Revisiting Old Friends
I am sitting here, listening to Alison
Krauss “Now That I’ve Found You: A Collection” and sometimes I am amazed to
discover that a song that I thought had been performed to perfection by the
original artist is either topped by another artist's performance or is a song
that I had judged as a throw away in the original performance and I haven’t given
a second thought.
There are two songs on this
collection that fit the bill. The first is the title song, “Now That I’ve Found
You”. The original performance, by the The Foundations, to my mind, is a successful
attempt by a UK band to imitate The Motown Sound that was very popular and innovative
at the time. I think that the meaning of the song is lost in its success. Alison
Krauss has brought out the meaning of this song in her rendering. The
arrangement pares away the style and leaves us with a tender song of
desperation, a plea for what she is losing. This could go very badly. The
background vocals are used sparingly and effectively with the words “darling
but I can’t let you” and “I built my world around you”. Will her plea end with
this man’s return? Will she heal and move on? Or………?
The second song that came to mind, as an
example of a well done song; The Beatles “I Will”. Paul McCartney captures the innocence
of love in its first throes. It is genuine and without guile. The words are
spoken to the loved one with complete honesty and truthfulness. The young man
is bold in his proclamation. He has no fear of rejection. In Alison’s version,
I hear it as a proclamation of joy at having found the person she is meant for
and who is meant for her. The producer leaves us, at the beginning; with a
guitar introduction that doesn’t give away what the song is. He relieves the
tension 18 seconds in when the melody is introduced on the banjo. The banjo,
when played at this tempo, communicates fragility in its inability to sustain notes
well. It depends on the other instruments to carry it along.
Alison and company bring a new
perspective to this great song. It seems, to me, to be more graceful and
gentle. She brings out the hope for good things to come. Well done.
A very special thanks to Jo-Ann Hedleston at KRFC FM Radio 88.9 for being the inspiration for today's blog. She played "I Will" this morning.
-Adrian Yañez
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