Connecting With a Song
For the uninitiated, it can be difficult to understand why people love a cappella. Heck, even for those of us who do actively enjoy it, it can be difficult to put into words why we enjoy this art form so. While we’ll never have a truly comprehensive list of everything cool about a cappella, 200 Reasons to Love A Cappella is our best attempt at assembling a list of what makes it great.
Reason #145: Connecting With a Song
A cappella groups cover songs for any number of reasons—whether they happen to be popular at the time, sit well with the group’s identity or vocal talents, or just happen to strike the arranger’s fancy. Just about any song can “work” a cappella, but I’d argue that groups are most prone to thrive when the group members connect with the music on a personal level. I recall sitting in on a rehearsal once, in which two group members who had arranged a version of Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek” went verse by verse to talk about what the lyrics really meant, how they connected to story of the song, and, in more general terms, how other group members might connect as well. The difference between the song before this rehearsal and the way the group sang it afterward was palpable, because the group approached it with an entirely different energy, conviction, and authenticity.
Look back at so many of the richest, best a cappella performances you’ve heard over the years and you’re likely to find that one of the common links is a sense that the group is not just covering a top 40 hit, but rather telling its own story through music that the group has made its own.
I love it!