University of Southern California Music Discussion Question Response
Answer 4 question (total 200 words)
Here is a link to a Spotify playlist, entitled Covers (Links to an external site.). The list consists of song sets, each with an original version of a song or piece of music, followed by one or more covers of the music. In the case of the Pachelbel (written in 1701), the first version on the list is in the period style – in toher words imagining how it sounded in 1701. Pick one set (a set is all the versions of the same piece, for example there are two versions of Mrs. Robinson), listen to all of the versions and answer the following questions. If you don’t use Spotify, here is a list of the titles and artists; you should have no problem finding one of the sets on Youtube or any other streaming service.
- What is the overall effect, emotion or feel for the original?
- How does (do) the Cover(s) change the effect, emotion or feel of the original? Speak to your personal response, don’t worry about music vocabulary.
- In your perception, is one more “authentic” than the other? Why or why not.
- Do all of the versions similar in terms of arousal, valence and depth?
Reply this post about 100 words.
- Taking the song Hound Dog as example, the original version empathizes the singer, and the singer expressed the song in a casual way to express irony toward the hound dog. The song makes me feel that a man criticizes a hound dog for its inability, but the criticism is not severe.
- The covered version empathizes the instruments but not singer’s voice. In fact, the covered version mainly expresses strong emotion to criticize the hound dog, which represents a kind of people without enough ability or talent. The purpose of this version is not only to criticize some people like hound dog but also to defeat them to change the world.
- I don’t believe one version is more authentic than the other. In fact, the various version of songs depends the singers’ live period, background, and characteristics. Different sings have various purpose and emotion to express in songs; therefore, no one is more authentic.
- For arousal aspect, I think two versions are different. The original version focuses on the criticism and irony to make people notice the existence of “hound dog”, but the covered version expresses strong emotion and appeal people to defeat “hound dog”. Both songs have similar characteristics in terms of valence and depth because they express positive value to change or motivate people in a implicit way.
