. That's why bringing it back to life for the James Vincent Music Library means so much. It finally received the production it always deserved, and I actually kept the spirit of Rock but i also feel this might find a home with the current nashville Country Music fans as well.  It also reminds me of the beginning of a great musical friendship with MarySue. After this recording, we went on to record several more songs together, and you'll be hearing those throughout the coming year. I'd like to think this song's "future" has finally arrived. If Shame on Us found its way into your heart, I'd be honored if you'd share it with someone else who appreciates a great, spicy story told through music. And if a film or Netflix music supervisor happens to be listening... well... call or text me now!  "Most of these songs are over twenty years old now. I guess it's finally time to kick my musical kids out of the house—they've been living rent-free long enough."  Again I truly appreciate all you guys who are supporting and following my efforts here - going to get much more interesting in the Fall Season I promise ... BIG news!

Does this song connect with you? — Leave a comment and let me know. 

Attention Artists, Music Supervisors, Sync Agencies, DJs & Playlist Curators:
All James Vincent Music is copyrighted, published under JVMEDIA MUSIC PUBLISHING, and registered with BMI, with accurate co-writer splits, metadata, and licensing information fully documented. Every track is ready for immediate sync use, making it a risk-free option for film, television, advertising, and other projects. 
For inquiries, licensing, or placements, visit JamesVincentMusic or email us at JamesVincentMedia@Gmail.com 

🎼 Shame on Us 🎼 💔 - (Cinematic Country/Rock, Dramatic, Story-Driven) - a cinematic country/rock pop story about forbidden love, guilt and passion between a guilty couple caught in the heat of temptation.  Perfect for soap-opera-style storytelling, dramatic film moments, and emotionally-driven visuals. 

🎼 Bad Girls 🎼 💜 — Story Behind the Song

Every songwriter has a song that makes them wonder, "What if?" For me, Bad Girls is one of those songs.

It was written as the follow-up single to Wanna Learn Ya, just as Charisse was beginning to gain momentum through Kama-Sutra Records. Then, almost overnight, everything changed. The label folded, the future became uncertain, and just as our contract expired, Sony Records came calling. There was only one problem—Carolyn, the original voice of Charisse, had already decided to move on with her life. Suddenly, I found myself racing against the clock to keep the opportunity alive.

Fortunately, I had met some incredibly talented artists during our year with Kama-Sutra, and one of them was a gifted New Jersey vocalist named Melanie. From the moment she auditioned, I knew she had something special. She had the voice, the confidence, and the stage presence of someone ready for the next level. While putting the finishing touches on Bad Girls, the three of us—Melanie, legendary engineer and producer Bob Allecca, and I—headed back into Real Platinum Studios in Lodi, New Jersey. Without my original (Charisse) producer Ace Jackson (Norman) by my side, the responsibility felt different, but together we created a recording we genuinely believed in. We couldn't wait to get it into Sony's hands.

A few weeks later, the phone rang.

The A&R representative left a voicemail that I'll never forget. He loved the record. In fact, he called it "a home run." But despite his enthusiasm, Sony decided to pass. Like so many stories in the music business, it wasn't always about the song. Sometimes timing, priorities, and circumstances make the decision for you.

Life has a way of reminding you what's truly important. Around the same time, my wife was expecting our second son, and my focus naturally shifted toward family. There were other opportunities—at one point, Mic-Mac Records expressed serious interest in signing Melanie—but the proposed deal came with creative compromises I wasn't willing to make. Before long, everyone had moved in different directions, and Bad Girls quietly slipped into the vault.

Until now.

For the first time, this recording finally gets the audience it never had the chance to meet back in 1990. Listening to it today, I still hear the excitement, the optimism, and the belief that we were creating something special.

I'm also sharing Wanna Learn Ya alongside this release because these two songs have always belonged together. One opened the door. The other was meant to walk through it.

Now I'd love to hear from you.

Which song connects with you more—Wanna Learn Ya or Bad Girls? Leave a comment and let me know. After all these years, it's your turn to decide.

Attention Artists, Music Supervisors, Sync Agencies, DJs & Playlist Curators:
All James Vincent Music is copyrighted, published under JVMEDIA MUSIC PUBLISHING, and registered with BMI, with accurate co-writer splits, metadata, and licensing information fully documented. Every track is ready for immediate sync use, making it a risk-free option for film, television, advertising, and other projects. 
For inquiries, licensing, or placements, visit JamesVincentMusic or email us at JamesVincentMedia@Gmail.com 

🎼 Bad Girls 🎼 💜 - (Pop, 90s-inspired, High Energy) - a slick, modern pop club anthem celebrating fun, freedom, and fearless girl power.  Perfect for nightlife-driven scenes, upbeat film montages, party sequences, and young adult lifestyle content.