Cover Song Contest

I listen to pop punk. I love pop punk. However, I am a sucker for old girly songs, as well. Which by this blog, it is pretty easy to tell.

I’ve chosen to compare the song “Love Song” originally made by Sara Bareilles that was later covered by Four Year Strong. Although the lyrics are exactly the same, the two versions are very different. Sara Bareilles sings her version in a sassy and flirty way compared to Four Year Strong’s cover who sings it in a masculine, informative and somewhat hard way.

Four Year Strong’s version has a loud intensity with a low pitch compared to Sara Bareilles version, which has a soft intensity and a higher pitch. They both have a somewhat regular rhythm. However, Four Year Strong’s cover has a more complex timbre than Sara Bareilles original track that has more of a simple timbre. The cover done by Four Year Strong seems to have a faster speed than the other version. I think this is because of the style of music and the instrumentation. Pop punk has a faster pace with heavier instrumentals compared to the girly pop soul kind of genre that we hear from Bareilles.  Sara’s song is geared more toward the piano and her voice with more instruments in the back. In comparison, Four Year Strong’s cover version likes to use all of their instruments equally. Sara Bareilles version is also very ordered compared to FYS’s version, but the Four Year Strong version isn’t by any mean chaotic.

One of the most noticeable differences between Sara Bareilles version and Four Year Strong’s cover version is simply them. Four Year Strong is a group of huge bearded men singing in raspy voices that jump around a lot. Sara Bareilles is a beautiful swaying pianist that that makes winky faces at the camera.They are both very good versions of the same song, but to pick which one I like better is very hard. If I were comparing FYS’s cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom” I would for sure pick Nirvana. If I was comparing Matchbook Romance or New Found Glory’s cover of Nine Days’ “Story of a Girl” I would choose New Found Glory. This cover however is very difficult for me. I like different things about each song. The only way I would pick one song over another is if I was in a pop punk mood or a old girly song mood. Since, I listen to a lot more pop punk than I do old girly songs, I am going to have to say that I like the original version better. It is only because I like so much pop punk that I wouldn’t really listen to this song as often as I would when I am in a old girly song mood. Sara Bareilles just hits the spot when it comes to old girly songs.