Assignment 3...

(The following is a comparison/contrast of Kanye West's original song "Heartless", and The Fray's cover of the song, also titled "Heartless").

(Original Version.)

(Cover Version.)

ANALYSIS:

The song "Heartless" by Kanye West came out in 2008 along with the rest of his "808s and Heartbreaks". Being a Kanye West fan since graduation, I was extremely excited when I heard one of the tracks from it, "Love Lockdown", on the radio. Though it sounded completely different than anything I had ever heard of Kanye's, I loved it, and could not wait to see where he had chosen to go musically after "Graduation", still one of my favorite albums of all time.

By the following winter, The Fray had come out with a cover version of "Heartless", one that is jarring to hear for the first time for anyone who really likes or knows the original.

Though the two songs have a completely different sound, they are identical lyrically. Despite this fact, the lyrics do tend to come across differently depending on whether or not you are hearing the slow melody of The Fray, or the upbeat, rebellious melody that Kanye mixed together.

For example, when Kanye West says the line, "You've got a new friend, well I've got homies...", it has a completely different feel to it than when The Fray says this line. This is probably due to this direct translation of the lyrics, which I believe was intentional on The Fray's part for ironic affect.

The musical quality, on the other hand, is quite different between the two versions of this song. The original version by Kanye West has a much great intensity, which can be attributed in part to it's quicker pace (speed/rhythm). The pitch seems to be a bit lower in Kanye's version as well, though it is hard to tell, as his voice is vocalized at times.

In Kanye's original version, it is only his vocals throughout the entire song, while in The Fray's version there is woman in the background who can barely be heard. Though this seems like a minor choice, the fact that the song is about a break-up makes the woman's vocal's seem even more applicable.

Her voice is almost referential to the lyrics, or the deeper story that Kanye was originally telling.

The timbre in Kanye West's version is also very identifiable within the hip hop genre, while the timbre of the cover version by The Fray can easily be placed into some category of rock, possibly "Melodic". The instrumentation is also quite different between the two versions. Kanye uses a lot of beatboxes and synthetic instruments while The Fray sticks with the classical bass and guitar dynamic.

Overall, I would have to say that I like Kanye West's version of the song "Heartless" better, because it is more upbeat and intense than The Fray's version.

That being said, I really do like The Fray's version, partially because they kept Kanye's words the same, but tried something different creatively with their sound quality.

JAC...