Music recycling recurring theme in 2005
In the music industry, as in solid-waste management, recycling is a thorny issue. Debates still rage over whether the effort to recycle is worthwhile, and the laments continue over how hard it is to find a market for recycled material. This summer, however, musical recycling is suddenly all the rage, as seemingly crazy scenarios, such as Bobby Vinton with a hip-hop hit, Paul McCartney with a dance hit and Paul Anka singing Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", all come true.
The main reason for musical recycling's 2005 success is the lack of any hot new style to dominate the pop-culture landscape. The fact that technological advances in music-editing software have made it easier to cobble samples together hasn't hurt. But as polls suggest that more and more Americans believe that President Bush and other leaders lied about the reasons for the war in Iraq and worries about terrorism grow again, there also seems to be a cultural longing for simpler, happier times - as the oddball TV successes "Dancing With the Stars", "Hit Me Baby One More Time" and even the "Being Bobby Brown" show.
That said, recycling well requires a certain amount of skill. Like Akon's appropriation of Bobby Vinton's "Mr. Lonely" for the hit "Lonely" (Universal), Kanye West's "Diamonds of Sierra Leone" (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam) shows how potent it can be to take a known song - in this case, Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever" - and twist it into something new. West's single not only carries the flag for the Roc-A-Fella rap dynasty, mixing serious and jokey the way Jay-Z did, but it shows that his production skills continue to improve as well.
West even cleverly drops in the "Forever? Forever-ever?" line from OutKast's "Ms. Jackson", though Mariah Carey goes him one better on the remix of "We Belong Together" (Island). While Carey teases old-school fans with a hint of The Deele's 1987 hit "Two Occasions" on the original "We Belong Together", she busts out the whole chorus on the remix, which gets roughed up, in a good way, by appearances from Jadakiss and Styles.
Newcomer Jenn Cuneta manages an amazing feat, turning the horn-heavy opening from Wings' "Silly Love Songs" into the sprightly dance hit "Come Rain Come Shine" (Ultra). Although Cuneta's vocals are constantly battling the hey-that's-"Silly Love Songs" factor, the song's sweetness and Cuneta's perkiness eventually win out - which may be how they managed to talk McCartney into agreeing to let them sample the song.
And who can forget Anka's stunning "Rock Swings" (Verve) album, on which Mr. Having My Baby takes on Nirvana, Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun", The Cure's "Love Cats" and Pet Shop Boys' "It's a Sin" with varying, um, success. One thing Anka does accomplish by applying a lounge-lizard, kitschy coat of easy listening to all these songs is show how well-crafted they are. "Rock Swings" is also pretty good for shock value, which is more than can be said for the current glut of cover versions that barely change anything from the originals.
Jessica Simpson's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin' " (Columbia) does make changes to the Nancy Sinatra original, but they're not for the better. At times, Simpson's vocals get so breathy that she can't even sing anymore, ending up speaking the lyrics. (The Journal Gazette)
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