Song Deconstruction (Part 2)

The song Forever originally sung by Chris Brown was remade by American Idol contestant Andrew Garcia. These two songs are arranged very differently and appeal to different audiences. Chris Brown’s version was created in a studio and contains many machine made sounds and effects. Andrew Garcia’s version was acoustic and he performed live without the help of sound effects.

   

Both songs generally use the same lyrics. Andrew Garcia’s song is shorter in length; therefore he had to cut out a few verses of the song. In the end, he shortens a chorus and the finale, and then adds them together. The melodies of the two songs are nearly identical because the melody is the vocal aspect of these songs.

Chris Brown’s version has a fairly fast tempo (allegro) and could be described as having hip-hop, poppy, or dance personality to it. There are a large amount of instruments/ effects in this song. The most prominent sounds were base beats, popping beats, keyboard, synthesized sounds, background vocals, and main vocals. The song organization is as follows: Intro, verse 1, bridge, chorus, verse 2, chorus, verse 3, chorus, and finale. There are wide ranges of high and low pitches. The timbre is complex due to the large amount of sounds and effects overlapping throughout the song. 

Andrew Garcia’s version has a slightly slower tempo (moderato). Most of the prominent sounds come from a guitar, bongo drums, and vocal. There are some background instruments playing, but they are very subtle. The personality of this song is rather soft, hypnotic, and relaxing. This is almost the exact opposite of the original song. The organization is as follows: Intro, verse 1, bridge, chorus, verse 2, chorus/finale. This song remains rather consistent until the verse 2 breakdown. There were many low pitches, but the only high pitch I noticed were violins in the background. The intensity of the song was low because it is a soft song; the timbre was fairly simple as well.  

I enjoy Andrew Garcia’s version of Forever more than Chris Brown’s version. The acoustic version seems more real and meaningful. Andrew only had one chance to get this song right on stage and he nailed it, whereas Chris Brown could keep working until his voice sounded right.  I may be a little biased because I have a weakness for live performances, especially ones involving acoustic guitar.