Now What?! Respect the original

The words you are about to read will make me seem super old, but I can stay silent no longer.

Remakes and samplings can be excellent when it comes to songs, movies, plays, or whatever but the fact of the matter is that the origin story of the creation in question deserves its props.

Every masterpiece came from the mind of a writer, and every writer’s process looks different. Some are able to come up with ideas and run with them while others need the inspiration to strike after long periods of soul searching.

Thirty-six years before Weezer released the song, “Africa,” Toto released the original version of the song that they wrote in 1982. The composition flows so masterfully and it hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts shortly after its release. Although the remake is amazing, a whole generation has no idea that Weezer only released a cover of the song.

One of the best love songs of all time, “I Will Always Love You,” released by Whitney Houston in 1992 was a remake! The original was written and recorded by Dolly Parton in 1974. The remakes aren’t intended to disrespect or discredit the original; quite the opposite. Remakes and sampling are a sincere homage to the artists who put in the creative time to write and develop the original. Art begets art.

One of the main reasons this topic occupies my mind is because the older I get, I find myself uttering words like, “You’ve never heard of [XYZ] – what??” Then I find myself explaining why the work is genius or groundbreaking to a blank stare looking back at me.

It is the same reason that I get frustrated when people refer to ‘The Bachelor’ (which debuted in 2002) or ‘Survivor’ (2000) as the original reality shows when they are completely dismissing the 1992 debut of MTV’s ‘The Real World’ – you know, “when people stop being polite and start getting real?”

Lady Gaga is an icon with her bold costume choices and crossover talent between songwriting, singing, and award-winning acting prowess. She is not, however, the original to make these controversial waves. We had Madonna starting in the 1980’s with all of the aforementioned headlines and staying power. To take it a step further, she also wasn’t the original as the 1960’s and 1970’s had Cher, Elton John, and Diana Ross in all of their pageantry. In my estimation, Lady Gaga would give credit for influence to the originals, but her fans most likely don’t know much about any of them.

As difficult as it is for me to acknowledge that I am almost three decades out of my teens, it is a fact, and each generation believes they know best. My 20-year-old son thinks that I couldn’t possibly understand the complexities and depth of his music, and I thought my parents were too old to appreciate the sounds of Nirvana or Prince. No doubt their parents didn’t understand why they wanted to listen to the mellow sounds of Pink Floyd or even Elvis.

The challenge I pose to you all is to think about what you enjoy from an entertainment perspective (movies, or television). Whatever that mode of entertainment is, think about the influences from previous generations that paved the way and made that art a possibility. Someone used drums for the first time or included an acoustic guitar when no one else had ever tried. Someone in a production company attempted a movie in color or with sound as a pioneering act.

Let’s hear it for the originals!