Effect of Popular Music Covers Designed in Different Styles on Acclaim of Pre-Service Teachers by Murat Devrim Babacan

Dylanna Fisher
Jul 7, 2017
3 min read

What? An academic journal article? For a blog about song covers? Say what??

Yep, covers are a cool topic, and anything can be a topic for an academic article. Try searching for gummy bears or tattoos on Google Scholar, and you’ll see what I mean.

This article, written by Murat Devrim Babacan, explores the differences between original songs and their cover versions.

The research involves junior and senior pre-service music teachers as participants and examines the concept of cover songs. Using a qualitative research method, the researcher collected subjective data rather than just numerical figures. The participants listened to three original songs, each accompanied by two cover versions, and then completed a survey afterward.

Murat Devrim Babacan aims to find out.

What is the distribution of music types that the subjects would like to listen to
What are the criteria that the subjects consider when deciding to like or dislike a song?
What is the distribution of the preferences between original and cover versions of songs?
What are the reasons for liking the song chosen by the subjects?

There’s a lot of helpful information in the article, so feel free to read it here. For this post, we’re going to focus on the cover songs and the participants’ opinions of them.

First Set

Original 1 Billie Jean by Michael Jackson Cover 1 Billie Jean by The Civil Wars Cover 2 Billie Jean by Anderson & Roe

Song/Cover	N	%
Michael Jackson	14	28.6%
The Civil Wars	26	53.1%
Anderson & Roe	9	18.4%

The Civil Wars' cover was preferred over both the original version and another cover. Compared to the original, The Civil Wars' cover better resonated with listeners in terms of the sensations and emotions it evoked. This rendition is more sentimental, sincere, and soulful. Essentially, The Civil Wars' cover has a greater emotional appeal than the other versions.

Second Set

Original 2 All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor

Cover 1 All About That Bass by Avi Kaplan Cover 2 All About That Bass by Kate Davis

Song/Cover	N	%
Meghan Tailor	17	34.7%
Avi Kaplan	12	24.5%
Kate Davis	20	40.8%

The cover of this song by Kate Davis is preferred over the original because of her impressive vocals. Unlike the original, which may not have emphasized the human voice, Davis’s rendition is delivered entirely through singing. Listeners appreciated her vocal performance for its distinct style and captivating quality. As a vocalist for Postmodern Jukebox, Kate Davis brings a fresh sound to the song, giving it an extra stylistic edge.

Third Set

Original 3 Değirmenler by Bülent Ortaçgil Cover 1 Değirmenler by Deniz Sipahi Cover 2 Değirmenler by Teoman

Song/Cover	N	%
Bulent Ortaçgil	16	32.7%
Deniz Sipahi	17	34.7%
Teoman	16	32.7%

Deniz Sipahi's cover outperformed the others due to its unique instrumentation and arrangement. The guitar, in particular, was noted for adding a distinct quality to the song. This cover succeeded because of the way the music was presented to the audience, offering a fresh sound through its instrumental choices.

Concluding Thoughts

In conclusion, these specific cover versions seem preferred over the originals. Yet, the reasons for this are extremely diverse. They range from emotional response and vocal quality to instrumental and arrangement. Thus, covers can be seen as better than the originals for a vast variety of reasons. However, this article provides the evidence of three songs and two corresponding covers.

This doesn’t provide a complete view of all songs or all covers. I think it does offer an interesting point that cover songs are legitimate as a musical form. It also highlights that everyone has their own subjective tastes in music.

Babacan, M.D. (2016). Effect of Popular Music Covers Designed in Different Styles on Acclaim of Pre-Service Teachers. Educational Research and Reviews, 11 (8), 812-822.