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Should You Judge a Song by its Cover?
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Posted On :
Aug-24-2009
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Article Word Count :
476
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Did you know that children will show an interest in musical instruments at an early age? If your child is showing an interest in music, it may be up to you to keep their interest growing.
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It perplexes teenagers when their parents know all the words to the latest songs. Of course, anyone over a certain age will realize that a high percentage of ‘new’ music, isn’t new at all. It’s just new to the younger ear.
Some Like It, Some Don’t
Cover version of songs have long been the subject of controversy. Some people hold the original editions in such high esteem it almost resembles worship. Such devotees, who can’t bear to hear a reworking of a song, can get overzealous about what they see as their sacrosanct favorites. There was many a Led Zep fan who found Rolf Harris’s didgeridoo-assisted adaptation of Stairway to Heaven painful to hear, while others expressed a liking for it. To each his own, eh! Ours is not to wonder why.
More recently we’ve seen original artists perform ‘their’ songs as covers with new singers or bands. One of the latest examples of this is Elton John’s collaboration with rappers DJ Ironik and Chipmunk. Their rendition of Elton’s original song Tiny Dancer (lyrics by Bernie Taupin) is well received by a great many young people who have no idea that it first appeared on Elton’s album Madman Across the Water in 1971.
Unique Covers
When a song is entirely taken over by a new performer without the input, as in the above case, of the original artist, it can take on a fresh identity. Joni Mitchell’s A Case of You has been interpreted with a beauty that’s almost agonizing by Canadian pianist and jazz singer Diana Krall. She said, “The greatest thing about music is putting it out there for people to figure out. You want the listener to find the song on their own. If you give too much away, it takes away from the imagination.” Krall is married to singer/songwriter Elvis Costello, himself no stranger to performing other’s songs, despite being notoriously skilled at creating his own material. His performance of Roy Orbison’s Love Hurts with Emmy Lou Harris is just one of a plethora of renditions that that particular song has been subject to.
Artists who have covered Love Hurts include:
• Joan Jett
• Heart
• Nazareth
• Cher
A Good Thing?
Those who are adamant that the old way is the best way might change their way of thinking by looking at cover version as tributes. Surely no new artist would contemplate an old song unless they felt a deep connection with it and an admiration for it. There is something refreshing about remixes and re-workings of original material. Maybe adding orchestral instruments or other musical instruments. Often a new take births new interest in the original performers too.
Music has an evolutionary quality about it, like language, it is as ever-changing as human trends and as a result will always chime in with them.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Should You Judge a Song by its Cover?_2581.aspx
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Author Resource :
Francis Beaudry is currently the conductor of two orchestras. He is a writer and arranger and has published musical works for choir and orchestra. In addition he is the president of TheMaxZone.net music equipment stores offering musical instrument accessories, music accessories, and more. The article at: http://www.themaxzone.net
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Keywords :
music, musicians,
Category :
Arts and Entertainment
:
Music
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