Taking Cover

Are "Friends" Electric?

2011-04-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

Wow. This is a cool song by Groove Armada. That was my first thought. An icy synthesizer, spoken word lyrics. Then I dug a little deeper. Are "Friends" Electric is a 1979 Gary Numan song, you know the roboto-man who sings "Cars". I thought he was a one-hit wonder, relegated to 80s compilations, but Are "Friends" Electric was a #1 song in the UK right before his automotive tribute.

Gary guy-liner.

Back in the early 2000s, Gary was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndome, a mild form of Autism. Perhaps the lyrics of the song reflect the isolating feelings Numan had before diagnosis.

So now I'm alone
Now I can think for myself
About little deals and issues
And things that I just don't understand

I'm Goin' Down

2011-04-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

Uh oh Bruce. I guess she's just not that into you.

Some interesting facts:

"I'm Goin' Down" was the sixth single lifted from Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA.
Known for the repetitive lyrics, Bruce sings the word "down" 86 times in the song.
Recent covers include Vampire Weekend, Free Energy with Titus Andronicus.

Yes, I think the time is ripe for a Bruce Springsteen resurgence, in the same way Peter Gabriel & Paul Simon have been championed by Gen-Y indie rockers. .

Give a listen, but they all pale in comparison to Mr. Springsteen.

Mr. Tambourine Man

2011-04-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you

There are maybe 10 or 20 songs I can listen to over and over again and never get sick of. Mr. Tambourine Man is one of those songs (Byrds version). From the jangly guitars & exquisite harmonies, to the mysterious lyrics, The Byrds make 2:29 minutes of perfection. Not to say that Bob Dylan's original isn't a classic, but The Byrds knew how to cover Dylan, strip away some folk pretenses and replace with succinct pop melodies.

Turtlenecks & jackets have never looked so good.

On a personal note, "Mr Tambourine Man" is one of the first (and only) songs I learned to play on the guitar.

They Don't Know

2011-04-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

You've been around for such a long time now

Oh maybe I could leave you but I don't know how

The first time I heard this song was probably in the mid 90s, watching VH1 after school. Pop Up video or something like that. Tracey Ullman bopping along to shiny Brill Building pop, even Sir Paul McCartney was a long for the ride. Literally. Look for him in the car in the video towards the end of the song.

For years I thought Tracey Ullman wrote this song, making her an accomplished songwriter as well as comedian. It wasn't until Kirsty MacColl's death in 2000 did I realize that this wasn't an Ullman original.

Another version I heard courtesy of the Stereogum article, is Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie. He injects the right amount indie wistfulness / earnestness.

Cover Story

2011-04-14T18:14:00.000-07:00

Ah, the first blog post. Here I am world! Now that's out of the way, I'd like to tell you a bit more about my blog. Recently, I was reading Stereogum and saw this super cool article about Death Cab For Cutie, appropriately entitled "Hear Every Cover by Ben Gibbard & Death Cab For Cutie" .. It had nearly 100 different cover versions ranging from Neil Young, to the Magnetic Fields, to Cyndi Lauper. I was impressed. And inspired. I've always loved a good cover song, and admired the way artists can reinterpret and re-invent a seemingly familiar sound....for better or worse.

So, i thought..."let's make a blog!". In this here web space I'll be posting songs, videos, etc, all related to the almighty cover. Hopefully i can figure out how to post audio, video, there's something called a widget?
Anyway, stayed tuned!