Cultural appropriation and covers

[tauzero]

5 minutes ago, super al said:

I always felt conflicted playing 10cc's Dreadlock Holiday. Great tune to play but a reggae song written and played by four British white men adopting sort of Jamaican accents for parts of the song.

 

It was only after learning it and playing it in rehearsal that I thought " I don't like this", but It was fun bassline to play and I think we played it live a couple of times. Even though I'm not in that band and not playing that song anymore I still think it was wrong to play it.

 

I guess that would come under cultural appropriation by association maybe? 

 

I didn't want to do it when it was suggested by one band as it just strikes me as racist.

[DF Shortscale]

21 hours ago, peteb said:

 

it's also the most middle class thing ever!

 

If the OP feels that he has to apologise before playing a song that you might not expect them to, then perhaps they could jokingly announce the song as 'some might think it strange that five white guys from the south east of England could play a song about the struggles of people in a land far away that we know very little about... but we're gonna do it anyway! It's a great song and I hope that we can do it justice'... 

 

That’s probably the nicest way to handle it, I agree. Although one big issue that sticks out is that the song will potentially be played to an international audience who are at least in part going to be from those lands far away. Doesn’t sit right with me at all..

[Stub Mandrel]

9 hours ago, super al said:

I always felt conflicted playing 10cc's Dreadlock Holiday. Great tune to play but a reggae song written and played by four British white men adopting sort of Jamaican accents for parts of the song.

 

It was only after learning it and playing it in rehearsal that I thought " I don't like this", but It was fun bassline to play and I think we played it live a couple of times. Even though I'm not in that band and not playing that song anymore I still think it was wrong to play it.

 

I guess that would come under cultural appropriation by association maybe? 

 

I would say no... unless you feel West Indians shouldn't play punk or heavy metal. But the lyrics do some dodgy stereotyping.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jan/23/10ccs-graham-gouldman-every-west-indian-person-ive-spoken-to-loves-dreadlock-holiday-but-i-wouldnt-write-certain-lines-now

[Dan Dare]

What we call "culture" - any culture - is a snapshot in time. It didn't start out the way it is now and it will continue to evolve and develop in the future. All art and music borrows/steals from and builds on what went before. That borrowing/building process crosses all boundaries - national, geographical, racial and so on. Once a style of music or art is out in the world, nobody can claim to "own" it (I appreciate there is such a thing as copyright, but that's to do with the melody, structure, etc of a piece, not its origins). So as long as you play a piece of music sincerely (you don't take the p out of it, obvs) and to the best of your ability, I don't see an issue.

[MacDaddy]

Macbeth, opera by Verdi. Because  nothing says “Scottish tragedy” like storming a castle to the sound of bel canto 😖

It might not be cultural appropriation but it's annoying!

[itu]

If you play baroque music, should you use A = 415 Hz, not tempered scales, original instruments, but not forget those extramarital affairs, different conflicts with contemporaries, controversial political views etc.? 

 

Can you play music, or are we just discussing about a performance that includes numerous details that seem to be more important than the music itself? 

 

I hate Springsteen singing, although his songs are fine. To me Dylan sounds dreadful, and many of his songs are total #rap. I like some of Wolfgang's music, although he was next to impossible as a person (I am more than happy that social media wasn't invented earlier). Do I have to tell a story (an excuse) before I play any music from Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, or Charlie Mingus? Or should I just let the listeners to choose between enjoying their music, or thinking about their actions?