Blog Assignment Five: Song Deconstruction

The songs I chose are Dexy's Midnight Runners' lone hit single "Come on Eileen" and the ska-punk cover performed by the short-lived, but awesomely named, Save Ferris. The original and the cover are embedded below along with my analyses of each and a comparative essay.

Original Version by Dexy's Midnight Runners

Ska-Punk Cover by Save Ferris




Listening Framework Analyses
Original Version

Listening Phase 1 (Rhythm) 

Tempo [slow, medium, fast]

 Medium

Source [where is the rhythm coming from?]

Upright bass, Banjo, Drums, Piano 

Groove [describe how the personality of the rhythm]

 Folky, Poppy, Upbeat, Sauntering

Listening Phase 2 (Arrangement)

Instrumentation [which instruments drive the song?]

 Violin, Drums, Bass, Piano, Guitar, Banjo, Vocals, Saxophone

Structure/Organization [how is the song built?  Order, patterns, etc.]

Intro, Instrumental Section, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Intrumental Section, Verse, Pre-Chorus , Chorus, Bridge, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Outro

Emotional Architecture [Draw how the song build and drop?]

 Soft,gentle and reflective intro leads to gradual build of instruments until verse. Verse mounts in pleading intensity to chorus which rolls forcefully into instrumental section and another round of verse/pre-chorus/chorus. Bridge becomes somber as singer is rejected by Eileen yet again, but builds in intensity until a bombastic revival of the chorus when she consents to him.

Listening Phase 3 (Sound Quality)

Balance

-       Height [high and low of frequency]

 Full height, with violin, banjo and vocals occupying higher ranges and bass occupying lower. All other instruments fall in the mid-range.

-       Width [stereo panning left/right]

No panning.

  

-       Depth [layers of instruments - via loudness]

Considerably deep, with banjo, sax, and piano staying relatively low other than pitch-ins, but violin, bass, drums, and vocals remaining toward the top.

Ska-Punk Cover

Listening Phase 1 (Rhythm) 

Tempo [slow, medium, fast]

Medium

Source [where is the rhythm coming from?]

 Horns, Guitar, Drums

Groove [describe how the personality of the rhythm]

 Gritty, Driving, Swaggering, Swinging

Listening Phase 2 (Arrangement)

Instrumentation [which instruments drive the song?]

 Drums, Bass, Guitar, Horns, Vocals

Structure/Organization [how is the song built?  Order, patterns, etc.]

 Intro, Instrumental Section, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Intrumental Section, Verse, Pre-Chorus , Chorus, Bridge, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Outro

Emotional Architecture [Draw how the song build and drop?]

 Begins forceful and celebratory, vocals come in bringing mood to a slightly more somber twinge. Pre-Chorus builds in defiant punk rock anger. Chorus swings and bops like mid-tempo ska with a guilty happiness. Instrumental section regains punk angst leading into a more angsty version of the prior verse's somber celebration. Pre-Chorus and chorus repeat as before leading into a soft sultry jazzy bridge. Chorus after bridge is true ska-punk full of exuberance leading to loud horn-filled joyous outro with final loving lines in the vocals.

Listening Phase 3 (Sound Quality)

Balance

-       Height [high and low of frequency]

 Mid/Low in punkier sections (Bass, low tuned guitar, drums). Mid/High in ska/jazz sections (Higher guitar, horns)

-       Width [stereo panning left/right]

 Very little width other than occasional doubletracked lead vocal in the chorus.

-       Depth [layers of instruments - via loudness]

Bass buried fairly low, horns and vocals toward the top. Guitar is dynamic throughout depending on volume of vocals.

Comparative Essay

                The two versions of “Come On Eileen” are identical in terms of lyrical structure and follow the exact same vocal melody. In fact, the covers are surprisingly similar in this regard with the female vocalist of Save Ferris easily mastering the high pitches that were so impressively sung by the frontman of Dexy’s Midnight Runners in the original. While the pronouns of the lyrics are changed in Save Ferris’s cover in order to make the song applicable to a friendship between two heterosexual females the concept is essentially the same. Likewise, one of the song’s recognizable pre-chorus (too-ra-loo-ra too-ra-loo-ray-ai) is carried over almost verbatim from the original to the cover. This string of syllables is “Come On Eileen” and any cover would feel incomplete without it, thus that familiar melody will truly be stuck in your head forever.

 It’s the instrumental arrangements and stylings that ultimately set Save Ferris’ cover apart from Dexy’s original version. Ferris’ rhythms are largely influenced by their chosen genre of Ska-Punk and thus have much more staccato in some sections and swing in others than the relatively straight-forward folk rhythms of the original tune. The intensity of Ferris’ cover is much higher than the original due to the inclusion of more distorted guitars and the faster punkier instrumental section. The timbre of the Dexy’s Midnight Runner’s version is relatively simplistic other than slight distortions on the electric bass; however, the Save Ferris cover has incredibly complex timbre which changes throughout from gritty and punky to smooth and jazzy.

                Personally, I find both versions of the song to be equally catchy and interesting to listen to. On the one hand the original is a round of old-fashioned fun taking classic folk elements and putting a pop-rock spin on them. On the other hand, the cover pays loving homage to the original whilst displaying all of the youthful exuberance and zaniness I’ve grown to love in ska-punk. The similarities in melody, lyrics, and general structure make it even harder to decide between the two as I honestly just view them as two really good recordings of a surprisingly wonderful pop song.