Blog 4 Song Deconstruction "Hey Ya"

Original Song: Hey Ya by Outkast

Mat Weddle Covers Hey Ya by Outkast 

 I decided to listen to and compare and contrast one of my favorite songs. That is the song “Hey Ya” by the group Outkast. I am comparing it to the cover that Mat Weddle of the band Obadiah Parker made and posted on Youtube. The cover has over 8 million views on Youtube while the original song has almost 14 million views. While both are the same song and very popular they are also very different as well.

Since they are the same song that also means the lyrics are the same as well. But the way that each singer sings the lyrics is very different. Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000) from Outkast is very upbeat and fluid in the way he uses the lyrics. He uses a combination of singing, rapping, and at some parts just talking throughout the song. While Mat Weddle of Obadiah Parker really sings the lyrics throughout the whole song. The tempo of the original is a lot faster than the tempo of the cover. But the source from both songs is the same as the acoustic guitar is where the rhythm is coming from. The groove of the original song is upbeat and funky while the cover song is more chill and mellow. Instrumentation is similar too because the guitar drives each song as well even though the original also uses the drums. The structure of both songs are practically the same since they are the same song. But the emotional architecture is a little different. While both don't have much builds or drops they have different tone to them. The original is higher frequency compared to the lower frequency of the cover. Both songs also had low width with little to no panning. But the depth of the original is a lot deeper than the cover considering the cover only uses a guitar. The rhythm of the original is a lot faster and upbeat than the cover which is slow and relaxing. The original also has a higher intensity than the cover which has a very low intensity. The pitch of the original is a lot higher than the cover which has a low pitch.

The song I like better is the original because it is one of my favorite songs. Plus because it is more upbeat and fun to listen to.