Nov 1

Nov 1 Halo, by Lotte Kestner

Crazy in love or spiritually uplifted?

Each round of chemo is a hundred times worse than the previous one, so this song choice was once again about calmness, love and healing (see my About page to understand how and why I started this blog: https://www.jenxlovesmusic.com/about ). You may be more familiar with the original Beyonce version, which is also great, but I prefer the spirituality of Lotte Kestner’s cover. I first came across it on the soundtrack to TV series, ‘The Young Pope,’ where it was used to very moving effect in a scene about faith and hope and that seemed apt when adding it to my playlist.

How do they do that?

Same tune, same lyrics, yet Beyonce and Lotte Kestner’s versions of this song are so different. I thought it would be interesting to explore some of those differences and how it changes the overall effect of the piece.

Kestner’s vocals are hushed and delicate throughout, which results in two things: an emphasis on the words and their meaning; and a gentle intimacy. The much slower pace also gives you time to hear the words clearly, whilst introducing a calmer, more tender mood that further adds to that sense of intimacy. The accompaniment to the singer is pared back and exposed - single strummed guitar chords open this version, barely supporting the singer at all, just giving her the note to then sing largely a capella. When other strings and voices join in, they weave and entwine around one another, reflecting perfectly the words “surrounded by your embrace.” I wrote about something similar with another piece from ‘The Young Pope’ soundtrack here: https://www.jenxlovesmusic.com/home-1/2020/i-remember-by-saint-saviour?rq=i%20remember

In contrast, Beyonce’s version is much more upbeat, the vocals are confident, showy and celebratory. The arrangement altogether more ‘Lift my Spirits’ than ‘Heart and Soul’ if using my collective terms for songs covered by this blog. There are drums, hand claps, something like a congregational style in the chorus, placing it far more in the gospel tradition. Lotte’s is much more like a renaissance period sacred motet (minus the polyphony), with its soft, high vocals achieving that floating, ethereal effect of a prayer winding its way up to heaven on a trail of incense.

What a difference, tempo, orchestration and vocal style can make to a song. Definitely a time and a place for both versions. Hope you enjoy them or feel inspired to listen to something new today.

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