27 October 2020 - Lena Katina - All The Things She Said/ Ya Soshla S Uma

 Here, we are once again pushing what a cover is.  Why?  

You might recall that this song was originally recorded by Russian duo t.A.T.u.  And this is a faithful cover of the song....... by someone who was half of t.A.T.u. So, can it be considered a cover?  Here she is, performing the song live in Milwaukee.

We are calling it a cover because of the deep reinterpretation of the song Katina has recently undertaken.  This version (with the Russian lyrics) is an acoustic take on the song at a different pace.... and she truly makes the song her own.

26 October 2020 - Poppy - All The Things She Said

 Poppy has become an odd and interesting mix of pop, electronica, and metal.....

...which makes her unusually well-suited to cover the biggest international hit by Russian duo t.A.T.u, and, while making it both heavier and poppier (no pun intended), still manages to remain faithful to the original.

The story behind this cover is that it's a song Poppy has covered live for quite some time, and it was well-received - because she sings the hell out of it.  Here she is performing it several months before the single release and right before the entire world learned how to spell "COVID-19".  

6 October 2020 - A "Ripple" Special

Perry Farrell's voice is definitely not Jerry Garcia's, and yet this cover of a Grateful Dead classic is one of my favorite covers of all time.  This version brings a trippy, and not earthy, flavor that is wholly appropriate to the song.  

Norah Jones, on the other hand, makes the song a country standard.  I found this version to be unexpectedly appropriate as well.

I don't usually jump right into the special posts like I did, but "Ripple" is a classic song that allows us to put the spotlight on beautifully written lyrics.  There are some who believe it to be inspired by the Bible - Psalm 23, to be precise.  It's an instantly recognizable song, and one that is easy to sing along with.... as Wilco demonstrates here by turning the song into an audience sing-along.

 

Let's wrap up this special with an ironic cover.   The first two lines of the song are:

If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung

So it's appropriate to close this with a harp cover.  It's instrumental, but you'll be singing along.