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WRI-101: Voice, Noise, Sound, Sense.

A section of Davidson College's Writing Program, exploring the intersections of sound-studies and writing instruction.

aitwombly

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A New Appreciation for Sound

I dove into the world of sound studies with no previous experience, or to be honest, no interest in digging deeper into how sound affects the world around us. Throughout my semester studying it though, I have come to truly appreciate sound and its effects, actions, and consequences. Through studying the sound in music, I gained a greater appreciation for music in general and the artists that create it. With the help of some philosophy, I reached my own definition about who can have voice. Finally, from immersing myself in the soundscape of Davidson, I discovered what sounds adds to this campus. I am now reflecting on everything I have learned to try and determine the impact my new focus on sound has on how I live my life. Hearing is a sense that people can take for granted but the world is constantly filled with sounds yearning to be listened to. Every sound has something it can tell me. My projects weren’t eye opening, but rather ear opening. I am amazed how much of the world has passed me by because I never had the awareness to simply listen. From this class though, I now know how. I now have the appreciation and tools to finally be able to comprehend what these sounds mean.

Thinking about voice in relation to sound taught me how to critically listen. Although I had thought about “voice” before, I never understood or cared about the widespread impact of this idea on those with speech difficulty or other disabilities. When I read Aristotle’s essay on voice and sound, his ideas didn’t seem right to me. I began to think about whether there is more to voice than the physical sound exiting the human mouth as Aristotle would define it, and after reading Cavarero’s essay “Multiple Voices,” I concluded there is (Aristotle 670). She wrote “the voice is the equivalent of what the unique person has that is most hidden and most genuine” (Cavarero 522). Voice reaches beyond the actual sound because it is most closely related to expression. This definition is far more inclusive than Aristotle’s.

“[Speech-impaired people] can [express themselves] through art, writing, sign language, and even through technology today, which in a way has given them the ability to verbally express themselves. If the true definition of voice was that it needed to be a sound generated from the resonance inside a human being, many non-verbal people’s souls and imaginations would never have been revealed.

This idea is from my first writing project and explains the reasoning behind people having a voice without the ability to speak. With this came another realization that definitions of sound, or even extensions beyond that, evolve along with the evolution of society. Aristotle described his definition of voice at a time before any technology existed that enabled speech-impaired people to speak. Of course, there were other ways to express themselves through writing or art, but it would have seemed impossible to them that those who were speech-impaired could express themselves using sound. Now, however, with the evolution of technology, they have the ability to do this. One of the more powerful articles I read was “Helping my Non-verbal Son Find his Voice.” The child described by his mother cannot speak, but rather uses a computer program that speaks for him (Sumner). This made me think. Why does he not deserve a voice? I came to the conclusion that he does. He expresses himself with this machine and although it is not the actual sound coming from within his body, the ideas and thoughts are his own. This writing project was an educative process for me. Thinking about voice in a deeper way gave me new perspectives on issues like that and I witnessed how changes in technology can influence definitions as basic as those for voice and sound. Sound has such a large impact on society and the meaning as a whole can be fluid. Because of this, my awareness for sound and the changes in its impact on society grew and I began to listen more to the soundscape around me.

After exploring the relationship between sound and voice in humans, I had a whole new view about the importance of the world of sounds around us. With the second writing project, this reared its head in music. I determined that the actual sound of songs can have meaning beyond what the lyrics are saying. Coming to this conclusion took the same strategic listening as the first writing project. Part of my listening focused on cover songs. Taylor Swift’s cover of “September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire was an interesting example that really made me rethink musical production as a whole. The lyrics were the same, yet somehow, the differences in genre and instruments changed the meaning of Taylor Swift’s version.

https://youtu.be/rEodWpnWBz0

“The change in sound of Swift’s cover shows how sound can augment the meaning of a song and the resulting reaction also showed that genre, being sorted by sound, inherently affects the meaning of a song.”

This conclusion took a lot of critical listening skills to come to. I have always believed music has the ability to create certain feelings in a listener, but studying Swift’s cover gave me a brand new perspective on the tools used by artists to convey meaning. There is so much more work that is involved in making music than I originally believed and this project reinforced to me that most of us never realize the amount of meaning sound can carry. Like the first writing project, my eyes were opened to what sound can impact in our daily lives. I can now appreciate music as an art more than I could before because of my new awareness. My renewed ability to listen and understand sounds was pushed further and this project showed me how I could use this skill to live a more fulfilling and understanding life.

My final writing project put all of these ideas together. I turned my focus from music and voice to the Davidson community as a whole. While studying music was more specific, I began to explore the everyday sounds that fill my soundscape. Even these sounds began to have some sort of meaning to me. My project focused on Vail Commons, the only dining hall at Davidson. While sitting in the dining hall, the noise, keynotes, and soundmarks as defined by Schafer gave me an insight into Davidson students and the use of the space itself.

“In addition to helping show the culture of Davidson, the sound also reveals what the space is used for. The loud volume during lunch and dinner means students are not doing work while they eat, but rather as a vessel to finally take a break from their hard work.”

My focused listening in the scoundscape showed me different things about the Davidson student body. Overall though, it taught me to be more aware of the everyday sounds around me. Similar to sightseeing, listening to an environment can reveal so much about a particular space. People, including me before this project, do not seem to put any emphasis or importance on sounds, but then they miss out on so much a place has to offer. I could have come to some of these conclusions about Vail Commons without the close listening but the sounds I heard reinforced my pre-existing beliefs. It also proved that these sounds do in fact have meaning and this idea can be expanded to help me in future situations to try and understand a certain space or the culture surrounding it.

Throughout the semester and with each subsequent writing project, my understanding of the world around me has expanded. The soundscape has always been there, but I never had the awareness to listen. I can now interpret spaces around me and I honestly see more beauty in the world and I see how each sound interacts together to paint a picture as much as any visual image could. Hearing is a sense most people take for granted. I always thought it was mostly used as a means for communication between individuals, but it can also be a means of communication with the non-human world. I am going to take this new appreciation and apply it to my everyday life. Whether that is seeing the artistic expression in a song, or immersing myself in nature with the constant chirping of the birds and the wind rattling the leaves, I have a lot more to explore in life now. There is a new story to appreciate in my life now; one written by the ever expanding catalog of sounds that are trying to author their own meaning.

References

“Taylor Swift – September Cover (Earth, Wind & Fire).” YouTube, 14 Apr. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnDnphYTb0Q. Accessed 24 Mar. 2019.

Schafer, R. Murray. “The Soundscape.” The Sound Studies Reader, edited by Jonathan Sterne, 2012, pp. 95-103.

Aristotle. “Aristotle on Voice.” 1984. The Complete Works of Aristotle, Princeton University Press, 1984.

Sumner, Jamie. “Helping My Nonverbal Son Find His Voice.” Ties, www.nytimes.com/2018/07/06/well/helping-my-nonverbal-son-find-his-voice.html. Accessed 11 Feb. 2019. Originally published in The New York Times, 6 July 2018.

“Earth, Wind & Fire – September (Official Music Video).” YouTube, 11 Jan. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs069dndIYk. Accessed 24 Mar. 2019.

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Early Risers or Night Owls?: How Commons Gives an Insight into the Life of a Davidson Student

Early Risers or Night Owls? Who would have thought sound could answer this question about students at Davidson College? I explored Vail Commons to search for the answer to this question. After some close listening to the soundscape (and a “pizza?” on the way), I encountered some revelations about the culture and student body. Sound can tell a lot about a particular space, especially one that people visit every day. The proof was in the Commons pudding.

The Davidson soundscape is a unique one. From a stadium of 4,000 people cheering on a basketball game to the stressed, quiet chatting of the first floor of the library, there is a ton to explore. With the abundance of artificial and natural soundscapes, I chose to select one that I visit everyday. Vail Commons is the singular dining hall on Davidson’s campus. I thought about the influence Commons has on every single student at the school and realized my curiosity wanted me to push to find meaning and importance of this particular soundscape. What do the sounds inside commons at various times tell us about students at Davidson? How does the sound add or subtract from the space itself? What changes in the soundscape throughout the day? These were all questions I aimed to answer in my investigation and submersion into the space. Analyzing the sounds of Vail Commons and answering these questions revealed interesting parts of the culture of Davidson, parts I have never thought about until I dove into its soundscape.

Audio from Vail Commons at Breakfast

Close listening in Commons was a new experience for me. Instead of focusing on the sound coming from someone I am talking to, I focused on the soundscape as a whole. At breakfast time, there is no indication of anyone being there when you first walk in. There are no voices or sounds of people eating until you begin to walk down the stairs. Then, you can finally hear the sound of conversations or the silverware clanging as the workers put it away. I sat down in the middle of the room and tried to discern certain sounds. I could clearly understand some conversations, even at a distance. Along with this, the sounds of their forks and knives hitting their plates were audible as well. The ice machine was used intermittently and the creak of the door opening found its way into the soundscape.  Whenever an interspersed student arrived, the sound of them pulling out their chair interrupted the easily audible, distant sounds and conversations. Breakfast time at Commons revealed a diverse, interesting soundscape.

Audio from Vail Commons at Lunch

Lunch was different. Instead, when walking through the front door, there is a clear indication that people are there. The voices are audible even from the upper level, drowning out any of the quieter sounds that are present during breakfast. Once again, I sat down in the middle of the room and could still hear most of the same sounds, but this time, the meaning of the sounds changed. Although I could still hear people talking, only the conversations at an even closer distance were distinguishable. However, conversations were indistinguishable at a further distance, but not overpowering. They seemed like a normal, necessary part of the soundscape, making them a keynote. Although not as strong, the other sounds like a fork hitting a plate, someone using the soda machine, or a worker putting away the baskets of silverware were still audible and were weak soundmarks. Already, a pattern was forming. Most of the sounds remain there, but the volume of voices either add or take away from other sounds.

Audio from Commons Dinner

Dinner was the opposite extreme from breakfast. Now when I walked in, the sounds of voices clearly and loudly reverbated off the walls and the ceiling to my ears. Even sitting within a close distance of other groups of people yielded no audible conversations. I could no longer hear the quieter soundmarks that gave some diversity to the soundscape. All I could hear was the constant, loud droning of muffled conversation. The voices themselves turned from a signal or a keynote to noise that distracted negatively from any other sound within the soundscape. These observations lead to me some conclusions about the space itself.

The physical building had an interesting effect on the soundscape as a whole. The sounds reverberate off the walls and ceiling and fill the room with noise. To me, this takes away from the space at certain times, especially at dinner when it makes it difficult to hear others at the same table. At other times, it could add to the space. During lunch or breakfast when there are less people, the amplification of sounds gives a livelier atmosphere. This space is similar to that of Quaker Meetinghouses. Instead of following suit with some traditional church designs that had acoustics that focused sound from the pulpit on the audience, Quaker Meetinghouses used flat walls and ceiling panels in order to show that everyone can be the preacher. Instead of sound being gathered and focused on one area, sound from anywhere within the building was amplified and spread throughout the room. The building was designed with an acoustic purpose. However, in cities with a lot of sound pollution, this created issues because any sound outside was amplified once it reached inside the Meetinghouse (Rath 137). Commons has a similar issue to this. When there is not much noise, the building is perfect because it helps people project their voice further. However, once dinner time hits and there are hundreds of people talking at once, the noise created from the flat, paneled walls, ceilings, and windows can be overwhelming. This indicates that the building was created with acoustics designed to assist conversation, but they did not take into account the sheer number of people that could be in there at any one time. Once people realized the flaws of the Meetinghouses, they redesigned the acoustics to better focus the sound inside as to not amplify unwanted noise too much. Eventually when a new dining hall is built, this should be taken into account because dinner time revealed Commons’ design takes away from the soundscape and the intended use of the building. Acoustics of a building have a major effect on the soundscape itself.

Along with revealing aspects of the building itself, the sound within Commons also revealed certain aspects of the College’s culture and student body. Comparing the differences of sounds present during each meal time is direct evidence of the perceived culture of Davidson. Davidson is known to be extremely rigorous academically and the silence in the morning is a result of this. This silence indicates that students are in fact staying up late at night and do not make it to breakfast in the morning. The increased volume of sounds at lunch shows that students are taking a break from difficult classes to socialize with friends. Dinner almost seems like a celebration that the day is finally over, with everyone congregating to meet up and eat with friends. In addition to helping show the culture of Davidson, the sound also reveals what the space is used for. The loud volume during lunch and dinner means students are not doing work while they eat, but rather as a vessel to finally take a break from their hard work. Although the loudness and overwhelming sound of talking can be described as an unwanted noise, Schafer’s definition of a signal could also apply. According to him, signals are sounds that must be consciously listened to in order to pull out the information (Schafer 101). When I consciously listened to the sounds around me in Commons for the first time, I began to respect what I once regarded as the “unwanted noise.” Although it can take away somewhat from its purpose, I finally understood the meaning behind the sounds and that they are an offspring from the difficult and stressful Davidson academics. Like many people, I do not find myself going to breakfast very often which my observations support as being an effect of the stress. And like everyone else, I enjoy spending time eating and socializing with my friends at lunch and dinner. The Commons’ soundscape has a lot to reveal about Davidson and although the building itself does not always cope well with its use, this is an important indicator of the stress and difficulties the Davidson student body goes through daily.

I never thought everyday sounds could show so much about a specific culture or community until I sat down in Vail Commons and attuned my listening to every particular sound in that moment. The sounds I heard validated my preconceived notions of Davidson College and the student body. The hard work we are put through is not easily maintainable and sometimes we need a break. I learned that Commons is primarily a place to relax and forget about the other stressors in students’ lives. Although the acoustic design of Commons is not perfect for the way students use it, it reveals to anyone entering the building at peak dinner time the cultural meaning behind the building. There are flaws that could be fixed to better accommodate the needs of the students, but for now it achieves its main purpose. In Rath’s “No Corner for the Devil to Hide,” he explains that Americans made soundscapes more manageable by diminishing the importance of sound, but observing the Commons’ soundscape showed me that this is the wrong way to deal with the issue of unwanted noise (Rath 138). Sound has meaning and is a necessary part of life. It can tell us so much about a culture or a community and the diversity of the sound at Davidson College is an important part of student life.

Bibliography

Rath, Richard. “No Corner for the Devil to Hide.” The Sound Studies Reader, edited by Jonathan Sterne, 2012, pp. 130-40.

Schafer, R. Murray. “The Soundscape.” The Sound Studies Reader, edited by Jonathan Sterne, 2012, pp. 95-103.

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The Influence of Sound in Music

Many people focus too much on the lyrics when searching for meaning in a song. Words written on paper are missing half of what makes a song a song. The instrumentation and background noise can tell as much to the listener as the words, and this part even takes the forefront sometimes. Take “Build Me Up Buttercup” by the Foundations for example. Just by the reading the lyrics, the song seems like it would be depressing and hopeless, but when listening, it is upbeat and almost happy. The actual sound of the music changes the meaning beyond what the lyrics are saying and gives the song a more hopeful feeling. The ability of sound to invoke meaning is also apparent in cover songs. Often times, an artist will use the same lyrics as the original, but a change in the sound, or even just the differences in their voices, can change the meaning away from the original. In music, the sound of a song often extends or changes the meaning beyond the lyrics.

Sound can play an interesting role in giving songs an ambiguous meaning or having the sound give a feeling contradictory to the lyrics. The sound or tune can either contradict the lyrics or build upon them. “Semi-charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind was a late nineties alt-rock hit with a catchy melody and upbeat pace. When the song first came out, Jay Taylor, program director of San Jose, California based radio station KOME, said he played the song 35 times a week and described the song as having “a summertime feel to it.” But when searching for meaning in the lyrics, the bright and sunny feel can fade. Stephan Jenkins, the lead singer for Third Eye Blind, came out and said the song is really about his use of meth. Jenkins told Billboard Magazine that like speed, the song is “bright and shiny on the surface, and then it just pulls you down into this lockjawed mess…It’s intended to be what the seductiveness of speed is like, represented in music” (Third Eye Blind…Elektra).

The lyrics, though, seem to be talking about a relationship with a girl, and when mixed with the “summertime feel,” the ambiguity caused by the sound is very apparent. Sam West, a writer for Vice, put forth an interesting hypothetical situation. He said, “What if you first made out with the love of your life while the song was playing at a party? Is the song still about meth? Probably not. It’s about two semi-charmed kinda lovers finding happiness in each other’s arms” (West). Although Jenkins would disagree that his song has anything to do with two lovers, he cannot control how people interpret the meaning of the song. His use of sound adds to the ambiguity of the lyrics and, although it may not have been his intention, can often differ from what the true meaning of the song is to him. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this. Music is designed to be interpreted and defined differently by everyone and the sound Jenkins used still makes sense for how he pictured the meaning of his song. Overall, though, the upbeat, happy sound used does add meaning beyond what the lyrics are actually saying for both interpretations. For drug use, it represents the seductiveness of meth or for love, it could represent a different kind of seductiveness. Sometimes a song should not be taken too seriously though. Maybe the sound is just there to develop a certain feeling. A happy sing-a-long song sounds a lot more appealing to listeners than a depressing sounding one about drug use. This observation can give some cultural insights.

A google search of “sad songs that sound happy” turns up hundreds of valuable results. However, a search of “happy songs that sound sad” turns up almost nothing. Why is this? The answer lies in our cultural values, but also shows the power of sound. “Semi-charmed Life” for example has a dark meaning but a sound that seems contradictory to the lyrics. The interesting aspect, however, is people generally would not recognize this song as having a sad meaning, as opposed to Jenkins who actually wrote the song and sees the dark meaning behind the lyrics. Like other art, music can be interpreted differently by everyone because there is no set way that a song will make a listener feel. So is a “sad” song that sounds happy really a sad song? It is up to the listener to determine this using the sound and further complicates trying to find an answer to the question. After trying to dig deeper into the question of why there are sad songs that sound happy, but not many happy songs that sound sad, I was left with no answers. Although music is art, it is also a business. It is possible some artists feel like an upbeat song would sell better even if they gave the lyrics a dark meaning. With music being art, it is also possible that this is simply a mode of creativity and experimentation with sound to give meaning. The second explanation, though, does not explain why there are not many songs with more uplifting lyrics that sound sad. There is no good answer to this question because artists have free will to write music however they want. Each individual can have different reasons for making their music sound the way it does. The main importance of looking into the ambiguity of the meaning between the lyrics and the sound is to show that sound has a powerful effect on the meaning.

Cover songs give a different but just as important view on the effect of sound on the meaning of a song. There are a variety of ways this can happen. The instrumentals, tune, or tone of the song can change. Often these changes occur without a change in lyrics which highlights how the sound itself can alter the meaning. The cover of “September” by Taylor Swift exemplifies this idea well. While Earth, Wind, and Fire’s version is the epitome of funk, Swift’s version has a country feel to it. The only instrumental part is a banjo and her voice is soft and relaxing. The sound she uses places more emphasis on the lyrics because the instrumental portion is less aggressive. The change in sound she uses changes the meaning. It adjusts the tone with the softer sound by making it more melancholy and nostalgic than Earth, Wind, and Fire’s version. Earth, Wind, and Fire’s upbeat tempo and dance beat made it seem like more of a celebration, while Swift’s style made it seem like she was longing to go back to the time she was singing about. Her cover did come with criticism, though. According to Elyse Wanshel of Huffpost, people were angry because of “the mere concept of Swift turning a funk, R&B, soul and disco classic into a country ballad” (Wanshel). Since she used the same lyrics, this means that people were angry about her change in sound or genre. Genre is a way to categorize songs based on sound and from the reaction to Swift’s cover, genre has meaning. People felt a different way after listening to the cover in comparison to the original. Overall, the change in sound of Swift’s cover shows how sound can augment the meaning of a song and the resulting reaction also showed that genre, being sorted by sound, inherently affects the meaning of a song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPz21cDK7dg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt1Pwfnh5pc

Another interesting example of a cover song that changes meaning is “Hurt” originally written by Nine Inch Nails, but covered by Johnny Cash. Josh Reznor, the lead singer for Nine Inch Nails said, “It instantly became his song … I haven’t listened to my version since then,” about the cover (Armstrong). The lyrics of the song did not change, so what was different about Cash’s cover that changed the song? Cash uses some similar strategies to Swift in giving it his own twist. The original version by Nine Inch Nails has instrumentals performed by a variety of guitars, drums, and other electronically generated sounds. Cash’s version, though, is solely his voice and an acoustic guitar. This changes the meaning by giving the cover a more lonely feeling than the original because it can paint a picture of Cash sitting there by himself playing the guitar and singing the song. Already, the words have not changed but the meaning has. Digging deeper into the sound of the cover reveals another interesting idea. Cash’s voice sounds different than Josh Reznor’s, the lead singer for Nine Inch Nails. Reznor’s is stronger, louder, and the sound even comes off as healthier. On the other hand, Cash’s voice in his cover is raspy and weak. This makes sense because he was close to the end of his life at this time, but it adds so much meaning to his cover. While Reznor is singing about what he regrets doing in life, he knows he still has time to change it. The youthfulness and strength in his voice shows this. His version of “Hurt” is about finding an alternate meaning or way to live life. The same can’t be said about Cash, however. Throughout his career and life, he had many issues he regretted as he grew older. The weakness and raspiness of his voice relates to his age and unlike Reznor, shows he no longer has time to change his lifestyle or fix his regrets. The effects of sound in Cash’s cover are what made Reznor feel like it was no longer his song. This shows the power of sound in music. It made the cover more moving and meaningful than the original.Taking the sound of his voice into account when searching for meaning and differences between the cover and the original reveals how two voices, singing the exact same lyrics, can have two different meanings. This proves that sound can extend or augment the meaning of a song beyond the lyrics.

Songs like “Semi-charmed Life” or Johnny Cash’s cover of “Hurt” are full of information on the impact sound has on the meaning of a song beyond the lyrics. Their use of sound shows how important the sound of music is for artists and must be taken into account the same, if not more than, the lyrics. Studying this topic can be interesting because they can show a lot about why certain songs are more successful or more popular and help up and coming artists tune their sound in a way that is personal or best suited to create fans. I know from my personal experience that music can have a huge impact on people’s lives and simply the sound of a song can have an amazing effect on an individual emotionally. While lyrics usually have a more concrete meaning, the meaning created by sound is dynamic and can change or vary depending on the listener and their situation. This is a special characteristic and it should be given more acknowledgement in the music world.

Citations

Armstrong, Edward, and Paul Greider. “The Presentation of Identity in the Work Songs of Johnny Cash.” Popular Music and Society, vol. 36, no. 2, 12 July 2012, pp. 216-33. Taylor & Francis Online. Accessed 24 Mar. 2019.

“Build Me Up Buttercup.” YouTube, 1 Sept. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvluBVhfGcw. Accessed 24 Mar. 2019.

“Earth, Wind & Fire – September (Official Music Video).” YouTube, 11 Jan. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs069dndIYk. Accessed 24 Mar. 2019.

“Johnny Cash – Hurt (Official Video) HD.” YouTube, 5 Apr. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt1Pwfnh5pc. Accessed 24 Mar. 2019.

“Nine Inch Nails – Hurt.” YouTube, 12 Sept. 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPz21cDK7dg. Accessed 24 Mar. 2019.

“Taylor Swift – September Cover (Earth, Wind & Fire).” YouTube, 14 Apr. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnDnphYTb0Q. Accessed 24 Mar. 2019.

“Third Eye Blind Sees Promise in Elektra.” Billboard Magazine, 15 Mar. 1997, pp. 22-24 Accessed 24 Mar. 2019.

“Third Eye Blind – Semi-Charmed Life (Official Music Video).” YouTube, 23 Feb. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=beINamVRGy4.

Wanshel, Elyse. “Taylor Swift’s Cover Of An Earth, Wind & Fire Classic Is Pissing People Off.” Huffpost, 13 Apr. 2018.

West, Sam. “This Was Supposed to Be an Article Called ‘Songs You Didn’t Know Were About Weed.'” Noisey, Vice, 9 Feb. 2017. Accessed 24 Mar. 2019.

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Hiwa K Response

The Hiwa K exhibit was a lot to take in. Each piece was unique and used its own play on sound and visual elements. The piece that really stuck out to me though was Blind as the Mother Tongue. In this piece, the video shows him on the path he took as a refugee from his home to Europe. There is not sound in the video, so the focus is on his narration that was loud, but seemed distant. The meaning behind this piece was very hard for me to decipher and I am sure my ideas are different than what his intention was. To me, the meaning is that on his journey, he only had an unclear or distorted of where he was headed. This was the function of the mirrors. When he balanced it on his nose, his only view ahead was through the small mirrors. The absence of sound was another aspect to show uncertainty about the journey ahead because it stripped the viewer of one of their senses. Even through uncertainty, Blind as the Mother Tongue shows you can’t let it stop you from reaching your final destination.

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Music Can “Hurt”: How Johnny Cash Used an Existing Song to Profess His Pain

Cover songs have a large variety of uses for singers and artists. If you look at John Mayer’s cover of “Free Fallin’” which was originally written by Tom Petty, you can’t see much change in meaning. You can see, however, a change in style. Mayer transformed the song into his typical soft rock style, away from Petty’s Americana rock style. This change in style did not affect the meaning. It was meant to be an upbeat song, pleasant to the ear, about the ups and downs of life and Mayer’s version seemed like more of an experiment and a fun idea rather than to apply his own meaning and background. A lot of cover songs are based on this premise, and there is nothing wrong with that. If an artist wants to give tribute to a predecessor, or simply make a cover for people to enjoy, it can add a lot of value to the musical community. Taylor Swift’s cover of “September” is similar to what Mayer did. She changed the style, and although the different tempo and tone slightly changed the meaning and mood, the change was not significant enough to show a deeper or more complex meaning. These types of covers are relatively superficial, but some artists have taken covers to the next level.

When covers can add meaning to a song, the impact is far greater. “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails was originally released in 1995 and was even nominated for a Grammy Award for best rock song. The lyrics seem to describe the pain in depression and drug addiction that Trent Reznor, the lead singer, faced. The song begins with a sort of distorted, electronic background and when the lyrics kick in, they are sung in a quiet, depressing voice. This is contrasted to the chorus which picks up in pace and is less distorted with lyrics that could be interpreted as apologetic. All of this comes together to give the sense that Reznor is searching for an alternate meaning to the life he has been living. While parts of the song are dark and depressing, other parts are hopeful. When Reznor wrote the song, he was only 30 years old which shows why there was still hope for change in his life and this was reflected in the song, and in fact, he has pulled out of this dark part of his life. The original song on its own was highly successful, but Johnny Cash’s cover shows how giving a song more meaning can make the cover even better than the original.

Johnny Cash covered “Hurt” only a couple years before his death. Cash’s career was highly successful and he is considered one of the best country artists of all time, but hidden under this fame and glory was an intense drug abuse problem and run ins with the law throughout the bulk of his career. Because of his old age, the song has a different meaning than the Nine Inch Nails version. The lyrics remain the same but because of his impending death, the song has a sense of reconciliation for sins Cash believed he had committed and knowledge that he does not have time to change whatever he regrets about his life. His rendition also has a more melancholy sound. The only instruments are his voice with an acoustic guitar accompaniment, giving it a feeling of loneliness and loss of hope. Also, unlike the beginning of his career where Cash’s voice was strong and deep, his voice in “Hurt” sounds raspy and weak showing that this is his repentance and moment of weakness and  a realization that he didn’t live his life how he wanted to. Finally, the volume and intensity of the sound increases as the song goes showing desperation as he realizes the mistakes he made and that his time is dwindling to repent. Cash’s cover of “Hurt” gained a lot of recognition and the music video even won a Grammy Award. Many people consider his cover better than the original.

Music has a lot of power in expressing meaning for artists and covers can play a big part in this. Although the lyrics did not change between the two versions of “Hurt,” the change in meaning is obvious. One was sung by an artist in the peak of his career while the other was sung by an artist on his downfall. Both songs have their own meaning, but Cash’s cover shows that the person behind the microphone has a lot of influence on how a song in interpreted. The world of covers is a growing sector of the music industry and it can be highly successful if artists learn from Cash’s “Hurt” how to relate the song to their own lives.

Johnny Cash “Hurt”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FywSzjRq0e4

Nine Inch Nails “Hurt”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPz21cDK7dg

Credits

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1331-american-iv-the-man-comes-around/

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