Got you covered

I’m old fashioned in the way I listen to music (have I mentioned my one-woman crusade to bring back the CD?), so I’m relatively new to Spotify.

But my favourite thing about it has been discovering so many great cover versions.

There’s something deeply satisfying about a good cover. Like repainting a room, it’s still familiar and filled with things you love, but transformed into something fresh and revitalised.

A great cover can help you find a new favourite artist or send you back into the arms of your original (musical) love.

Because I’m extremely tech savvy*, I created a covers playlist in Spotify – here’s a few of my favourites.

Iron & Wine – “This Must Be The Place”

At first I didn’t realise it was a cover, it just sounded magnificent and the melody was brilliantly familiar.

Turns out it was! Originally released in 1983 by Talking Heads, this version is about as far from “new wave” as you can get. Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam teams up with Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses, in a cruising, glorious rush of harmonies, that leaves you feeling warm and wonderful on these cold winter days. “Sing into my mouth” indeed.

Cat Power – Satisfaction

It’s a brave move to take on a Rolling Stones classic … and even braver to leave the iconic chorus out altogether. Cat wrestles the track to the ground and deconstructs it, so instead of strutting and posing, it aches with longing and loneliness.

Hurray for the Riff Raff – River

One of my favourite Joni songs. Alynda Segarra gives it an Americana makeover and that’s just fine by me.

Sonic Youth – Superstar

I first heard The Carpenters sing this in the 70s. This version gives me a thrill every time. Instead of a pop song about discarded love, it’s misty and sinister and heartbreaking.

The National – Never Tear Us Apart

The 80s and 2020 collide. The National’s understated, swirling atmospherics breathes new life into the INXS track. And for a saxophone-phobe like me, it’s a mercifully sax free zone.

* not at all