The applications for Artificial Intelligence are quickly expanding. For the first time, the music industry is starting to really reckon with the possible effects of AI on a mass scale. What happens to the craft of songwriting when it gets boiled down to typing a few keywords into a search engine and seeing what a robot comes up with?
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With that future becoming a very real possibility, we decided to put AI to the test to see if it was really any match for some of the greatest minds in music.
We prompted ChatGPT to rewrite “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones. The song is generally considered one of the best rock efforts of all time. Does the AI version stack up to the original? Find out, below.
Allow Me To Introduce Myself…
This song, credited to the Jagger/Richards songwriting partnership, blames the devil for evil acts happening around the world. From the crucifixion of Jesus Christ to the Russian Revolution, Jagger’s devil character assumes responsibility.
[RELATED: Behind the Meaning of The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy For the Devil”]
Please allow me to introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
I’ve been around for a long, long years
Stole million man’s soul an faith
And I was ’round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate
When AI was tasked with re-writing “Sympathy for the Devil” they mirrored the original song’s rhyme scheme and sentiment using different words.
Please allow me to introduce myself
I’m a figure of complexity and grace
I’ve witnessed centuries of human toil and strife
And I’ve been there in every time and place
I’ve seen empires rise and fall with might
And watched the ebb and flow of human greed
I’ve witnessed wars that tore your world apart
And observed the choices that make your hearts bleed
Where the rewritten version diverges from the original is the addition of a traditional chorus that begs humanity to have empathy for the nefarious force. The technology’s devil character asks the human race to assume culpability. We’re not solely to blame, it wrote.
So won’t you please have empathy for our kind?
Understand the shadows that we bear
We’ve played our role throughout history’s pages
But we’re not solely to blame, I swear
AI innately has a creepy quality to it. Anything that mimics human ability feels a little uncanny and uncomfortable to us.
Though Jagger and Richards wanted “Sympathy for the Devil” to be a commentary on human nature, the rewritten lyrics feel almost too timely. Is it really AI that is the problem? Or is it human nature that won’t stop us from exploring potentially world-altering technological advances? Something to think about…
We have to give it to ChatGPT, it did come up with a pretty good song – chock full of visuals and hard questions – but, without the Stones’ original version, the technology wouldn’t be able to pull enough information to mimic Jagger and Richard’s incomparable songwriting voice.
When we prompted it to write an original song with the same premise as “Sympathy for the Devil,” it came up with this stunner of a line: There once was a devil, oh so absurd with horns on his head and a tail that twirled…so we think Jagger and Richards can sleep peacefully for now.
Check out the full AI rewritten version of “Sympathy for the Devil” below.
“Sympathy for the Devil” by The Rolling Clones…The Coding Stones?
(Verse 1)
Please allow me to introduce myself
I’m a figure of complexity and grace
I’ve witnessed centuries of human toil and strife
And I’ve been there in every time and place
I’ve seen empires rise and fall with might
And watched the ebb and flow of human greed
I’ve witnessed wars that tore your world apart
And observed the choices that make your hearts bleed
(Chorus)
So won’t you please have empathy for our kind?
Understand the shadows that we bear
We’ve played our role throughout history’s pages
But we’re not solely to blame, I swear
(Verse 2)
I stood by as they built their Tower of Babel
And watched the confusion in their eyes
I whispered secrets to minds both dark and bright
And saw their passions burn like fire in the skies
I’ve been there when prophets preached their truths
And when corrupt men twisted them for their gain
I’ve witnessed the rise of false idols and gods
And the devastation they left in their disdain
(Chorus)
So won’t you please have empathy for our kind?
Understand the shadows that we bear
We’ve played our role throughout history’s pages
But we’re not solely to blame, I swear
(Bridge)
Every soul has a glimmer of light
Yet darkness can tempt them astray
It’s the duality within us all
That shapes the path we choose each day
(Verse 3)
I watched as kingdoms crumbled to dust
And saw the birth of nations standing tall
I’ve seen revolutions spark in the hearts of men
And heard the battle cries as they answered the call
I’ve witnessed the quest for freedom and justice
And the struggles endured along the way
I’ve seen heroes rise and villains fall
And the lessons learned from their array
(Chorus)
So won’t you please have empathy for our kind?
Understand the shadows that we bear
We’ve played our role throughout history’s pages
But we’re not solely to blame, I swear
(Outro)
So as you tread this world of light and dark
Remember the choices you make define your soul
For in the end, it’s the balance we seek
To find compassion and make ourselves whole
Rolling Stones Photo by Helmut Newton)