Assignment #4

Helter Skelter by Siouxsie and The Banshees

Helter Skelter by The Beatles 

            For this assignment, I chose to do the song Helter Skelter by The Beatles. Siouxsie and the Banshees a punk band from the seventies covered the song but I feel in a different way. The main tempo for both songs is upbeat and medium to fast time. The both are using the symbol as a main source of keeping the beat. The Beatles version uses the electric guitar in the beginning to set the time. Whereas in the Banshees cover the beginning is slow, unpredictable then it goes into a punk, thrash, groovy time signature.

The instrumentation for both is similar. They both use the simple band instruments: guitar, base, drums, and vocals. Where they differ is how they use them. The Beatles guitar and the guitar in The Banshees are using different pedals and effects. In addition, the vocals are somewhat the same, both using layers and harmonies of vocals. This is almost adding a gestalt effect adding to the overall sound and making us excited while listening to the song.

            The organization and the emotional architecture are what I feel differ the most. In The Beatles version, they start the song and it goes right into the beat, electric guitar leading from the start. In The Banshees version, it is more slow and unpredictable in the beginning then it goes into the punk rock beat, which is steadier. Like any punk music, songs normally end quickly not fading out. The Beatles use the highs and lows in the end to fade the song in and out and in and out. Whereas the Banshees do this in the beginning. The Banshees also end the song with a bang. They both have similar interior structure, it is mostly high beat and high emotion through out the middle of the songs.

            I like both versions I feel if I had to choose it would be the Siouxsie and the Banshees version. I like that the song ends in with a bang, I also like that you don’t really know what is going on in the beginning. I just like the way that Siouxsie and the Banshees choose to cover an extremely successful bands song.