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Covers, again
Apr. 18th, 2004 07:39 amThanks to hornedhopper, I have learned that Aretha Franklin came out with a version of Son of a Preacher Man a year after Dusty Springfield's more famous release. I think I'm going to try to find that one; her vocal style is different enough from Dusty's that it ought to be worth comparing. (I know, I said I don't like covers in general, but... it's Aretha!)
One of my favorite albums is a two-disc anthology of Motown. Among other things, it includes, back-to-back, two versions of I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye's well-known version, and another by Gladys Knight. It's entertaining to hear them, just for the contrast. Marvin Gaye's version, of course, is slow-paced and melancholy. Gladys Knight isn't melancholy - she's pissed about being dumped, spitting the words out to a much faster beat. They're like two completely different songs.
Speaking of Grapevine, one of my pet peeves is the misuse of songs in advertisements. That song is a sad one, but those ridiculous "California Raisins" commercials treat it as if it's upbeat. Bah.
Sometimes the results of this sort of misuse can be unintentionally hilarious. A while back I saw a commercial for some fast-food chain or other, which used a snippet from Edwin Starr's War - the bit from the chorus which goes "War. HUNH! Yeah". A small hamburger appears on screen on the first beat; on the "HUNH!" it suddenly grows much larger. This is followed by a voice-over praising the size of the burgers available at this chain. It always makes me smile to remember that the next lines of the song are "What is it good for?/Absolutely nothin' ".
One of my favorite albums is a two-disc anthology of Motown. Among other things, it includes, back-to-back, two versions of I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye's well-known version, and another by Gladys Knight. It's entertaining to hear them, just for the contrast. Marvin Gaye's version, of course, is slow-paced and melancholy. Gladys Knight isn't melancholy - she's pissed about being dumped, spitting the words out to a much faster beat. They're like two completely different songs.
Speaking of Grapevine, one of my pet peeves is the misuse of songs in advertisements. That song is a sad one, but those ridiculous "California Raisins" commercials treat it as if it's upbeat. Bah.
Sometimes the results of this sort of misuse can be unintentionally hilarious. A while back I saw a commercial for some fast-food chain or other, which used a snippet from Edwin Starr's War - the bit from the chorus which goes "War. HUNH! Yeah". A small hamburger appears on screen on the first beat; on the "HUNH!" it suddenly grows much larger. This is followed by a voice-over praising the size of the burgers available at this chain. It always makes me smile to remember that the next lines of the song are "What is it good for?/Absolutely nothin' ".
