After listening to both Badfinger's original song
"Without You" and Harry Nilsson's cover of the same song, each
version has its own feeling while the audience is the same. In Badfinger's
version of the song, the singer mostly sounds indifferent throughout the entire
song, not happy nor sad. Even singing the line “I can’t live, if living is
without you” sounds as if the singer doesn’t really care whether or not he if
with his significant other. The verse “Or your face as you were leaving” is cut
short on the word “leaving” by Badfinger. It sounds like leavin’. The band does
this with other lines that end with words ending in –ing. For me personally,
this throws me off since Badfinger clearly enunciates all the other words like
how they are supposed to sound. By singing these words differently, it comes
off as singing the song informally while with Nilsson’s version, he sings it as
if he was begging his significant other to not leave him, hence, making it
sound formal. It is a small variation but makes all the difference while
listening to each song.
In Nilsson's cover of the song, when he sings the line “I
can’t live, if living is without you”, Nilsson sounds extremely emotional and
heartbroken. He sings this line in the song as if he cannot live without his
significant other. Another example as to why these two versions couldn’t be
farther is the line “Yes, it shows”. In the Nilsson cover, the singer sings it
as if he is about to cry and holds (sings) the word “shows” a long time.
Badfinger sings it like the rest of the lines, short and indifferent. He seems
as if he is coming to the realization that he is going to be alone.
Each message in these two versions of the songs are very clear and different
than one another. Badfinger conveys the message of being unable to live with
someone. In the end, it is not conveyed meaningfully. Nilsson on the other
hand, sounds as if his heart has just been ripped in half. The same words are
sung, but one of the versions sounds incredibly meaningful while one comes off
as not really caring what happens. One doesn’t care, and the other cares so
much that it hurts. It’s not about what someone says, it is the way they say
it. Even though Badfinger wrote the song, Nilsson sang it exponentially better.
Hey Patrick, I enjoyed reading your post and feel that you made some interesting connections between the original and cover songs. I agree that the tone is what portrayed the songs differently even though they had the same lyrics. It's amazing how the author's voice really has an impact and what he said. I suppose it's not what you say it's how you say it. Have a good day, and keep making strong connections. It will definitely pay off.
ReplyDeleteI like how you compared the two versions of the song, now personally not being familiar with the song makes this difficult to observe what it's about. Your description though displays perfectly the ideals and tones of both artists.
ReplyDeleteGreat use of imagery within the post. Also, you stated that each artist had different emotions tied within the lyrics. Do you feel that to indifference cancels a broken heart? Or do you think the gentleman was indifferent in the act of trying to rid his feelings for an ex lover or significant other? Lastly, upon the realization of being alone, what happens within the videos? Do they correctly correspond to the songs or are they solely sources of entertainment?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kailyn. I think that he is singing in an "emotionless" way to try to rid himself of the thoughts of his ex. I think that the situation caused him a lot of pain, and he is downplaying the pain that he truly feels.
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