What's My Number?!?!?

It comes to no surprise that I love music, since many of the posts I have are related to music. My blog is named after a hip hop group (Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All); under a picture of myself, it reads 'music is my religion;' 3/6 of my posts thus far have been about music, music videos, or something music-oriented (Jason Goldwatch and his music videos/Comparing hip hop over the years/ etc.
Finding a cover to a song I like was definitely not difficult. Typically, I am not a fan of covers (I tend to gravitate towards authenticity), but to my fortune I like both Toots and The Maytals's and Sublime's versions of the song, "5546 (That's My Number.)

However, listening to both versions of the Sativa-inspired song I realize various similarities and differences in their lyrics and musical quality.

The similarities, of course, are apparent and obvious within the song's lyrics. In both Toots and The Maytals's and Sublime's version of "5546 (That's My Number)," the lead singer describes being incarcerated for possession of marijuana. During his time in prison, the singer wails to us that "5546" is his prison number while serving his time. Originally, the song was written by Fred "Toots" Hibbert, using his personal experience in prison for possession of weed as the basis of his song. He also covered the same "riddim," or rhythm/melody to the song as  The Ethiopians's song 'Train to Skaville.' Later on, Sublime covered this song on their 1992 album, "40 Oz. To Freedom." The only lyrical difference between the two songs is that Sublime's breaks down midway through the song with another one entitled "Ball and Chain," dealing with the issues of having a child in a non-committed relationship (and that it is like having a "'ball and chain"). One can infer that this is a play on words because both song titles have something to do with prison.

The songs also have similarities and differences through their musical quality. Their similarities are far and few. Aside from the fact that they are both reggae ska songs, the songs also use similar instrumentation and fairly ordered organization. Where they differ, however is their pitch, speed, and timbre. Toots and The Maytals's version of "5546 (That's My Number) is much slower, much deeper and lower in sound, giving off more of a bluesy feel to the songs (this, of course making sense, since it was about Toots's arrest for marijuana). In contrast, the Sublime version is much more upbeat, fast in tempo, and high in pitch. It's a much more jovial song, as singer Bradley Nowell makes it sound more like an overnight trip to the jail with a story to tell the next morning , as opposed to Toots depressed woeful experience to the big house. Also, the timbre of each song has their differences too. Toots and The Maytals have a much more simple guitar rift followed by a bass line and a church-like tambourine. The vocals are much more choir-like, with backup singers making their "oohs" and "ahhs" throughout the song. In contrast, Sublime uses electric guitars, drums, and a piano, as well as a few sexy female vocals sampled from movies in the parts where Sublime says "give it to me." Sublime's version, again, is much more of a jollier tune compared to Toots and The Maytals bluesy version.

Picking a favorite version is like picking a best friend or choosing a favorite sibling. Both versions of "5546 (That's My Number)" were highly entertaining, but at the end of the day, I choose the Sublime version, mostly because its more upbeat and cheerful, compared to the sadder Toots and The Maytals version. Nevertheless, "5546 (That's My Number)" is one of my favorite reggae songs, whether bluesy or cheerful.

Toots and The Maytals

Sublime