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

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/

German DJ Robin Schulz’s 2015 “Sugar” (feat. Francesco Yates) achieved more success in Europe than it did in America. However, it still was certified platinum and charted on the Billboard Hot 100. It played on the top 40 radio stations for long enough that by the end of my freshman year of high school people grew sick of it. In fact, I’d forgotten about the song entirely until last month when I saw Francesco Yates as the opening act at a concert I attended. He was truly awful at pretending to play the guitar, but his voice sounded eerily familiar.
“Sugar” borrows its entire chorus from the hook of Baby Bash’s “Suga Suga” (feat. Frankie J). The one difference between the two is that Yates sings “drifted” instead of “shifted”.

“Got me lifted, shifted higher than the ceilin’
And ooohwee, it’s the ultimate feelin’
You got me lifted, feeling so gifted
Sugar, how you get so fly
Sugar, sugar, how you get so fly (x4)”

In the transition from hip-hop to pop and from American to European Schulz chose to make some interesting changes. The first change noticeable from just the song titles is the careful pronunciation of “sugar” instead of Bash’s “suga”. Schulz takes his chorus from a hip-hop song, but choses to change the spelling and pronunciation to something more palatable to his white, European audience. While singing it’s interesting to note that then 19-year-old Yates wavers back and forth sometimes pronouncing “sugar” and sometimes “suga”. He sounds cool enough, but I find humor in imagining Schulz reading Bash’s lyrics in his German accent.
The second prominent change is how drastically Schulz speeds up the song’s melody. Doing so seems to energize the song, a shift from the calming lethargy felt in Bash’s original. Schulz’s song is definitely meant for dancing unlike Bash’s. Bash’s song is all about the lyrics and the beat. Contrastingly, even though both songs serve as odes to tantalizing women, Schulz’s lyrics seem secondary to the music. Sure, they’re enjoyable if you take time to focus on them, but they don’t register without careful listening. The change in rhythm and addition of a heavier baseline in “Sugar” shifts the song into something almost unrecognizable despite the matching melodies and choruses.
The third prominent change is the change in lyrics outside of the choruses. Bash’s lyrics draw frequent parallels to attractive women and smoking marijuana. In his music video he cycles through serenading six different women (although multiple other scantily clad ladies serve as extras). He fixates on the sexiness of each woman he meets and how good it feels to be with her. The slowness in which his lyrics are delivered allows Bash’s emotion to seem real, if spread out between a plethora of women. Schulz’s lyrics are more repetitive. They also set a clearer story. Yates is dancing somewhere and sees a beautiful woman under the club’s colored lights. He praises her beauty before cautioning the listener that she’s a “cold-blooded vixen”. Even though there is only one object of Yates’s affections, she seems less important than Bash’s given the lack of original lyrics about her and emphasis placed on other parts of the song.
In an interesting parallel to the dialogue concerning Earth, Wind, and Fire and Taylor Swift’s versions of “September”, Schulz seems to have done to opposite to “Suga, Suga” that Swift did to “September”. Swift took the groove from September and focused entirely on the lyrics. Schulz switches his song’s focus from its lyrics to its melody. This is probably why, although he stripped the song of some of its depth, Schulz’s cover was so much more well received than Swift’s was. He took Bash’s song and imbued it with the danceability expected from a DJ, with comparatively small sacrifices from the meaning. Obviously, many prefer Bash’s original to Schulz’s cover, but making covers is always tricky due to the direct comparison it opens up, and I believe Schulz did a commendable job.

Baby Bash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rgStv12dwA
Robin Schulz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvC_0foemLY

There is more to music than just the lyrics and the message that the audience receives from this. In the original version of “Redbone”, you can hear the soul in Gambino’s voice – which is influenced by classic funk music from 1960s-70s – and this sticks with the audience. He starts with consistent tones, but as song progresses, you hear more auto-tune (vocoder-esque) and futuristic technology sounds. This has been one of my favorite songs for a while, but it is not the kind of song you would want to dance to. When I listen to this, I just want to sit down and listen/”vibe” by taking in the sounds. Still, you can really feel the funk/beat from Gambino. Futuristic technology and auto-tune helps him to make the song beat/tones sound fantastic. Gambino actually did not use any auto-tune in changing his voice, which is one of the reasons why this song has gained so much popularity in the R&B community. We generally associate Gambino with “harder” or more typical rap – see “bonfire” song as an example. His “Awaken, my Love!” however, album is different from his past & future work, as this features less actual rapping and slower beats. Also, this song is about his relationship, but here lyrics are not as important. Gambino makes references to “peanut butter.. chocolate..Kool-Aid” but the audience does not pick up on that. The song is 80 BMP, slightly offbeat which is cool! This gives Gambino a unique tone/track that I have not seen in another modern-day R&B, as the extended “outro” (which lasts 2 minutes) is not common, but again helps to make the song a banger.

In the Holocene cover, the instrumental part is very similar here – could almost pass for original Gambino instrumental. This is a live performance by a vocalist/guitar, bass, keyboard, and drummer. There seems to be much more of an emphasis on the lyrics in this song, as without auto-tune in the song and the unique singing style of Gambino, the lyrics are much easier to understand. In this version, there are much less fluctuations in the pitch of the voice in comparison to original version.

In comparing the two, there are a lot of positive reviews of this cover, but nothing can compare to the art from Gambino. The cover isn’t necessarily bad, but it is truly lacking the uniqueness in voice that only Gambino can naturally produce. Also, the changes in pitch in the original version are effective in drawing in the audience/still keeping the song intriguing. In comparison, the cover song seems to get old pretty fast, as it takes a few minutes for the pitch to change – when the song finally transitions over at 3:06. While you can tell there is passion in the cover, nothing can compare to the soul you feel in the Gambino version. Even though the lyrics are easier to understand in the cover, Gambino’s goal in my opinion was to convey the “funk” and not have a rich story behind the lyrics. He meant for some of his lyrics to go under the radar. Honestly, by the end of listening to the cover version once, I don’t have any desire to listen to it again. This is disrespectful to Gambino, as the same emotions and feelings from the original version are not conveyed in this cover. From Weheliye, there seems to be something here in the post humanism that is improved through acknowledging race and the use of auto-tune. When we (as a society) acknowledge that using auto-tune can improve or even be vital to a song’s success, this will be an incredible achievement. By not using auto-tune in the cover, this is almost taking a shot at Gambino as this is asking people to judge Gambino’s work based on the lyrics/performance aspect – and this was not his intention in “Redbone.” Similarly, we don’t generally judge a country singer (who is typically white) based off lyrics, but instead we judge these songs base off the amount popularity and the tune/flow. Moreover, few people choose to perform covers of country songs and change the intended tune/performance method – which is what was done in this cover of “Redbone.” Again, Gambino is not a lyrical genius but he is very “soulful” and engages audiences by challenging them in thinking about problems extending past music. One example is in his “This is America” music video that has left some puzzled and generated lots of popularity through the constant implications of societal violence entrenched in racism and police brutality that exists today. If you haven’t watched this video, click the link below as this is one indication for the future of the music industry.

Source (for music breakdown): https://bwh2017.wordpress.com/2017/11/17/track-analysis-redbone/

Redbone (by Childish Gambino):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp7eSUU9oy8

Cover (by Holocene): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s–ATPblCTE

“This is America” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOjWnS4cMY

There is much to consider when examining a cover and its original. Completely changing the feel of a song, but maintaining the exact lyrics is a hard task to accomplish, and is always vulnerable to criticism and sometimes controversy. In some instances, many covers sound the exact same as the original, leading to a boring repeat of a song that was previously effective. On the flip side, an artist sampling a piece or section of an original song, in my opinion, is less risky. Using a line or two and remixing the sound behind that lyric allows for more unique creative expression from the new artist. With more room to alter and expand the selected part of the song, artists can create something truly unique. An example of an extremely effective, fun, and energetic sample is Drake’s “Nice for What,” where the dynamic pop/rap/r&b artist brilliantly samples Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor” and turns its catchy hook into an even more catchy song.
Lauryn Hill’s hit song, “Ex-Factor,” is full of soul and feeling as she dives into her own love story and the internal struggles she faces in her relationship. The song is on the “slow-side” but still maintains a head-bobbing rhythm behind its meaningful lyrics. Its hook “I keep letting you back in, how can I explain myself?” doesn’t come for two and a half minutes into the song. However, it is definitely the most recognizable lyric in the song. Drake begins “Nice for What” with this line and hits the listener with a strong, up-tempo beat directly after the sample. The feeling of the song immediately makes you want to get up and move, dance, and become lost in the music. Although the theme of “Ex-Factor” deals with is not the happiest of sorts, Drake “[holds] onto the spirit and joy of the original” as the rhythm of the song is still energetic. However, Drake’s creative spin is “designed to get you moving and smiling” and “adds a new dimension” to the previously more lyrical driven song. After the hook, Lauryn Hill adds some more rhythm to the song, repeating lines with more emphasis and flow. Drake uses this repetition later in his sample, adding choppy fast beats to really get his listeners moving.
Drake beautifully uses “Ex-Factor” to create a song everybody can enjoy. While Hill focuses on the meaning of her lyrics and the message behind them, Drake turns her stunning voice into a song full of flow and tempo that really anyone can enjoy. As said and focused on in many of the analyses regarding covering and sampling, “there’s nothing wrong with putting your own spin on something,” and Drake does so with enthusiasm and positivity, bringing the best out of Lauryn Hill’s already beautiful song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9BwWKXjVa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V89ZjRwMlvM

This is a sample post. Here’s a cover of Nirvana’s “Lithium,” featuring St. Vincent. If I were writing a post, I would compare the original, featuring Kurt Cobain, with this cover and St. Vincent on vocals and lead guitar. I would also observe that this is a memorial piece, when the group is being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so they seem to hew close to the spirit of the original, without departing too much. The overall effect is celebratory, as fits the occasion, but also a bit mournful. When asked about this performance and the experience of playing with her idols, Annie Clark makes clear that they all just wished that Kurt was there, so it was bittersweet.

To post your own cover or sample (with more descriptive and analytical prose than this one…), log in to the class domain. Use the menu at left to go to “Posts” > “Add New.” You should be able to type or cut and paste your response into the page. Add links using the formatting bar beneath the title of your post (you may need to hover your mouse to make the formatting bar visible). Finally–really important!–when you are ready to Publish, go to the upper right of the page, and next to the Publish button is the Settings icon. Click outside of your text-box (otherwise Settings will apply to your text). Click on Settings, then Categories. Click on the box that describes your post–in this case, “Covers and Samples.” This means that your post will be collected at the “Your Work” > “Covers and Samples” drop-down. If you don’t “categorize” your post, it will be shuffled to the back of the domain, and won’t be easy to find.