Karaoke Challenge: American Woman
This week the Karaoke of the week is going to be just a wee bit different. For the last few weeks I have been choosing a song that I either really enjoy hearing or think would be a challenging karaoke for the users of Red Karaoke to master. Sure, we get some good responses, but I´ve decided to add a little twist to turn the Karaoke of the Week into a bit of a competition. From now on, I will have a karaoke challenge picked out and announced Wednesday in the newsletter, on the blog and in the forum (just to be sure no user misses it). Then, the following Wednesday, along with the new karaoke challenge, I will announce, in the Newsletter alone, my personal favorite of the renditions done. Think of it as a more selective rendition of the week that everyone has a chance at!
So without furthur ado, this week´s karaoke challenge is American Woman. The song American Woman was originally written by The Guess Who for their same titled album, American Woman. The song has a unique origin, born out of a live jam meant to liven a crowd in Ontario while between the group´s sets. The lyrics, beginning as an improvisation by lead singer Burton Cummings, have undergone some debate, whether being attacked as a chauvinistic tune or criticism of U.S. Politics. Jim Kale, The Guess Who´s bassist and cowriter of the song describes the experience of being raised in ¨strait-laced, conservative, laid-back¨ Canada, feeling the dirt and grind of touring in ¨horrendously large
places with their big city problems¨ and their repsonse to the war at the time. But, he quotes John Lennon, ¨The meaning of all songs come after they are recorded. Someone else has to interpret them.¨
The song is full of energy and sex appeal, especially the version done by Lenny Kravitz, whose music video features the allyring Heather Graham. While Kravitz´s version is my favorite to listen and dance unashamedly to, another well known and over the top rendition is The Butthole Surfers… not quite my cup of tea.
So this week I challenge the users of Red Karaoke to either rock out as hard as The Guess Who and Lenny Kravitz, or get as out of this world as they can in the style of The Butthole Surfers, to the rock classic American Woman.
Post your own version and check out the other users in the forum.
