Dr. Dre VS Ben Folds

The two songs I am going to compare and contrast is Bitches Ain’t Shit by Dr. Dre and remade by Ben Folds. Ben Folds remade the song for more of a comedic feel, unlike most artists who remade a song out of respect for the artist. The lyrics of the songs are exactly same. Ben Folds is known for taking songs and making exact lyrical replicas of songs you would not expect. Ben Folds figured he would get a more intense reaction if he stuck with the original lyrics and put it to a different instrumental piece. In Dr. Dre’s original version the song has a low pitch. The percussion in the song has a very low pitch like in most classic hip hop songs. Ben Folds, who has a much higher singing voice than Dr. Dre, also adds a piano that is played in a higher bitch. Also the drums used in the cover have a higher pitch. This gives more of a contrast between the songs, which increases the comedic element he is portraying. Dr. Dre’s song has a much more intense feel to it. The song is a very dark and violent song has Dre uses loud instrumental and vocals, with a heavy feel. Ben Fold’s version is much softer. Instead of the percussion being the main instrument, he uses is piano to give it a softer feel. He also sings it a lot quieter than Dre’s. Ben Folds is known more for his piano playing than his bands’ ability to play the drums. Still, Ben Folds will use a drum set as the driving force or to increase a song’s intensity, but Ben Folds only uses a soft drum beat in the background to give his cover even more contrast from the original. Another difference between the songs are the timbre used. Dr. Dre uses a much heavier dark overall tone through out the song to fit his dark gangster feel he uses in his hip hop songs. Also his instruments have more of a computerized affected tone to it. Ben Folds timbre is a lot more bright, which again gives it a contrast between the original song. Ben Fold’s version also has a more natural feel to it. It is more simple because it is just his vocals, a piano, and a simple drum beat which fits into his stereotypical persona. When you listen to Bitches Ain’t Shit you expect the song to be sung by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg or some other rapper. You do not expect the song to be sung by some white pop singer who plays a piano and looks like a computer geek. Ben Folds uses irony in this song and his other covers because his covers are not what the types of songs Ben Folds sings about. Finally Dr. Dre would be a more reliable narrator because Dre grew up in a poor neighborhood and had a very troubled background dealing with drugs and gangs. So when Dre sings the song a listener would expect that he has done things like this before or this is his opinion of women. Ben Folds grew up in a suburb and does not share the beliefs he is singing about. I personally prefer Ben Folds version because I enjoy the comedic value to it and I think the vocals and instruments are better in his version.