You know how a song is so awesome that you don’t think it could be even more awesome? Well, there comes a time when a ‘cover’ or rendition of the song is just way better than the original. Okay, no disrespect to the incredible rapper Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth. They are both fantastic artists and I think “See You Again” is one of the best songs ever written. The fact that it was the song that honored the late Paul Walker in the latest installment of the Fast and Furious series made it larger than life.
In my opinion, though, even if it wasn’t the song that will make us remember Paul Walker, it would still be an unforgettable hit song. In an interview with Billboard, 23-year-old Charlie Puth shared how he wrote the song:
“I just came out to L.A. to be a songwriter and producer, just kind of like, my own dime, I was just like, let’s do it and see what happens. And the second day, I was at my publisher’s place in Hollywood and they said, the Fast and Furious people, they need a song at the end of the movie. It’s to honor Paul Walker’s legacy.”
He humbly admitted that his song was probably not going to get picked, however, that didn’t stop him from trying his very best to write this epic anthem about love, family and friendship. He added that Wiz Khalifa “perfectly captured the vision of the whole thing”.
The part where Wiz Khalifa rapped “How could we not talk about family when family's all that we got? Everything I went through you were standing there by my side. And now you gonna be with me for the last ride”, was just so heartfelt that it moved Charlie Puth and the former’s ex-wife, Amber Rose. According to Charlie, it’s “not just a catchy pre-chorus”, Khalifa actually “cares about the song”.
And I couldn’t agree more. From the moment you hear the first line until the last note, this song will definitely make you want to crawl back in bed, curl up into a ball and just let your feelings engulf you.
Of course, with every great song come a hundred covers. I’m not an expert on judging all these covers meticulously, down to the tiniest details. So I chose the best two, in my opinion. Two great musicians from YouTube’s line of amazing, budding cover artists: Madilyn Bailey and Boyce Avenue.
When it comes to cover songs, Boyce Avenue is definitely a huge, well-established name by now. Way back when YouTube was not yet a platform for discovering hidden talents, this rock band from Florida, consisting of brothers Alejandro Luis Manzano, Daniel Enrique Manzano and Fabian Rafael Manzano, had already made a name for themselves. To be honest, I had listened to every single cover song of Boyce Avenue so I might be biased here. Alejandro’s voice is like magic. There’s no better way to describe it. The moment he opens his mouth, it’s like I get transported to an alternate universe where everything is made of chocolate and I can eat as much pizza as I want without gaining weight.
Boyce Avenue’s cover of “See You Again” features fellow YouTuber Bea Miller. Her soft, husky voice blends perfectly with Alejandro’s heart-melting vocals, yes, but it is still the latter who brought the cover to the next level. With their trademark acoustic guitar and mellow sound, this is definitely one of their greatest covers to date.
To be honest, I’ve only recently got hooked with 23-year-old Madilyn Bailey. I was looking for a good cover of Sia’s “Chandelier” and I stumbled upon her YouTube page. The rest, as they say, is history. I clicked video after video and I was hungry for more. Unlike Boyce Avenue, Madilyn Bailey still hasn’t reached the peak of her career, but she’s getting there. She does have over 2 million subscribers on YouTube and she never fails to amaze her fans with her stylistic renditions of contemporary and classic songs. Madilyn has the voice of an angel. She sings from the heart and she’s easy on the eyes too. In her video for “See You Again”, she was dressed down in jeans and black top, belting out the tune in a bridge.
Although I am more biased towards Boyce Avenue, I have to say Madilyn Bailey’s cover is a tiny bit more awesome. It deviates from the original song more and her vocal range is just fantastic. The way she slowed down that rap part and put an array of emotions into it was just spectacular. It goes to show how diverse and talented this young woman is.
I'm definitely looking forward to see more covers of the amazing Madilyn Bailey.
