“Faith” as performed by The Brown Derbies
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 #63: “Faith” as performed by The Brown Derbies
Since 1982, Brown University’s Brown Derbies have electrified audiences ranging from the ICCA finals in New York to the White House in DC. One of the cool things about a talented group with a deep history is that they tend to develop traditions and adopt certain signature songs, carried on over the years, reinvented with the changing membership.
The Derbies cover of George Michael’s “Faith” tends to be marked by energetic movement, dramatic moments, guitar instrumentation, and highly charismatic soloists. It’s a perennially fun, crowd-pleasing song that transcends generations and provides a common thread through different incarnations of the group to help center the ensemble and give it a cohesive identity.
I love it!