SONG: God's Gonna Cut You Down
Version #1 Johnny Cash- God's Gonna Cut You Down
Version #2 Sean Michel- God's Gonna Cut You Down
ESSAY:
I chose to discuss the song titled "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash. I chose this song, because I absolutely love the cover that Sean Michel does.
Since I decided to choose a song and its' cover, the lyrics are the same. The only difference in wording that I found, was that Sean Michel uses his first name in the song instead of "John" which is how Johnny Cash wrote it.
The melody was similar as well, but it did have some noticeable differences. Johnny Cash drew out the song very slowly, while Sean Sped thing up. The pitch was very low for Johnny's version, but much higher for Sean. Sean used his fingers to snap the rhythm, while Johnny has people clapping in his. The clapping was louder and much more intense than the sound of the snapping. Johnny's voice is very pure and organized. He dies not use riffs, and is straight to the point. Sean is quite the opposite. His version was shaky and had riffs. This difference made Johnny's version seem much more organized, and Sean's version sounds more random and tonal. Both versions are amazing, and the differences create a different, yet enjoyable listening experience.
This project opened my eyes, and allowed me to respect the differences in these two versions. I must say that I find Sean's versions to be more enjoyable, but both are great. This project also helped me understand how music can be manipulated over time. Johnny wrote that song many years ago, and Sean covered it only a few years ago. Sean modernized the song by making it more upbeat and fun. He wanted to appeal to a larger audience, so he had to change the tempo.
