So much has changed

I suppose the theme of today's post could be "what could have been." Songs aren't always born fully formed--they often go through a period of demos, alterations, new recordings, and more alterations before their final form is reached. These are two pairs of songs, the final form of which you probably (at least for one) already know but the earlier incarnation of which you might not be familiar with.

McFly - Memory Lane (Album Version)

McFly - Memory Lane (Original Version)

This track is from British band McFly's second album, Wonderland. The album version is good pop with guitars. The original version, however, takes out some of the guitars (listen to the beginning, for example) and uses a "skipping record" effect at the end. It's also more than a minute shorter than the album version. The style of the album version does fit in better with Wonderland overall (and I think I prefer it), but the original version, considering it's not fully produced, does have some appeal of its own; if nothing else, you can see how songs evolve.

Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way

Backstreet Boys - No Goodbyes

If you start with "No Goodbyes," you'll instantly think you know the song--the music is just like that of one of the most famous boy band songs--but, to the casual listener, something seems a little off. By the time you get to the chorus, you're sure to recognize what's different: the lyrics! The line "I want it that way" is used, but it's not the chorus's tagline; instead, "no goodbyes" is uttered repeatedly. By the time this song made it onto the Backstreet Boys' amazing Millennium album, it was "I Want It That Way." It's a little bit of a surreal experience; the song is so familiar and yet so different--the boys now "love it" when they hear their girl say "I want it that way," instead of feeling they "never want" to hear her say it.

Next up: hopefully a post with more than the novelty (i.e., you've pretty much heard it before but here's a slight difference) appeal of today's--some actual new music, maybe that Russian song I mentioned.

mcfly backstreet boys