Arrangement Matters

I was sure I hadn't heard the song before. But I liked it a lot. It was a live recording that was delicate but powerful. There's a polite, almost reverent silence from the audience until the very end. The song is "Anniversary" by Suzanne Vega, released on her 2020 live album An Evening of New York Songs and Stories. The track is a testament to recovery and resilience after great tragedy, centering on New York City after the shocking events of September 11, 2001. The performance is singular, poignant, and memorable.

Lyric excerpt from "Anniversary"
Thrilled with my new discovery, I decided to find out which of Suzanne Vega's studio albums contained the original version. But, as it turns out, I had in fact heard the song before. I had owned Beauty and Crime, the album that it came off of, for years. I'm a fan of Suzanne Vega's work; I have several of her albums and I've seen her perform live. For some reason, though, the original version of "Anniversary" hadn't registered in my brain's musical index the first time I heard it. But this new stripped down live version had gone straight to my heart, like it was a brand new song. 

I think it comes down to arrangement. This live version's quiet somberness highlighted the lyrics for me, bringing their emotional power to full force. It's piano-led, there's no percussion, and the ethereal quality of the ambient guitar makes it hang in the air like slowly rising smoke.* The instrumentation provides the perfect backdrop for Suzanne Vega's soft and expressive vocals. There's a tenderness in this version that really touches me. Don't get me wrong; I'm not passing negative judgment on the song's original arrangement. I've listened to it again and it's well done. But for me, the re-imagined live version carries a greater emotional depth.

Excerpt from lyrics to "Anniversary"

There are myriad examples of arrangement changing a song's character, especially cover songs. For example, taking a fast-and-hard arrangement and slowing it down or softening it can give a song's lyrics new meaning. Taken to the extreme, arrangement can turn serious songs into gag songs. Weird Al Yankovic's "The Alternative Polka," a medley of 1990s grunge songs reworked into a zany, cartoonish polka arrangement, is a jarring but hilarious example.

Arrangement, like so many things in music, is often subjective. It's worth paying attention to how a song or album you love is arranged. It builds a deeper appreciation of the piece as a work of art.**

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* If that makes sense - sometimes it's hard to translate feelings into words. 
** Or at least entertainment - songs don't necessarily have to be deep and philosophical.

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