Suit & Tie

Upon perusing the various songs and covers on the Internet, the one that proved most interesting, entertaining, and adorable was “Suit & Tie” by Justin Timberlake featuring JAY Z. The cover was done by rising star Tori Kelly. By comparing and contrasting the music and lyric videos, I was able to better comprehend the view of a perfect night on the town from the male and female perspective. There of course were similarities between the songs due to the fact that both artists are singers and have similar singing styles. However, decisions on where to place runs, omit profanity, and alter lyrics provides insight to the different motives behind each song.

In the original, Justin Timberlake version, he has an intro where he reiterates “I be on my suit and tie shit.” He then continues on to ask if he can show the woman he is pursuing a few things. His featuring artist JAY Z then proceeds and asks Justin Timberlake if he’s ready to start the track. The intro falls into the soft rap category and is spoken slowly and in monotone. In the Tori Kelly cover, she omits the intro and dives into the first verse. One of her reasons for omitting the intro is because she does not believe profanity is necessary to make beautiful music.

As they dive into the first verse the lyrics remain parallel to each other, however, Tori has changed them to cater to a female audience. For instance, Kelly replaces she with he, “He ain't nothing but a little doozy when he does it.” The major differences come within the second verse and the final rendition of the chorus. In Timberlake’s second verse, he makes references to the curves of a woman, objectifying them sexually, which is done in a majority of male artists’ music. Kelly does not believe in looking at women as sexual objects or pieces of “art,” so she changes “Ooh so thick, now I know why they call it a fatty” to “Ooh so fly never know why, oh you fancy.” By alluding toward the presence the man brings and not his physical characteristics, there is a deeper rooted love behind Kelly’s song. Another difference in the second verse is the high note Kelly hits on, “My killer, my thriller, yeah you're a classic.” Justin sings the line normally, but Kelly puts emphasis on how much her significant other makes her feel alive and enamored.

Now that we have reached the final chorus. In the Justin Timberlake version, he has famous rapper JAY Z, who again objectifies women as sexual art, brags about wearing designer clothes, huge promotions he attends, the result of arguments couples have, and meeting the parents of the woman they are pursuing. Kelly does not rap and nor does she engage in bragging about superficialities. She decides to jump ahead to the final chorus and makes romantic and personal changes. “Love, love, love, love, love, love, yea yeah. Ain't nobody love you like I love ya. You're a good guy and that's what makes me trust ya. Late at night I talk to you. Yeah (7x) Suit and tie (3x) As long as you got it baby.” Not only has she implemented her own implications of adornment she ads high notes and runs to amplify her love for her significant other. While Justin Timberlake’s version will always remain amazing, he only includes an exit that mirrors his intro. Kelly message is more passionate, and provides a “star-crossed lovers” R&B take onto Timberlake's a pop and hip-hop track that encourages fashion, love, sex, and dance.

"Justin Timberlake - Suit & Tie (Official) Ft. JAY Z." YouTube. YouTube, 14 Feb. 2013. Web. 02 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsUsVbTj2AY>.

"Suit & Tie (Acoustic Cover) - Tori Kelly." YouTube. YouTube, 9 Mar. 2013. Web. 02 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_3hKVxOcRI>.

"Justin Timberlake - Suit & Tie (Lyric Video) Ft. JAY Z." YouTube. YouTube, 24 Jan. 2013. Web. 02 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KReoTOZK9W8>.