Marcus Medford (1000026385

Professor Bowen

VPMA93H3 11-22-13

A Dream Of A Dream: Stevie Nicks vs. Dan Smith When one artist cover's another artist's song the covering artist must bring their own unique style to the rendition in order to make it original. In some cases, the two artists can be very different in terms of their musical style, genre of expertise, vocal ability, and even generation; all of which has an effect on the final product. When discussing how a cover of a song differs from the original, some of the most important aspects to consider are the differences in genre, production values, the tone or color and the interpretation of the meaning. In this essay

I will compare and contrast the musical aspects of the song "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac (Stevie

Nicks) with those a cover of the song done by Bastille (Dan Smith) featuring Gabrielle Aplin.

One of the immediate distinctions between the original version of "Dreams" and the cover is that the two are of different genres. Nicks' version of Dreams is classified as soft rock whereas Smith and Aplin's cover falls into the category of either synthpop or indie pop. Nicks' choice of performing the song as a soft rock song as opposed to a hard rock or traditional rock song is helpful because of the songs subject matter. The lyrics of Dreams revolves around a break up, where the narrator is seemingly at peace or has at least accepted the break up and does not seem to be emotionally distressed about it. The lyrics of the song match the soft rock genre because soft rock is less assertive than traditional rock, usually because soft rock employs less electric guitar and less drums; both of which are typically used for their powerful sounds. The

combination of the soft rock genre and the lyrics gives Nicks' version a very light and vulnerable feel. Bastille's indie/synthpop version of Dreams creates a very different mood to that of not only the original version of Dreams but to other songs of the indie or synthpop genre. In most indie or synthpop songs, the synths are used to create a light, dreamy and bouncy mood. In Bastille's version of dreams, in addition to creating a dreamy affect, the synths also have a haunting quality where the synths sound like echoes of the lyrics and screams, like a nightmare. Smith's choice to use the characteristics of synth and indie pop for darker purposes is probably because the lyrics

"darker" topic of a break up.

More complex production techniques can change the entire sound of a song through the addition of various instruments and effects. Nicks' version and Smith's version of Dreams is a great example of the changes and developments that have been made in terms of production over the last couple of decades, as over 30 years separates the release of Fleetwood Mac's Rumors

(1977) and Bastille's Other People's Heartache 2 (2012). One could say that Fleetwood Mac's version of Dreams is more simple than Bastille's version because the music made by traditional instruments (guitar, drums, keyboard and bass) and not electronic instruments. Through the use of only traditional instruments Fleetwood Mac is able to create a very calm and natural mood to the song. The low key feeling of Fleetwood Mac's Dreams is probably partially due to the fact that Nick's wrote the piece alone, in a bed, using only a keyboard (The Greatest Songs Ever!

Dreams, Blender Magazine). One can pick up on the feeling of loneliness from the song even without knowing the history. In Bastille's version, the haunting, eerie feeling is created through the production techniques and the electronic effects. The production tool's effect on the music and on the singers voices makes the song come alive; making it more energetic and more

dramatic. Even for Bastille's synthy style, the production on Dreams is more complicated than most of his songs, featuring more synth effects and more fluxuation. The flux paired with the lyrics gives the song a feeling of emotional turmoil.

When an artist does a cover they perform another artist’s song usually keeping the lyrics as is (except for the occasional vocal syncopation), so it is up to the covering artist to change how the lyrics are delivered. In the two versions of Dreams, the differences in the vocal deliveries of Nicks and Smith conveys a difference in the interpretation of the song's meaning.

Dreams is about the ending of a relationship that seems more like a falling apart than a break up.

Although the speaker recognizes/accepts that it was best that the couple split up she warns that he will eventually become lonely and miss what he had (and what he lost) and the chorus she reassures herself that she'll be okay. Nicks' vocals quite clearly match the lyrics meaning and intention because she wrote and performed the song. Nicks' lyrical delivery also seems especially earnest because at the time the song was written she as well as all the other band members were going through separations' in some cases to other band members (Blender Magazine). Nicks having wrote, performed and presumably felt the lyrics of the song brings the proper attitude, articulation, pitch and dynamics to the lyrics, particularly "Now here you go again, you say you want your freedom well who am I to keep you down". This line in particular shows how Nicks accepts the break up and may have even initiated it, that calmness of is shown throughout other aspects of the song. Bastille's version of Dreams is much more emotionally charged than

Fleetwood Mac's. In Bastille's version of Dreams, Smith is able to convey the sense of strong emotion with his voice, using changes in his dynamics and pitch while remaining largely unenergetic and melancholy. Aplin's backing and sometimes leading vocals amplifies the song's

emotional feel because many times both Smith and Aplin are singing and they both bring similar energy. Although the lyrics to Dreams suggests that the speaker is okay with the break up that sentiment does not seem to be shared in Bastille's version. During Smith and Aplin's performance there are times where one can detect, apathy, sadness, anger and even bitterness in their voices.

I feel as if Nicks' version is about the breaking up whereas Bastille's version is about being broken up with. The production and the lyrical delivery suggests that Nicks' is more content with the break up than Smith and Aplin. It's almost as if Bastille's version is a response to

Nicks' saying "No, I'm not okay. I'm hurt and I'm unhappy. You were right I do miss us". One could argue that because Bastille's interpretation of the lyrics is so different to that of Fleetwood

Mac's that Smith and Aplin have failed to capture the original essence and meaning of the song but I would argue that by countering its original meaning they have shown that they have a great understanding of it.

When a cover is done well, the covering artist is able to maintain the essence of the song while imposing their own style. Some of the most interesting covers involve cross genre pollination because the differences in the conventions of the genre can completely change the feeling of the song. The genre of choice, the tone of the song and the interpretation of the lyrics can also have significant effect on how the cover sounds. Whether the changes are drastic or subtle, each cover brings its own unique details to a song expanding listeners understanding and appreciation of the story told by music.

Works Cited

1. N.a. “Dreams by Fleetwood Mac” on SongFacts. Date published unknown. Web.

18.11.13