Watch Ingrid Michaelson’s "Parachute"
Watch Cheryl Cole’s "Parachute"
Ingrid Michaelson has become known almost as much for her independent recording status as she has for her deceptively simple pop songs. Because of her indie status, she is able to release music when she wants to, rather than waiting on the label machine to be ready for her next project. As a result, Ingrid had the ability to release her latest song “Parachute” without an album behind her.
She’s Covering Her Own Song
The story behind “Parachute” is an interesting one, because it has already been a hit for Cheryl Cole in Europe. Written by Ingrid and Marshall Altman, Ingrid Michaelson initially took a pass on recording the song because she wasn’t in a position to do so at the time, so instead the song was promoted by her publishing company to outside artists, and Cheryl Cole selected the song to record for her debut album 3 Words.
How Does Ingrid Michaelson’s Version Stack Up?
While Cheryl Cole’s version utilizes autotune on the vocals and more of an electronic feel on the instrumentation, Ingrid Michaelson integrates a more acoustic arrangement with a capella vocals handling the backing track in spots, giving the track a stripped-down feel next to the driving drum beat. Ingrid’s vocals are more front-and-center on the track allowing her distinct voice to stand out.
The overall feel of the track is a bit grittier and less slick than Cheryl Cole’s interpretation, but that should not be viewed as a bad thing. Ingrid Michaelson doesn’t have the typical pop singer voice, which serves her well on this quirky track that utilizes the imagery of a parachute to demonstrate how safe she feels with her love interest. Although the chorus is not that complex lyrically, the vocal arrangement takes the song’s simple but catchy hook and turns it into a vocal march. Whether you like or hate the song, you won’t forget it any time soon.
Released October 2010 by Cabin 24 Records.