The song that I decided to choose is 99 Red Balloons, originally done by Nena and covered by 7 Seconds
Original
7 Seconds Cover
Although the lyrics are the same, there is a very noticeable difference between the two songs. The melody, which is basically the tune that you hum along to, is very similar but it is driven by different instruments. In Nena's version, there is a heavy synthesizer, while in the 7 Seconds version, the song is driven by the distorted guitar. With the guitar and the heavy drums, the intensity of the 7 Seconds seems higher, although the synthesizer can get pretty loud at times. The pitch of the Nena version is a significantly higher than the cover with the synthesizer playing higher notes than the guitar. Distorted effects on the guitar also changes the timbre of the instrument, making it sound more complex than the basic synthesizer notes.
The most interesting difference (or rather, similarity) between the original and the cover is the speed. Even though the two are singing the lyrics at the same speed, the 7 Seconds version seems faster because the drums are playing very rapidly.
I'd have to agree with you that the melody between these two songs are generally the same. One thing that I did catch as a difference was the "groove." I felt from Nena's it could almost be considered pop because it's kind of "funky," where as the 7 Seconds version almost sounds kind of grungy. You did a really good job at picking a song that both had a lot to offer as far as similarities and differences.
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