Cover Song
Jenny Lewis and Bill Murray Share Cover of Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later”: Watch
Well, here’s the strangest gift to ever pop out of an advent calendar. Jenny Lewis and Bill Murray have shared a live-from-home cover of Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later”. Seemingly delivered to capture the quarantine vibes of Christmas 2020, Lewis and Murray’s rendition of the Lil Durk-featuring track is downtempo dirge. The former sings as she plucks a heavy bass line, while the On the Rocks actor shuffles out a sloppy drum phrase. “It’s almost christmas!” Lewis wrote in the Instagram post sharing the video. “laugh now cry later.” Check out the duo’s Drake cover below. The Xmas treat is something of a reunion for the pair, who last got in the holiday spirit together for 2015’s A Very Murray Christmas special. Editors’ Picks Lewis also recently reunited with The Postal Service for a fun...
Mac DeMarco Shares Mellow Cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”: Stream
Christmas is just four days away, which means Mac DeMarco is back to fulfill his annual tradition of covering holiday songs. This year, the Canadian jizz jazzer has shared his take on Judy Garland’s classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, which you can stream below. The original version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is a wistful, tender track about holding on to hope despite being stuck in a tragic place. It always hits home, but this year it feels especially relevant during the pandemic. In DeMarco’s hands, though, the song takes a more laid-back approach, stretching Garland’s original words into a hazy, mellow rumination over a stringy trip-hop-like trance. DeMarco shared his cover alongside a lo-fi music video. In the clip, the Here Comes the Cowboy singer c...
U2’s Bono and The Edge Perform “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” On Irish TV: Watch
During a normal Christmas season, Glen Hansard and a gaggle of other Irish musicians would busk in the street to raise money for Ireland’s homeless population. This year, in order to abide by social distancing guidelines, the fundraiser was turned into an indoor livestream affair, and U2‘s Bono and The Edge showed up to keep the Christmas spirit intact. The duo performed a beautiful acoustic rendition of the Darlene Love staple “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” on Ireland’s Late Late Show. The U2 bandmates were joined on stage by Hansard, Philip Powell, violinist Vivienne Long and the Heyday Choir (via the IIrish Times). U2 released a recorded version of the cover way back in 1987, but seeing it performed in front of shimmering lights and ornate Christmas trees gives it a...
Dean & Britta and Sonic Boom Cover John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”: Stream
Earlier this week, Alanis Morissette festively covered the timeless John Lennon single “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Now, Dean & Britta, the musical duo comprised of Galaxie 500’s Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, have put their own spin on the holiday classic in collaboration with English producer Sonic Boom. Additionally, Sonic Boom has released his own song dedicated to the season. Jingling bells rattle throughout the warm and faithful rendition of “Happy Xmas”. But there’s also an echoing effect draped over the entire cover, giving it an almost trippy wall-of-sound sensation. According to a statement, Sonic Boom, a.k.a. Pete Kemper of Spacemen 3, came up with the idea for this version and mixed it himself at New Atlantis Studios in Portugal. As for Sonic Boo...
Caroline Polachek Shares Studio Cover of The Corrs’ “Breathless”: Stream
Chances are, if you caught Caroline Polachek live during her Pang tour, then you saw the alternative pop artist bust out a cover of The Corrs hit “Breathless”. In the event you missed out on that electric performance, however, Polachek has dropped an official studio cover version of the 2000 bop today. As is to be expected from the former Chairlift singer, Polachek’s rendition is a little weirder and a little bit less blown-out than the bombastic original, which featured triple harmonies from the three Corr sisters. Polachek handles all of the singing on this one, pitching up her voice to accentuate its sticky hook and add more angular dimensions to this Grammy-nominated number. Take a listen to both Polachek’s cover and the original version of the song below. Editors’ Picks Luckily ...
Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin Cover The Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll”: Watch
It’s the eighth and final night of Hanukkah, and Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin are going out with a bang. The Foo Fighters frontman and Grammy-winning producer have celebrated the holiday by covering a song by a different Jewish artist each night, and for their final act they’ve busted out a rendition of The Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll”. “As 2020 comes to a close and another Hanukkah ends (my first!) I am reminded of the two things that have gotten me through this year: music and hope,” wrote Grohl in a note posted to Foo Fighters’ Twitter account. “The project, which initially began as a silly idea, grew to represent something much more important to me,” Grohl added. “It showed that the simple gesture of spreading joy and happiness goes a long way, and as a we look forward...
David Bowie’s Unreleased Covers of John Lennon and Bob Dylan Will Finally Be Unearthed for 74th Birthday
Even beyond the grave, David Bowie continues to gift us new music. On January 8th, what would have been his 74th birthday, two previously unreleased covers will be made available to the public for the very first time. The first is Bowie’s take on “Mother”, the 1970 track from John Lennon. This cover was originally recorded in 1998 with the Thin White Duke’s longtime producer Tony Visconti. It was supposed to appear on a Lennon tribute collection, but the release never came to fruition. Meanwhile, the second offering is a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Tryin’ to Get to Heaven”, taken from his 1997 Grammy-winning album Time Out of Mind. Bowie also recorded his reimagining in 1998 while working on his live album LiveAndWell.com that came out the following year. Editors’ Picks The new Bowie cover...
Florence Welch Shares Gorgeous Cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”: Stream
The holiday season is well underway, and Florence Welch is celebrating by lending her voice to a Christmas classic. As part of The Stars Come Out to Sing for Christmas, an annual charity event by Nordoff-Robbins, the Florence and the Machine singer shared a gorgeous cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, which you can hear below. For her rendition, Welch stayed true to the original, singing gently over a bare piano melody that’s slightly faster than Judy Garland’s 1944 version. Of course, the power in her cover comes from her extraordinary vocal range. Instead of flaunting her skills, Welch takes a subtle approach, singing the iconic falsettos with graceful dexterity and charming casualness. Thankfully, Welch’s performance was captured live in a beautiful video that sets the sc...
Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin Cover The Knack’s “Frustrated”: Watch
It’s night seven of Hanukkah, and Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin are still going strong with their covers song series. Over eight crazy nights, the Foo Fighters frontman and Grammy-winning producer are tackling a different song by a prominent Jewish musician. For entry number seven, they’re tackling The Knack’s “Frustrated”. “Tonight we’re featuring 4 nice Jewish boys whose biggest hit was a song about a nice Jewish girl… ‘My Shalom-a’ or something like that,” Grohl and Kurstin wrote in a tweet posted to Foo Fighters’ Twitter. “We’re huge fans of New Wave (as well as the ‘old wave’ that came after Moses parted the Red Sea) so we are psyched to present…The Knack! Previously, the duo paid tribute to Jewish greats like the Beastie Boys (“Sabotage”), Drake (“Hotline Bling”), Mountain (“Missi...
Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin Cover Elastica’s “Connection”: Watch
Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin are continuing their eight nights of service to prominent Jewish musicians. For the sixth installment of their Hanukkah Sessions songs series, the Foo Fighters frontman and Grammy-winning producer have covered Elastica’s Britpop classic “Connection”. “From Brit Milot to Britpop…here’s one of the coolest tracks from the 90’s….sung by the very cool…and Jewish…Justine Frischmann…ELASTICA!” wrote the duo in a tweet posted to Foo Fighters’ Twitter account. Previously, the duo paid tribute to Jewish greats like the Beastie Boys (“Sabotage”), Drake (“Hotline Bling”), Mountain (“Mississippi Queen”), Peaches (“Fuck the Pain Away”), and Bob Dylan (“Rainy Day Women #12 & 35”). This run of covers will likely be the last chunk of Grohl-related content of 2020, but there’...
Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin Cover Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35”: Watch
As is Hanukkah tradition, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and Grammy-winning producer Greg Kurstin have been gifting fans something new each night of the Festival of Lights. But instead of offering jewelry or candy, the dynamic duo’s Hanukkah Sessions song series sees the pair covering eight different prominent Jewish musicians. Thus far, they’ve tackled Beastie Boys (“Sabotage”), Drake (“Hotline Bling”), Mountain (“Mississippi Queen”), and Peaches (“Fuck the Pain Away”). Now, for night five of Hanukkah, Grohl and Kurstin have put their own spin on “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35”, the opening track to Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde. “So now everybody must get stoned (not in the Law of Moses sense) as we put some blood on this track: Rainy Day Women 12&35 by ...
Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin Cover Peaches’ “Fuck the Pain Away”: Watch
Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin have unveiled the fourth installment in their Hanukkah covers song series. After tackling Drake’s “Hotline Bling” earlier in the campaign, the pair turn their focus to another prominent Canadian Jew with Peaches’ “Fuck the Pain Away”. Better yet, Peaches herself joins in on the fun and sings along with Grohl starting mid-way through their performance. Watch it below. In a tweet posted to Foo Fighters’ Twitter account, Grohl and Kurstin wrote, “Drake’s not the only musical Jew from Canada…tonight we feature a Canadian rock G-Dess…who coincidentally grew up around the corner from a Canadian Jewish rock G-D (G-ddy Lee). Straight out the mikvah, here.” Grohl and Kurstin, who helmed Foo Fighters’ 2017 album Concrete and Gold, are celebrating Hanuk...
