Oftentimes, a cover or sampling of a song gives the original record a new life. Such was the case for "Bound," originally performed by Ponderosa Twins Plus One in 1969. Though "Bound" has that sweet, Jackson 5 sound that captured hearts in the '70s, most people hadn't heard of the song until Kanye West sampled it decades later, in his well-known track, "Bound 2."
Kanye's interpretation of the song in 2013 is a lot more coarse, and it’s often viewed as a dark twist on a song originally filled with affection and yearning. He doesn’t mince words about the anger, bitterness or even apathy that can creep its way into a romantic relationship.
In this episode of "Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan," University of Maryland graduate Mekhi Abbott joined Stephanie to discuss the thematic differences between “Bound” and “Bound 2,” the legal complications of sampling music and the tension of appreciating music from artists with complex backgrounds.
"I don't relate to the lyrics, but it's like the emotion, you can relate to it. ... The butterfly stage, you know, you first falling in love when you're young, like that part is amazing. ... I can relate at least to the energy of the song, where it's like, when you love someone so much, it can bring out feelings that you never felt like you could feel." - Mekhi Abbott
“Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan” is produced by Katelynn McIlwain, Janet Saidi, Ryan Famuliner and Aaron Hay.
Special thanks to Nat Kuhn, recording engineer at the University of Maryland and Mark Johnson, recording engineer at KBIA.
This podcast is a collaboration between the Missouri School of Journalism’s KBIA News and the University of Maryland’s College of Arts and Humanities.
You can follow the podcast and other special projects on Instagram @kbianews and on our Facebook page, "Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan."
“Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan” Season 1 was produced by Janet Saidi, Kristofor Husted, Fernando Narro, Rehman Tungekar, and Ryan Famuliner, with host and producer Stephanie Shonekan. Season 1 was edited by Rehman Tungekar and Ryan Famuliner.
“Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan” Season 2 was produced by Janet Saidi, Ryan Famuliner, Aaron Hay, and Stephanie Shonekan. Season 2 was edited by Aaron Hay and Ryan Famuliner.
"Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan" Season 3 was produced by Katelynn McIlwain, Janet Saidi, Ryan Famuliner, Aaron Hay and Nat Kuhn, with host and producer Stephanie Shonekan. Season 3 was edited by Aaron Hay and Ryan Famuliner.
"Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan" Season 4 was produced by Katelynn McIlwain, Janet Saidi, Ryan Famuliner, Aaron Hay and Nat Kuhn, with host and producer Stephanie Shonekan. Season 4 was edited by Aaron Hay and Ryan Famuliner.
