In honor of the great Michael Jackson, who passed away a year ago yesterday, today’s Covers Revue will be dedicated to one of his best works.
Though this song was before Michael went solo, there is no doubt that The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” is a classic, showing off this vivacious young boy’s huge personality and the ease at which he seemed to demand our attention on stage.
That intro piano and lightly distorted guitar riffs get your head bobbing before Michael’s voice even comes in, which, when it does, blows you away! Though his voice hadn’t even dropped yet at the time of this recording, his voice is strong and demanding. With back-ups provided by his brothers, the song has much depth to it, evening out Michael’s voice with some deeper falsettos. You don’t even realize that this young boy is singing about a broken relationship, something that he probably knew nothing about.
The string section is a little light and I would’ve loved to hear more of it, but it probably would have drowned out the pop/soul/R&B aspect of the song, so who am I to mess with perfection?
Well, tons of artists have decided to do just that! Some were successful, some were not. One of these artists is an “indietronica” (I’ve never heard that term before but I like it!) duo called Discovery. Consisting of members of Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot, this duo gives “I Want You Back” a total face lift!
Like any good electronic device, this song takes a while to start up, but when it does, the cymbals, deep keyboard and digital-sounding quick tones take you on a journey into your computer. Can’t you imagine taking a journey through all the wires inside while listening to this song? After awhile though, the effects can get a little overwhelming as they’re consistently changing it up. Also, Lead Singer Wes Miles’ auto-tuned howling gets to be too much as well, which is probably the only major downfall of this cover.
Like I said before, there’s no messing with perfection and if you do, you better do a damn good job! Discovery’s take on “I Want You Back” isn’t the best cover, but it’s a great translation into their indietronica language. Both the Jackson 5’s and Discovery’s versions are fun listens and really, if you think about it, a great display of how the technology of music has changed over the decades!