For this blog I chose the song “Iris” by the Goo Goo dolls. I am comparing Johnny Rzeznik’s performance to a cover by Chris Lanzon. This alternative rock song was released in 1998 and is still a favorite by many people today. This song was written by Johnny Rzeznik for the movie City of angels. He stated, “I was thinking about the situation of the Nicolas Cage character in the movie,” “This guy is completely willing to give up his own immortality, just to be able to feel something very human. And I think, ‘Wow! What an amazing thing it must be like to love someone so much that you give up everything to be with them.’ That’s a pretty heavy thought. He wants his true love to know that he exists and that she is the only person in the world who can understand and love him – hence the last line, “I just want you to know who I am.” In Johnny’s performance of the song, during the melody, the pitch of the whole song increases and there is more power in the melody than the rest of the song. His version is a quicker tempo and more upbeat compared to Chris Lanzon’s cover. When Chris is performing the song, he has a slower tempo and softer pitch. During the melody “and I don’t want the world to see me” Chris keeps the same pitch and tempo he already had. Compared to the original performance when the melody gets louder and more powerful, Chris’s is much softer. Both performances are beautiful, and this song will be heard and loved for generations to come.
Cerullo blog 4
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