Viraj Garewal
Dr. Rippeon
Writing 101- Section K
24 March 2019
The Risks When Covering a Song
The music industry has evolved greatly over the last fifty years. There has been a constant evolution due to the desire for artists to be different, unique and valuable to their listeners and society. The instruments used, the rhythm and the percussion, as well as the lyrics and the vocalist’s style singing them have all transformed significantly. Discoveries by different artists and cultures in the aforementioned aspects of a song and their production have allowed for people to have the opportunity to feel free to express themselves and their emotions. The voice has become a medium for representing one’s culture and to convey a deliberate message. With many pieces carefully being put together to make a song, there is a clear meaning and message that the artist intends to convey to the listener. As all of this is present in an original song, the practice of covering it becomes a tricky endeavor. The prominent technique of covering has been used by artists for many years. It is the process where songs are reworked and altered from the song that was written and performed by the original artist. They maintain most of the lyrics of the original but vary the instrumentation, rhythm and vocal tone to greatly differ from the original. This process is an artistic endeavor that greatly changes the meaning in comparison to the initial song, and that can have many implications, both good and bad. The cultural significance behind an original song as well as the social surroundings at the time of the song’s creation are important to consider because they are integral to the intended meaning of the song. Tampering with that meaning in a cover entails significant consequences. A clear example of a cover with consequences is Taylor Swift’s cover of “September,” a song originally created by Earth, Wind and Fire.
In 1978, “September” was created by Earth, Wind, and Fire. At the time, the genres that had taken over the music industry were disco, funk, soul ,and rock and roll. The groove and rhythm that the songs had in these genres became a defining characteristic for this time period. The Rolling Stones and the Bee Gees were dominant artists at this time. Listeners were enjoying the groove and experience of these songs on the dance floor. Songwriters were challenged to appeal to these tastes while maintaining their individuality and artistic expression. With the unique musical climate, Earth, Wind and Fire stuck to its roots of the funk genre. Funk was very distinct with an important history. The genre was the embodiment of “unapologetic attitude and racial pride”(Muscato). It was a statement being made by the African American community that they were going to live at their own beat, and not be forced to conform to external stylistic or cultural elements that were being forced upon them by society. Funk had an important sound that was “driven by a groovy baseline, vamping, syncopated rhythms,variation, and shameless expressionism”(Nicholas). Funk was “defined less by a strict set of stylistic rules and more by an attitude, with of course a beat that encourages dancing” (Muscato). Every aspect in a song under the funk genre had deliberate characteristics to demonstrate pride in their lineage. It showed pride in non-conformity and allowed for funk to become a successful aspect of the culture and identity of African Americans.
The original version of “September” from Earth, Wind, and Fire has very distinct features, as well as heavy funk elements and roots, all which make the song significant. They play a pivotal role in why the song has remained iconic to this day. From the NPR article “The Song That Never Ends: Why Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘September’ Sustains,” greater insight can be gathered on how the lyrics came about. A notable lyric in the song is:
“Do you remember the 21st night of September?”
This lyric has been scrutinized for years, so much so that in the NPR article, the matter was addressed directly. According to Allee Willis, one of the songwriters, the “strangely specific date” was the one that “just felt the best” and that “there is no significance beyond it just sang better than any of the other dates” (Charnas). This shows the aspect of funk where the artist did not subject the song to stylistic requirements such as all lyrics needing to have a purposeful meaning. Instead, the lyric promotes a groovy rhythm that is kept flowing and does not hinder the joyful state that the listener is in. Another unique lyric in the song was:
“Ba de ya, never was a cloudy day
Ba duda, ba duda, ba duda, badu”
In the songwriting process, Willis stated how she wanted to change the aforementioned parts of the song to complete sentences. She learned from the leader of the group, Maurice White, that
while “ba dee ya” and “ba dadu” are not actual words, they do mean a lot to the song. It continues the flowing rhythm and groove, which is more important than conforming to a stylistic notion that all lyrics must be meaningful when read. Willis learned a key lesson from White “which was to never let the lyric get in the way of the groove”(Charnas). If the lines would have been changed to sentence-filled lyrics, a part of the essence of funk and the rhythm would have been lost to stylistic constraints from conventional wisdom in society. Instead, the song remains an embodiment of “shameless expressionism” that is unique and is an identifiable aspect of African American culture to this day (Nicholas).
Taylor Swift’s cover of “September” is a stark contrast and presents a conflict to the original version in several ways. Her version is a transformation of the original into a somber, country ballad. The instrumentation, rhythm, and lyric choice are all altered in consequential ways. Swift’s version describes a sad moment in her life. In one line of the song, she sings:
“ Do you remember?
The 28th night of September”
This lyric depicts a significant date, when Swift ended her relationship with a man. This is the opposite of the funky song from Earth, Wind and Fire, where the date was simply selected to make the song flow rhythmically. In addition, the groovy baseline is lost and replaced with acoustic guitars and banjos. Essentially, it seems Swift has taken a groovy expression of African American pride and converted it into a somber ballad describing a breakup. Swift “manages in three minutes to strip the song of its iconic funk elements, its soul, its rhythm, its ba-de-ahh in the hook” (Craven). The rhythm is slowed, the lyrics are changed into a personal story, and the song is transformed into a near antithesis of the original.
It is also significant that she is a white woman, while the song is a symbol of African American pride in their heritage. As pointed out by Craven, Swift’s cover of the song changes it from a funky jam to a depressing ballad that is disrespectful to the African American community, as it is an example of where “a white person strips something of its blackness and packages it for a white audience. It’s as old as America” (Craven). Swift’s cover also “lacks the passion, the liveliness, the rhythm and, frankly, the soul to properly honor the song” (Craven).
Through Taylor Swift’s’ cover of September, it has become clear that cover songs are a risky endeavor for artists. The artist must be conscious of the meaning of the song in regards to the original artist and their race, cultural background, and social upbringing. Those all contribute to the original meaning of the song. Even though covers are supposed to be different than the original, there is a level of scrutiny placed upon whether the original artist was respected. In this instance, many would consider Swift to have disrespected Earth, Wind and Fire due to how she changed the genre and the elements of the song that were iconic. In conclusion, an artist is definitely taking a risk when covering any song because they are subjecting themselves to a world of critics and evaluations not only in regards to how their version sounds, but also in regards to whether their version is respectful to the original. This makes the song even more difficult, as it is inherently challenging to create a song that listeners will enjoy, but it is even more challenging to create a song that also respects the previous meaning of the song, the artists and cultural settings.
Word Count: 1591
Works Cited
Charnas, Dan. “The Song That Never Ends: Why Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘September’ Sustains.” NPR, NPR, 19 Sept. 2014, www.npr.org/2014/09/19/349621429/the-song-that-never-ends-why-earth-wind-fires-september-sustains .Accessed 10 March 2019.
Craven, Julia. “I Listened to Taylor Swift’s ‘September’ Cover so Y’all Wouldn’t Have to.” Huffington Post, 13 Apr. 2018, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/i-listened-to-taylor-swifts-september-cover-so-yall-wouldnt-have-to_us_5ad0ff15e4b016a07e9c4d82, Accessed 21 Mar. 2019.
Fire, Earth Wind &. “Earth, Wind & Fire – September (Official Music Video).” YouTube, YouTube, 11 Jan. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs069dndIYk.
Muscato, Christopher. “History of Funk Music.” Study.com, Study.com, study.com/academy/lesson/history-of-funk-music.html.
Nicholas, Tucker. “The Impact Of Funk.” Atavist, 11 Apr. 2017, sc17s2.atavist.com/funk.
Swift, Taylor. “September,” Youtube. 14 Apr. 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnDnphYTb0Q, Accessed 24 Mar. 2019.
“Taylor Swift – September.” Genius, 13 Apr. 2018, genius.com/Taylor-swift-september-lyrics.
