I'll be honest, reggae music isn't exactly my cup of tea. But this song managed to catch my attention. Probably because it's so different from what I usually listen to. One of the things that caught my attention was how different it was from the original Bob Marley version. I think he was right to not copy the original completely, just because the point of view and the meaning of the song have different impacts on Clapton and Marley. So I appreciate that he changed it up a little bit without making the song completely unrecognizable.
There is definitely a bit more blues and pop in Eric Clapton's version. Furthermore, the tempo isn't very fast and the accompaniment isn't as attention grabbing as Bob Marley's version. Though I do like that he kept the female backing vocals. It adds another level of texture and keeps the song interesting.
I think the point of the song was to bring light to what African Americans experience in their daily lives. Though the song doesn’t resonate with Clapton in the same way (being a white artist), I think Clapton possibly sympathized with it. He covered it so that it was brought to the attention of a larger audience.
I agree that raggae is not my favorite type of music. But this song is definitely listen worthy. I personally prefer Eric Clapton's version because, like you mentioned, it has more of a pop things to it than just raggae. Overall, this song has a lot of narrative attached to it and has very cool instrumentals.
ReplyDeleteI actually don't like this song but after reading your analyzes it bring a new light and understanding to this song. I think its pretty relevant in today as well.
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