Solomon perhaps said it best when he said, "there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecc. 1:9). I know that, to an extent, this is true - at its basic core, everything has been done before... but should that stop us from trying to be original?
This whole idea didn't exactly germinate overnight... but was definitely set off this morning. While driving into work, I had the radio going and thought I heard something familiar. Ah, yes - the opening piano of Warren Zevon's classic "Werewolves of London". But NOO-OO-OO! Instead, I was offered Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" which not only borrowed from the great Zevon, but also swiped the background vocals and guitar licks from Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama". Much as I may enjoy the occasional Kid Rock song, I was appalled.
This isn't a recent trend either. And I suppose that's what aggravates me. It's been a major problem since Vanilla Ice added a DING! to the end of Queen's "Under Pressure" in order to create his hit (yes, singular), "Ice, Ice Baby". But it's an epidemic now. From Gwen Stefani's "Wind it Up" (taken from The Sound of Music's "The Lonely Goatherd") to Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls" (which borrows the bassline from Ben E. King's "Stand By Me"), from Rhianna's "S.O.S." (the chords from "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell can be heard in the background) to the aforementioned "All Summer Long"... it's almost like we're rewarding artists for not creating.
And it's not even just music either. Ever since the late nineties, movies are created that are remakes of old sitcoms or (worst of all) other classic movies from a bygone era. Do we really need two "Dukes of Hazzard" remakes? Or another Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? Can anyone really top the original casts? Not really...
I find it very frustrating to live in a society that not only praises mediocrity but also lauds unoriginality. Where are the Grammys for Sufjan Stevens, Rufus Wainwright, or Iron & Wine? Where are the bands waiting to take up the mantles of Bob Dylan, Led Zepplin, and other people who actually wrote their own music?
Is originality a liability?
Feel free to discuss.
16 years ago
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2 comments:
There's a saying that there are only five or six movie scripts in Hollywood and all they do is change names and locations. At first this sounds crazy but when you really think about it, it's very true. The thing is it's not about the originality of the script. It's about the originality of the presentation. It's the same with music I guess. It's like the judges on American Idol (yes I watch that show) say, you can sing someone else's song but if you don't make it your own (a.k.a. finding an original way to get people to not think about the original)then don't touch it. Sadly, there are people who don't know how to make it there own and they butcher the original.
I think that when it comes to music, originality is definitely better. Although, I must admit, I do enjoy some remakes. I would rather hear someone cover an entire song than borrow some chords from an old song and make a whole new one. If you're going to make a new song, make it all new...
When it comes to movies, however. Sometimes, and I stress sometimes, the new ones ARE better. We've come such a long way in cinematography and acting ability. Granted, there are still many actors out there who can't act their way out of a paper bag, but the truly great actors can turn a remake into a new classic. With hi-def and better special effects, for the most part, I enjoy the remakes better than the originals. And sometimes, they twist the story around to make it even more interesting.
Basically, I think the more originality, the better. But we musn't discount remakes and covers. Sometimes, they're better than the original, especially with movies.
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