I recently put together a playlist that I’m rather proud of and wanted to share.
The art of covering a song is like a book-to-film adaptation; very common, easy to screw up, rarely taken for what its worth when done right. These are some of my favorite covers, in attempt to give them some much-deserved love.
RAD COVERS on Spotify
CECILIA
Jesse Cook, orig. Simon & Garfunkel
Cecilia has always been one of my favorite songs by Simon & Garfunkel…one of my favorite songs in general, if I’m honest. The catchy pace, the usual fantastic harmonies are all wonderful. This particular cover has a deceptive lead-in that kicks up the Latin stylings to a more distinct level, giving it a richer flavor, enhancing the genius that was already there to begin with. I heard this song over the speakers, through the din in a crowded cafe on a busy Saturday night. It’s been a regular on my iPod and Spotify ever since.
AS THE WORLD FALLS DOWN
Girl in a Coma, orig. David Bowie (Labyrinth soundtrack)
I dearly wish this song was covered more often, and with this much originality. Girl in a Coma gives this haunting melody (one of my favorite soundtrack songs of all time) a powerful kick of electric guitar, while the lyrics are belted by a female voice. It’s a great rendition which easily matches Bowie’s original. I discovered this song by just searching through iTunes, specifically for a cover of this song; I consider myself very lucky to have found it.
ANNABELLE LEE
Sarah Jarosz, org. Edgar Allen Poe (poem)
I’ve never been a huge fan of Edgar Allen Poe, let alone this particular piece, but the arrangement, pacing and melody added to it by Sarah Jarosz makes it a whole different beast. Whether intentionally done or not, also changing the voice to a woman, rather than a man, adds a far more complex layering to the piece and it’s a song I listen to over and over again.
ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE
Jim Sturgess, Dana Fuchs, orig. The Beatles
There’s a lot of conflicting opinion out there about the film Across the Universe. I, for one, enjoy it immensely, largely (but not only) for the music. This is one of my favorite selections from the soundtrack. Doing what a cover does best, it strips away the expectations and gets to the core truth of Lennon and McCartney’s original words, then builds to a wonderful, powerful conclusion.
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The oft-revisited time-rewinding narrative can be difficult to pull off. Press Play manages to do so by leaning into expectations and relishing the experience. Laura [meets] Harrison, a would-be medical student working at a local record store. [They] fall almost instantly for one another, bonding through music, and they create a mixtape over the course of their courtship… Tragedy strikes abruptly, however, when Harrison is killed. Four years later, upon pressing play [on their mixtape], she is thrown back in time by some otherworldly force and reunited with a still-alive Harrison; each song transports her back to the moment they first experienced it together. Laura tries to “fix” the future, repeatedly altering time in big and small ways … Limitations remain intact, which is especially impressive when it comes to time travel. Much of the film relies on the chemistry between its two leads; and seems to have been deliberately written that way … What might have been a grim exploration of grief, instead delves into a more positive take on the theme of letting go, becoming a broader, less harrowing examination of push-and-pull control vs. acceptance.
Robin C. Farrell 