|
|
|
Home | Cover Songs | Original Songs | Analog Tape | CDs | Videos | IMMO | Pics | mike@limitlessstudio.org |
|
ORIGINAL SONGS |
"Ever since I can remember, my dream was to hear a song that I wrote being played on the radio. But I had to realize that to have a song that I wrote make it onto the Billboard Hot 100, was a dream that would never come true. Well, my original songs might never be radio hits, but at my age I'm just hoping someone out there enjoys the music I produce." - Mike Auen |
 Every song tells someone's story. And that's what I write. Someone's story. It might be my story and it may be your story. But it's someone's story. And that's what so wonderful about music. You hear a certain song and you can instantly relate. "That songwriter must have had me in mind when that song was written." And then the music and the lyrics take you to a magical place where only music can take you.I understand that not all of my original songs have morally redeeming values. But that's life, right? I focus the lyrics of my songs on love's fantasies, fortunes, and failures. We have loves and relationships that are won and lost. We have situations we would love to relive. We have situations we wish would have never happened. And we can't change any of it — the good or the bad. And that's why I write about it. It's the human experience put to music. Love's fantasies, fortunes, and failures. And it always tells someone's story!  Thanks to my good friend Eddie Folk who introduced me to digital recording, I have been digitally recording music since February of 2020 using STUDIO ONE 5 PROFESSIONAL as my DAW (digital audio workstation). One goal I had since all this started was to have someone else besides me sing my original songs when possible. I want to hear them put their vocal passion into my songs. I've been extremely fortunate in having friends who not only have great voices, but are willing to take the time to learn one of my songs and then record it. I want to thank my friends Bobbi Folk, Mike McCray, Joe DiMeo, Todd Ernst, Eric Yost, Kimball Swanson, Sandy Bazan, Julie Rosano, Patience Miller, Teri Hughes, Shelley Chandler, Tim Williams, Carl Loya, and Cameron Simmons for contributing their time into learning one of my original songs and then putting their passionate vocals into the recording. And to Bill McGowan, Bob McCracken, and Robin Warner for helping me with lyrics when I couldn’t think of the right words. All of you are an answer to a musical dream I have always had!I've made one basic rule for this project. 1) No $$$ is exchanged either way for these songs. It's been a fun experience for all parties involved and it's just what good friends do. To my friends who have been gifted with great voices, I give thanks for their contributions to my music! Songs are listed alphabetically below, with the singer's pic to the right. |
|
To listen to any song, click on the title of the song below. |
|
A NICKEL TOUR (of your heart) MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike AuenLYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen & Robin Warner SONG COMPLETED: May 16, 2022 RECORDING COMPLETED: November 3, 2023 VOCALS BY: Sandy Bazan & Mike Auen LSP CD: Hiding Broken Hearts / LSP001 TIME: 5:17 | TRACK: 9 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: This song is about a guy and a girl who have secret romantic interests in each other but the other doesn't know that. They simply want to know what the other thinks about them. They are both thinking “What would I find if I could take a nickel tour of your heart? Would I find you thinking of me? I hope so!" |
|
|
|
||
|
ANOTHER LYIN' NIGHT MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike AuenLYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: September 13, 2020 RECORDING COMPLETED: November 20, 2023 VOCALS BY: Mike McCray LSP CD: Hiding Broken Hearts / LSP001 TIME: 4:46 | TRACK: 2 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: A follow-up to the 1975 song "Lyin' Eyes" by THE EAGLES. Ever wonder what happened to the boy on the other side of town? Thought I would write that song. |
|
|
|
||
|
DID YOU EVER? MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike AuenLYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen & Bill McGowan & a 7-year-old boy SONG COMPLETED: June 1971 RECORDING COMPLETED: December 2, 2020 VOCALS BY: Todd Ernst LSP CD: Hiding Broken Hearts / LSP001 TIME: 4:06 | TRACK: 6 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: One day in May of 1971, I was visiting the dentist. I picked up a “Highlights for Children” magazine and read a very interesting poem a 7-year-old boy had written that he titled “Did You Ever?” I had some music already written and these words fit perfectly. But there wasn’t enough words there to complete the song. With the help of my friend Bill McGowan, we filled in the gaps. A few weeks later this song was complete. |
|
|
|
||
|
DO THEY MISS IT? MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike AuenLYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: January 10, 1977 RECORDING COMPLETED: January 18, 2024 VOCALS BY: Mike Auen LSP CD: Second Dance / LSP003 TIME: 5:00 | TRACK: 2 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: The Beatles were my favorite band of all time. They broke up on April 10, 1970. Shortly after that, I always wondered if they would get back together. So on January 10, 1977, I wrote this song about this band and titled it “Do They Miss It?” Throughout this recording, I added 20 short and different guitar, piano, and vocal riffs from other well-known Beatle songs. Can you identify all 20 of them? |
|
|
|
||
|
GETTING OLDMUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen LYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: October 1, 2024 RECORDING COMPLETED: October 7, 2024 VOCALS BY: Mike Auen LSP CD: Second Dance / LSP003 TIME: 5:30 | TRACK: 5 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: I was going through a notebook of all the songs I have written over the years. I found one song I wrote way back in June of 1978 (I was 24 at the time). It's a song about all the songs I had written. The words kept on repeating "getting old" for some reason. Now that I'm 70 years old, that line would now be correct. I AM getting old. So I rewrote several lines to that song speaking more about my Christian experience and how Jesus has set me free. |
|
|
|
||
|
HARD TO SAY NO MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike AuenLYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: May 19, 1980 RECORDING COMPLETED: December 4, 2023 VOCALS BY: Shelley Chandler LSP CD: Hiding Broken Hearts / LSP001 TIME: 4:02 | TRACK: 7 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: Back in the early 80s I worked with a lady who was in her late 30s. She was married with 4 children. One day she shared with me about how an old boyfriend suddenly came back into her life and wanted to rekindle a relationship. I asked her how she responded. She said, “Mike, sometimes it’s so hard to say no.” I thought her story would make for a very good song … a story about her difficult situation and how she handled it. |
|
|
|
||
|
I ALWAYS FALL IN LOVE MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike AuenLYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: June 17, 1975 RECORDING COMPLETED: November 9, 2023 VOCALS BY: Patience Miller LSP CD: Second Dance / LSP003 TIME: 3:25 | TRACK: 9 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: On June 17, 1975, after several years of dating and many girlfriends later, I realized one thing about myself. It was way too easy for me to fall in love. Time to write a song about that. The result was "I Always Fall in Love." When I decided to record this song 48 years later, I asked my friend Patience to be the vocalist. She agreed. I changed the words around a bit to make it a girl's song with a 60s girl-song flavor. |
|
|
|
||
|
I REALLY DOMUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen LYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: 1969 RECORDING COMPLETED: April 25, 2024 VOCALS BY: Mike Auen LSP CD: Second Dance / LSP003 TIME: 3:23 | TRACK: 4 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: It was 1969 and I was 15 and a sophomore in high school. My friend Danny Heath showed me some new chords call major seventh chords. I really liked the mellow sound of these chords. So I thought I would write a song using them. So, with the influence of Herman's Hermits, The Monkees, and Bubble Gum Music, I wrote this love song for some girl at Brentwood High School that never knew I had a crush on her. |
|
|
|
||
|
I'LL HIDE MY BROKEN HEART AWAY MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike AuenLYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: July 27, 1975 RECORDING COMPLETED: January 27, 2022 VOCALS BY: Julie Rosano LSP CD: Hiding Broken Hearts / LSP001 TIME: 4:26 | TRACK: 10 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: I dated a girl in early 1975. Her name was Nancy. Nancy was beautiful, intelligent, and divorced. Nancy was really burned by her former husband. I could tell she still was not over what he had done. I asked her this question: “How did you ever make it through such a difficult situation?” She responded by saying, “I had to hide my broken heart away.” That was the inspiration I needed to write this song. |
|
|
|
||
|
I'M SORRY IFMUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen LYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: August 10, 1980 RECORDING COMPLETED: July 16, 2024 VOCALS BY: Mike Auen LSP CD: Second Dance / LSP003 TIME: 4:00 | TRACK: 6 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: In 1980 I was carpooling to work in a van driven by a guy who loved country music. That's all I heard going to and coming home from work. But I heard the simplicity in this music and I kinda liked it. So I decided to write a "country music" song. A common theme I heard in country music lyrics was a love gone wrong. I can write that. So I did. |
|
|
|
||
|
IT CAN HAPPEN TO ME MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike AuenLYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: September 14, 1983 RECORDING COMPLETED: April 12, 2025 VOCALS BY: Bobbi Folk DRUMS & MIX BY: Eddie Folk LSP CD: Just One Kiss / LSP007 TIME: 4:30 | TRACK: 4 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: I always wondered what a person would do if they encountered a situation that presented a one-time opportunity of intimacy, passion, and pleasure. An opportunity that was not planned or arranged. An opportunity that if not acted upon in that moment would never occur again. Would you take that opportunity? Can it happen to you? If so, would you later on think that you failed or succeeded? This girl considered it a very special night. |
|
|
|
||
|
MEXICO MEXICO MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike AuenLYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: June 5, 1977 RECORDING COMPLETED: September 7, 2024 VOCALS BY: Carl Loya LSP CD: Second Dance / LSP003 TIME: 4:37 | TRACK: 10 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: In May of 1977, I heard of this new musician named Jimmy Buffet. He had a hit song called "Margaritaville." It was a catchy tune with a Latino/beach beat to it. I think I can write a song like that. So on June 5, 1977, I completed writing this song "Mexico Mexico," a story about a guy who travels to Mexico and gets lucky. I tried to give this song a Jimmy Buffet flavor. It may be someone’s story, but it’s not my story! |
|
|
|
||
|
MORE AND MOREMUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen LYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: September 27, 1976 RECORDING COMPLETED: March 8, 2024 VOCALS BY: Mike Auen LSP CD: Second Dance / LSP003 TIME: 3:15 | TRACK: 8 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: I’ve written many songs in my lifetime. I wrote this song for my wife 2 months after we got married in 1976. I had the songs "Photograph" by Ringo Starr (the chorus) and "Pieces of April" by Three Dog Night (the ending) in mind when writing the music. This song tells my story. |
|
|
|
||
|
SAIL AWAY MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike AuenLYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: February 6, 1980 RECORDING COMPLETED: May 18, 2022 VOCALS BY: Joe DiMeo LSP CD: Hiding Broken Hearts / LSP001 TIME: 3:25 | TRACK: 4 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: One day in early 1980, I was playing around with a simple D-chord progression on my Fender 12-string guitar and came up with this riff. The song is about a guy who is willing to give up everything he knows to be with the woman he loves. It's someone's story. Thought I’d throw in some ringing bells and splashing wave sounds in this mix to give the song a nautical feel. |
|
|
|
||
|
SOMEWHERE IN CAROLINA MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike AuenLYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen & Robin Warner SONG COMPLETED: January 17, 2022 RECORDING COMPLETED: August 26, 2023 VOCALS BY: Eric Yost LSP CD: Hiding Broken Hearts / LSP001 TIME: 4:01 | TRACK: 3 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: A friend of mine took a vacation to a beach in North Carolina. She told me about a mailbox on that beach called the “Kindred Spirit Mailbox” where people can write letters and place them in this mailbox for others to read. I thought there’s a good love story there. So I wrote this song about a guy who is hoping to find a letter in this mailbox from a lost summer love. |
|
|
|
||
|
SOUTHERN COMFORT MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike AuenLYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: August 9, 1981 RECORDING COMPLETED: May 26, 2026 VOCALS BY: Cameron Simmons LSP CD: Just One Kiss / LSP007 TIME: 3:00 | TRACK: 5 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: Back in 1981, I had seen an advertisement on TV for the whiskey "Southern Comfort." I thought I could mold that name into a country-flavored song. So I wrote this simple 4-chord song with a catchy tune about a guy and his southern girlfriend who he goes to see every time he travels south to Tennessee. And I live near Interstate 81 so I threw that in. And finding Cameron Simmons to sing this song was the icing on the cake! |
|
|
|
||
|
STAY WITH YOU MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike AuenLYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: January 1973 RECORDING COMPLETED: July 31, 2023 VOCALS BY: Teri Hughes LSP CD: Second Dance / LSP003 TIME: 3:42 | TRACK: 7 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: It was early 1973 and I had heard of this new band called “The Eagles” and they had a song out called “Peaceful Easy Feeling.” I really liked the “country rock” flavor to that song, so I thought I’d write one similar to it. So I did. The words reflect no one in particular, although I did have a crush on a girl named Cindy at the time. It’s just a feel-good song. |
|
|
|
||
|
STEPHANYMUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen LYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: July 21, 1977 RECORDING COMPLETED: May 1, 2020 VOCALS BY: Mike Auen LSP CD: Hiding Broken Hearts / LSP001 TIME: 4:30 | TRACK: 5 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: It was the summer of 1977. I worked with a guy who one night shared a story with me about an affair he had shortly after he got married. He shared every last detail. I found the story so interesting, I thought I would write that song using most of the words he spoke to me that night. His wife’s name is Stephany thus the name of the song. The good news is they reconciled and to this day they are still together! |
|
|
|
||
|
STILL I MADE LOVE TO YOUMUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen LYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: December 10, 1975 RECORDING COMPLETED: August 8, 2024 VOCALS BY: Mike Auen LSP CD: Second Dance / LSP003 TIME: 3:16 | TRACK: 1 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: I have always loved the simplicity of the songs of the 50s. Then in 1973, I saw the movie "American Graffiti." That movie really took me back again into the 50s Doo-Wop music style with it's great lyrics and predictable 4-chord patterns. I started thinking of a very typical 50s (or 60s) teenage situation and decided to write my own Doo-Wop song. Once you hear the lyrics, you'll agree that this song may have been written about you. |
|
|
|
||
|
THAT WASN'T ME (you saw last night)MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen LYRICS WRITTEN BY: Bob McCracken SONG COMPLETED: April 23, 1984 RECORDING COMPLETED: October 19, 2023 VOCALS BY: Mike Auen LSP CD: Second Dance / LSP003 TIME: 2:55 | TRACK: 3 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: I had a nice minor-key music piece written on the piano but couldn't come up with any words. So, once again, my friend Bob McCracken wrote the words for this song. It's a song about a guy who lies to his wife over his whereabouts the night before. |
|
|
|
||
|
THOSE DAYS ARE GONEMUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen LYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: March 12, 1977 RECORDING COMPLETED: March 4, 2022 VOCALS BY: Bobbi Folk DRUMS & MIX BY: Eddie Folk LSP CD: Hiding Broken Hearts / LSP001 TIME: 4:27 | TRACK: 1 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: In 1976 I attended my 5-year high school reunion. At that event, two high school sweethearts were reunited for the first time in 5 years. It appears that their 1971 breakup was not very amicable. But now the girl wanted the guy back. The guy was not about to allow that to happen. I did hear him say to her, “Baby, those days are gone.” So I wrote this song and changed the words so my friend Bobbi could sing it. |
|
|
|
||
|
WATER-COLORED EYESMUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen LYRICS WRITTEN BY: Robin Warner SONG COMPLETED: November 13, 2024 RECORDING COMPLETED: November 20, 2024 VOCALS BY: Mike Auen LSP CD: Just One Kiss / LSP007 TIME: 3:53 | TRACK: 3 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: My friend Robin Warner had helped me with the lyrics to a few of my original songs. One day I received an email from her with a poem she had written. She asked me if it was possible to put her poem to music. I had never done this before. But I really liked the words so I thought I would give it a try. I had some music I had written decades ago so let's see if these words will fit this music. It worked! The music fit the mood of the words perfectly! |
|
|
|
||
|
YOU CAN HAVE ME TONIGHTMUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen LYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: October 16, 2025 RECORDING COMPLETED: January 8, 2026 VOCALS BY: Mike Auen LSP CD: Just One Kiss / LSP007 TIME: 3:32 | TRACK: 1 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: I began writing this song back in 1983 when I wanted to write a song with a 60s flavor. I wrote the first 2 verses and then quit. And I couldn't come up with a chorus either. I picked it back up in 2023, determined to complete it. I did. The song is about a guy who has one main love interest but wants some action on the side. He may need to decide which one he wants. Or maybe he'll just have both. |
|
|
|
||
|
YOU DON'T KNOW ME MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike AuenLYRICS WRITTEN BY: Bob McCracken SONG COMPLETED: 1983 RECORDING COMPLETED: April 18, 2022 VOCALS BY: Kimball Swanson LSP CD: Hiding Broken Hearts / LSP001 TIME: 3:41 | TRACK: 8 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: In the 80s, it seemed like songs in minor chord keys were popular. So I wrote this minor key melody on the piano that I thought sounded pretty good. However, I could not come up with any words. I presented my dilemma to my friend Bob McCracken who graciously wrote the words to this song. A song about a guy with a secret lover. |
|
|
|
||
|
YOU WILL FLY MUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike AuenLYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: March 6, 1998 RECORDING COMPLETED: March 16, 2023 VOCALS BY: Tim Williams LSP CD: Closer to Glory / LSP006 TIME: 3:29 | TRACK: 1 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: I wrote this song for an Easter play at the church I was attending at the time. Before Jesus was crucified, what might He have said to His followers that night before He was betrayed into the hands of sinners? It's a song of encouragement that belief and trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior promises eternal life (JOHN 3:16) and that we will fly on eagle's wings (ISAIAH 40:31). |
|
|
|
||
|
YOU'RE POETRY IN MOTIONMUSIC WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen LYRICS WRITTEN BY: Mike Auen SONG COMPLETED: August 6, 2025 RECORDING COMPLETED: August 16, 2025 VOCALS BY: Mike Auen LSP CD: Just One Kiss / LSP007 TIME: 2:51 | TRACK: 2 of 10 | LYRICS THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: I wrote the words/music to a song back in April of 1975. I really liked the music, but the words were kinda blah. So I decided to rewrite the words and give the music a "Latin Rock" flavor similar to "Moonlight Feels Right" by Starbuck. The song is about a guy who has a secret admiration for a girl and he can only admire her from a distance. (she could possibly be a musical artist, a TV performer, a professional athlete, etc.) And she has no clue he exists. |
|
Send an EMAIL to Mike | Copyright © 2026 | Music - Limitless Studio Productions | Updated 5-28-2026 |