Friday, September 23, 2011

Lady Gaga vs. Queen - "You and I"

"You" referring, of course, to the Surgeon General

Lady Gaga has made it quite clear that she is very influenced by Queen, which raises the question: how does her new song "You and I" compare to Queen's song of the same name? Let's find out...

Number of times the phrase "You and I" is sung:
Gaga: 15
Queen: 7


Clearly, Gaga outdoes Queen in this department, ensured by a repeated bridge consisting mostly of the phrase "You and I". If the city of Imperial, Nebraska started a school and called it "University of Nebraska at Imperial" just so they could use Gaga's bridge as their fight song, I would not fault them for it.

Your move, Imperial.

Quality of Brian May's Guitar Solo:
Gaga: Short, simple, and spastic
Queen: Short, witty, and smooth

That's right, both songs feature a Brian May guitar solo! However, there is a vast disparity in the quality of the solos. According to Brian May, his solo performance on Lady Gaga's track was cut up and rearranged after the fact. It definitely shows - his phrasing isn't nearly as fluid as on Queen's "You and I".

Another issue is the mixing. The strength of Brian May's guitar tone has always been its warmth and fatness, and on the Gaga track all of those low, meaty frequencies are taken up by the huge drums and keyboards. This robs his tone of a lot of its unique quality, which is really unfortunate. It's like getting one of the world's most famous guitarists to appear on your track, then doing everything in your power to make it sound like some unknown guy.

Yes, this situation is a metaphor for itself.

Instrumentation/arrangement:
Gaga: programming, samples, piano, backing vocals
Queen: bass, drums, backing vocals

Gaga's track goes one step further in saluting Queen by sampling the stomp-stomp-clap beat of "We Will Rock You" (a May-penned composition) and incorporating it into the song's beat. Whether you prefer the instrumentation of the Gaga tune to the Queen one comes down to whether you prefer electronic-sounding instruments to the sound of an organic, real band. Each approach has its pros and cons, but in the Queen camp sits the rather compelling pro of John Deacon and his bass playing, which is exquisite throughout the entire track.

Pictured: Lady Gaga's bass player.

Vocals:
Gaga: Lady Gaga
Queen: Freddie Mercury

Gaga's voice has been compared to Mercury by a fair number of people, but I just don't hear it. Not to say that they're not both great singers - they are - but I don't really hear much similarity in their vocal styles. Gaga gives a powerful, straightforward performance on her song, while Mercury has a more understated way of going about things. While nothing Gaga does is quite as wondrous as the melismatic phrase Mercury sings going into the fade-out on his track, she brings more excitement throughout. Looking at only the tracks in question, I'd say this is a toss-up.

When mustaches are factored in, however...

Overall:
Both songs are well-written and well-performed, but there are some major differences in the manner of their appeal. Gaga's "You and I" has much more of a mega-hit feel to it; its goal is to assault the listener with hook after hook, constantly maintaining fever-pitch intensity. Queen's "You and I", being more or less an album track, is content to move between subtler sections, allowing every layer of the song to be developed to its fullest. Personally, I'll be listening to Queen's version long after Gaga's has left the charts, but I wouldn't look down on anyone who prefers the Gaga version - especially if they attended the prestigious University of Northern Iowa.

Actually a real place

Monday, September 19, 2011

Carpenters vs. All American Rejects - "Top of the World"

Introducing a new Sounds Like Japan feature, "Same Name, Different Song"!

"Reviewers, your work here is done"

Rarely are two songs with the same title so different in tone. Carpenters' "Top of the World" is ostensibly about being as happy as one can possibly be. The All American Rejects' version is a hard, angry rocker about the perils of greed. How do they stack up? Well, let's see...

Key lyrics:
Carpenters: "You're the nearest thing to heaven that I've seen"
Rejects: "Don't be so greedy, a dollar's a penny to you"

Both bands seem interested in characterizing the individual being addressed. Carpenters are primarily interested in this person's proximity to a location that, depending on one's beliefs, may or may not exist. Of course, this brings up the question of how one would determine the distance between a person and said location. Meanwhile, the All-American Rejects have determined that the object of their song has had their perception of currency altered such that all values are perceived with an implied 1/100 multiplier.

Don't be so greedy, a year is like 7 to you.

Who wins this round? I'd say the All-American Rejects - there's a certain amount of respect I have to give them for including such mathematical precision in their lyrics.

Vocals:
Carpenters: Karen Carpenter
Rejects: Tyson Ritter

Karen Carpenter, more or less a musical legend, brings practically limitless sincerity and warmth to her tune. Tyson Ritter uses extreme quantities of charisma and attitude to sell his song, but remains genuine in his delivery. I'd have to say the advantage goes to Karen Carpenter, but I'd like to point out that neither singer could really do the other's song any degree of justice. Tyson Ritter also loses points because his name is an anagram of OTTER TRY SIN, which sounds like a bad internet photo caption.

I can't believe this picture already existed. Wait, yes I can.

Featured Instruments/Arrangement:
Carpenters: electric piano, slide guitars, backing vocals
Rejects: acoustic and electric guitars, backing vocals

While the Carpenters shuffle along with soft colors and slide guitars, the Rejects surge forward with a straightforward power pop arrangement. The Carpenters get points for having a more nuanced arrangement; the Rejects use simpler tricks like a flamenco-style intro to grab listeners. I'd have to give the advantage to the Carpenters here for the layers built into the song, especially the harmonies in the chorus.

Pictured: a similar concept, applied to cake

Overall:
I think Carpenters win this round, but I suppose that's what happens when you stack up a #1 hit against a promotional single. Either way, "Top of the World" is a worthwhile listen.