Sunday, June 15, 2003
the Three Dog Night version of "Your Song" is so much better than the original Elton John version. i don't normally side with the interpreters over the creator himself, but damn. i've always been a little bit indifferent to Elton John's style of piano playing (not to mention singing and lyric writing, but i won't touch that here), but it's not just that: his version is just so overproduced... strings, flute, harp, acoustic bass, yarg! too much! it has the tonal sensitivity of a bag of Skittles! i don't like it. Three Dog Night added a cool guitar riff and replaced the gushy piano with rock organ, and scraped off all of the frosting to create a low-calorie rock and roll treat. the moral: a love song can be austere and meaningful at the same time.
