This just blew my mind, and so after a five year absence, I'm dipping into this little blog for a moment.
First, I have to say that the original version of this song changed my life. Trite, over-used, but true. It 100% changed my taste in music and sent me on a new trajectory. It also provided the kick-off point and a soundtrack to a few years of very bad behavior that I enjoyed tremendously. :-)
Be that as it may...
I was a musician once - sort of. I sang for many years, I was in band for a long time, and music has obviously been so dear to me that I have this private blog no one knows about that I pour a few words into now and again. But I don't *understand* music. That is, I've never taken music theory, and I was never great at site reading. I have a great ear and I pick up harmonies easily and all that, but I can't explain to you what it is about any given song makes me feel a certain way. At a high level, I guess I understand that there's a difference between major and minor keys and they have a completely different impact. I can FEEL it, but I cannot EXPLAIN it.
Whatever. That's not really the point. Someone took this iconic song and auto-tuned it into a new key, thus turning it into a 90's pop song. What the fuck? Damn, it's catchy in that kind of grating but really listenable way. I'm annoyed at how much I enjoyed it with my old(er) ears.
Here is what struck me -
When I first heard Smells Like Teen Spirit, although I couldn't articulate it, I felt it was almost a done deal that Kurt Cobain would be dead soon. You can HEAR IT IN THE SONG. The song itself is a tragedy. I know, hindsight, right? I stand by that opinion.
Now THIS guy (this fictional dude that's been auto-tuned), our pretend Kurt.... he'd be touring as a nostalgia act right now, maybe with Blind Melon, or Blur, or maybe The Verve. This guy would have lived. Would have had some down years. Would have struggled for sure, but then he'd have pulled out of it and gone into the world of soundtracks, or music for video games, or some other use of his musical talents.
Ugh..... I mean, I hate that Kurt Cobain is gone, but THAT might have been a much bigger tragedy.
Here's a link to the Esquire article that explains it a little bit better than I can.
Oh, and by the way, There is much to catch up on in this blog. Bowie fucking died on us. SO MANY MUSICIANS HAVE DIED lately. More on that later, maybe. After all, no one sees this thing right??
First, I have to say that the original version of this song changed my life. Trite, over-used, but true. It 100% changed my taste in music and sent me on a new trajectory. It also provided the kick-off point and a soundtrack to a few years of very bad behavior that I enjoyed tremendously. :-)
Be that as it may...
I was a musician once - sort of. I sang for many years, I was in band for a long time, and music has obviously been so dear to me that I have this private blog no one knows about that I pour a few words into now and again. But I don't *understand* music. That is, I've never taken music theory, and I was never great at site reading. I have a great ear and I pick up harmonies easily and all that, but I can't explain to you what it is about any given song makes me feel a certain way. At a high level, I guess I understand that there's a difference between major and minor keys and they have a completely different impact. I can FEEL it, but I cannot EXPLAIN it.
Whatever. That's not really the point. Someone took this iconic song and auto-tuned it into a new key, thus turning it into a 90's pop song. What the fuck? Damn, it's catchy in that kind of grating but really listenable way. I'm annoyed at how much I enjoyed it with my old(er) ears.
Here is what struck me -
When I first heard Smells Like Teen Spirit, although I couldn't articulate it, I felt it was almost a done deal that Kurt Cobain would be dead soon. You can HEAR IT IN THE SONG. The song itself is a tragedy. I know, hindsight, right? I stand by that opinion.
Now THIS guy (this fictional dude that's been auto-tuned), our pretend Kurt.... he'd be touring as a nostalgia act right now, maybe with Blind Melon, or Blur, or maybe The Verve. This guy would have lived. Would have had some down years. Would have struggled for sure, but then he'd have pulled out of it and gone into the world of soundtracks, or music for video games, or some other use of his musical talents.
Ugh..... I mean, I hate that Kurt Cobain is gone, but THAT might have been a much bigger tragedy.
Here's a link to the Esquire article that explains it a little bit better than I can.
Oh, and by the way, There is much to catch up on in this blog. Bowie fucking died on us. SO MANY MUSICIANS HAVE DIED lately. More on that later, maybe. After all, no one sees this thing right??
