There is a finite number of [good] Christmas songs that they play on the radio so of course you hear many versions of the same song in a day. As you can imagine, some renditions are [much] better than others. Sometimes I think, “now why did you put your own dumb spin on that perfectly good classic?” but I’ll admit maybe I'm just old fashioned, especially when it comes to Christmas.
This previous thought lead me to think maybe that idiot with his own version finished recording it and said “damn, that’s how it was meant to be written!”
Which makes me wonder: Does every artist think that their adaptation of a song is the best? Can they listen to the radio and all the other versions and admit that in comparison, their attempt really did miss the mark? Or is every singer deep down biased to their own voice and their own “twist”?
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7 comments:
My thoughts as an artist – although definitely not a writer nor singer by any stretch,,, when I love some painting/ drawing/ costume/ set/ prop etc… I want to own it, be part of it, feel more connected to it. I also want try my version of it to see if it can compare, if it is as good, if it can last, if could I have done it. So maybe song writers feel the same.
Yeah, I have noticed some artists songs are much much better then the same song by someone else. I like the classics as classics. :)
I always wonder with so many versions out there, why can't I hear more songs?
I hear: probably 12 songs, and always the same versions.
I have yet to hear the hippopotumus song this year. Or my favorite rendition of O Holy Night (Michael Crawford), or any of the fun songs (jingle bells, all I want for christmas (is my two front teeth), grandma got runover by a reindeer, Christmas cookies, etc).
Truthfully, I've been extremely disappointed with the Christmas song selection this year.
I heard the hippopotamus song on the radio this morning on Warm 98! I love that song - except that it gets stuck in my head like crazy.
I'm cynical. I think an artist realizes when their 15 minutes of fame is ending. So, then they put out a Christmas album since it's almost guaranteed to sell a fair number of copies. It's all about the dollars...
Apparently feeling a touch anti-Christmas,
MJ
Two comments on this, and I've actually thought about this a great deal recently...
First, as with everything else, every artist does have his or her own interpretation for everything he/she sings. For example, the heroine in our opera last night has probably been played by thousands of sopranos over the decades. I'm quite sure that not one has done it exactly the same way.
Second, and this is more practical than artistic, I'm sure that Christmas albums are very lucrative. The artists who are talented are going to do them regardless. Those who aren't talented do them because they're going to sell anyway.
By the way, I'm quite humbled that I'm in your post's subject line. :-)
I'm all about the old school versions. I don't like listening to the new crap.
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