Anyone who went through a “it’s not just a phase, mom” era between 2013 and 2017 is probably familiar with the song entitled “Can You Feel My Heart” by the hard-rock band Bring Me The Horizon. Recently, the song had a mini comeback thanks to TikTok- but not too many people are familiar with the female cover of the song “Can You Feel My Heart (Mothica Version)” Known for what she calls “gloom pop” alternative music, the New York-based singer McKenzie Ellis performs under the name Mothica, and in March of this year she released (as a single) her version of the popular hard-rock anthem.
Since the song is a cover of the completely male-composed band, there is not much in the lyrics that can be analyzed in relation to gender identity and expression. The lyrics narrate the perspective of someone battling their own mind: “Can you hear the silence, can you see the dark, can you fix the broken, can you feel my heart?” admitting to weakness and vulnerability. What I think is most interesting to evaluate is Mothica’s decision to create a version of the song featuring a female’s voice when most people associate the song with a screaming male’s voice. The tone in which Mothica sings changes the song more than any other element. The original version is a combination of singing and screaming the lyrics, the song feels very aggressive, forceful, and dominant. Given the lyrics “can you feel my heart” and “I long for that feeling to not feel at all…I can’t drown my demons, they know how to swim” the song is a very independent perspective. However, the way Mothica sings it is less aggressive in tone: her voice is softer, she sings the whole thing without screaming the lyrics once, and her pitch is higher and carries more air, giving the song a more gentle tone. These choices are deliberate, she is truly adding her own elements to the existing lyrics and tune by putting a softer spin on “Can You Feel My Heart” to convert the title to “Mothica’s Version”. The only lyrics in her version of the song that are not true to the original still follow an independent narrative: “Can you hear the silence in my head gettin’ louder, I’ve been hearing voices in my sleep, I’m not tired, push me to the edge ’cause I’m a fool for the fire” She replicates all the “I” and “my” statements that the original song has.
Mothica’s official Instagram relevels a similar gender-representation perspective as her version of the popular Bring Me The Horizon song. She represents herself physically in a more feminine way by wearing feminine silhouettes, clothing such as dresses/skirts and more revealing cropped tops and ripped jeans. However, she still strays away from the typical “feminine” look: she wears almost exclusively darker, bolder colors like black, deep greens and blues, and very bright reds. Her appearance and music are representative of feminine traits such as, tender, childlike, and gentle, but redirect them in darker and fiercer ways that make a statement: females in the world of rock music do not have to be subdued or simplified.
Shared by: Em von der Ruhr
Image Credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/CNse8zchze_/