Jason Derulo’s \u201cWhatcha Say\u201d samples \u201cHide and Seek\u201d by Imogen Heap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the original recording sounds almost nothing like a conventional pop hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heap released \u201cHide and Seek\u201d in 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song is built almost entirely from her electronically processed voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are no conventional drums driving the arrangement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No enormous dance beat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, layers of unusual vocal harmonies create a beautiful, almost alien atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four years later, Derulo used part of the recording as the chorus of his breakthrough single.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the connection goes further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHide and Seek\u201d had already become famous through The O.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And a Saturday Night Live parody gave it another extraordinary life as an internet meme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHide and Seek\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Performed by Imogen Heap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Released on her 2005 album Speak for Yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recording is one of the most unusual pop songs of its era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost the entire arrangement comes from Heap’s voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the vocal has been electronically transformed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Different harmonies move around one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result sounds like several singers performing simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Except they’re all variations of the same person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A British singer-songwriter, producer and musician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heap became particularly known for combining intimate songwriting with experimental electronic production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She was also a member of Frou Frou alongside Guy Sigsworth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her solo music frequently explores unusual recording techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rather than simply using technology to polish a conventional performance, Heap often makes the technology itself part of the composition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHide and Seek\u201d is one of the clearest examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost by accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heap was working in her studio when her computer failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She had lost work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She was frustrated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rather than ending the session, she decided to experiment with equipment already available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One piece was a DigiTech Vocalist harmoniser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She connected a microphone and keyboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then began singing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The keyboard controlled electronic harmonies generated from her voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The resulting performance became the foundation of \u201cHide and Seek\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not in the conventional sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recording uses a vocal harmoniser capable of generating additional pitches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heap controlled those harmonies through a keyboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sound is sometimes described as vocoded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the exact technique differs from a traditional vocoder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A conventional vocoder often combines speech or singing with a synthesiser signal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heap’s setup generated additional processed vocal notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That distinction matters because the unusual sound isn’t simply the result of correcting her pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The processing is part of the musical arrangement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because the electronic processing makes the human voice feel strangely vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can hear the singer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the voice doesn’t behave like an ordinary acoustic performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It sounds distant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost disembodied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That creates an unusual emotional contradiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The technology makes the recording feel less human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet the performance can feel more emotionally exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heap also left considerable space in the arrangement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without conventional drums or guitars, every change in the voice becomes important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emotional confusion and the breakdown of communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Listeners have connected the song with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
relationships ending<\/p>\n\n\n\n
family conflict<\/p>\n\n\n\n
disappointment<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and sudden changes in circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some interpretations connect it with Heap’s childhood experiences, including her parents’ separation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Heap has also emphasised the recording’s emotional openness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lyrics don’t insist on one completely literal story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That allows listeners to recognise different experiences within the same composition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the second-season finale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The episode is called \u201cThe Dearly Beloved\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It contains a famous confrontation involving Marissa, Ryan and Trey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a crucial moment, \u201cHide and Seek\u201d begins playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The music is unusually delicate for such a dramatic scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That contrast helped make the sequence memorable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song became strongly associated with the programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For many viewers, The O.C. was their first introduction to Imogen Heap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Saturday Night Live sketch inspired by The O.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The comedy sketch repeatedly uses the dramatic music associated with the original television scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every time something shocking happens, the recording returns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The joke becomes increasingly absurd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eventually the sound itself became a familiar internet reference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People could use the vocal fragment to exaggerate almost any dramatic moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That gave \u201cHide and Seek\u201d another cultural identity beyond the original television placement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He sampled the recognisable vocal section in \u201cWhatcha Say\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Released in 2009, Derulo’s recording combined the original sample with contemporary R&B and pop production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The processed vocal became the chorus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Derulo added new verses and a much stronger rhythm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The emotional atmosphere changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heap’s recording feels mysterious and reflective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Derulo’s version is more direct and rhythmic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sample links them immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recording helped establish Derulo as a mainstream pop artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also introduced Imogen Heap’s work to listeners who may not have encountered her earlier music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s one of the most interesting aspects of sampling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A comparatively experimental recording can become part of an enormous commercial hit without losing its original identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regret after betraying somebody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The narrator recognises that he has damaged a relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He wants forgiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But he understands that the other person may not trust him anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sampled vocal reinforces that emotional uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its unusual sound makes the chorus feel almost like an internal voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Something the narrator cannot escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s a separate composition using material from Heap’s recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A cover would involve performing the original song again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Derulo’s recording has its own structure and lyrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The familiar vocal is sampled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That distinction helps explain why the two recordings can sound so different while remaining immediately connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imogen Heap \u2013 Goodnight and Go<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frou Frou \u2013 Let Go<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bon Iver \u2013 Woods<\/p>\n\n\n\n
James Blake \u2013 Retrograde<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frank Ocean \u2013 White Ferrari<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Japanese House \u2013 Saw You in a Dream<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Laurie Anderson \u2013 O Superman<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Caroline Polachek \u2013 Door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These recordings explore different approaches to unusual vocal production and emotional electronic music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHide and Seek\u201d by Imogen Heap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Released in 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Made famous through The O.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Transformed into a meme through Saturday Night Live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then sampled by Jason Derulo in 2009.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One experimental vocal recording became part of three completely different cultural moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it all began because Heap’s computer stopped working.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jason Derulo’s \u201cWhatcha Say\u201d samples \u201cHide and Seek\u201d by Imogen Heap. And the original recording sounds almost nothing like a conventional pop hit. Heap released \u201cHide and Seek\u201d in 2005. The song is built almost entirely from her electronically processed voice. There are no conventional drums driving the arrangement. No enormous dance beat. Instead, layers of unusual vocal harmonies create a beautiful, almost alien atmosphere. Four years later, Derulo used part of the recording as the chorus of his breakthrough single. But the connection goes further. \u201cHide and Seek\u201d had already become famous through The O.C. And a Saturday Night…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2148,3298,2293],"coauthors":[2],"class_list":["post-5358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-explained","tag-imogen-heap","tag-meaning"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n