I don’t know about you, but I get a song stuck in my head and I have to listen to it, I have to listen to a cover of it, I have to listen to a heavy metal cover of it, and then I have to see if Ringo Starr covered it.
And then it’s still stuck in my head.
So then I think “maybe I can get it stuck in someone else’s head?”
Here’s the original that you know and love:
Perfection, right? Simple, elegant, with lyrics that are perfectly screwupable. (“I guess the rain’s down in Africa” is my favorite but the reference to “100 men on Mars” is a perennial favorite.)
Well, a few years back, my aunt posted an a cappella cover of the song that opened with the most charming a cappella thunderstorm:
Yeah, I made jokes about Frodo too.
Then, of course, the bottle boys made their cover (honestly, I think that this one is a bit thin… but that’s the nature of the instrument, I guess):
So now I need to listen to a fairly rich cover of the song and Low does their version and they turn everything into minor chords and that’s just lovely (I think Glyph originally turned me on to this cover… thanks, Glyph!):
And in digging for this post, I found that there is not only a heavy metal cover:
There’s also a *SKA* cover:
And as I finished boggling at that, I see that Ringo Starr covered this song… which makes me say “Of course he did.”
And the song is still stuck in my head.
So… what are you listening to?
I’m listening to Ernie Johnson call the AL Wild Card game on TBS, but I don’t think this is what you mean.Report
Jinx!
I didn’t realize you were doing a Wed. Music Post, so I also threw up a half-assed one that had been sitting around for a while. Sorry.
If you liked that Low/Toto thing, this might blow your mind. It did mine.
“What’s up with Snacking Girl? Is that guy for real? They’re…actually kind of making this pretty. WHAT IS GOING ON?!”Report
See? When you make a music post, you post obscure stuff that is really awesome…
And I find 17 covers for Toto and sift through them to find my favorite 7.Report
Dude, that is a great cover. And it does make me remember that the 80’s weren’t all sweetness and light.Report
the 80’s weren’t all sweetness and light.
Well, we were all being crushed under the conformist boot of Reagan (if you are reading this in the UK, please substitute “Thatcher”).
(No politics!)
Yeah, I think they are trying to make out like they are making fun of the song, but somehow, against all odds, they kind of end up killing it anyway. I might actually see those guys if they came around, just for the sheer WTF of it. I’d say I’ll bring popcorn, but it looks like the keyboardist is already sorted for that. What, does she have low blood sugar or something? She is just destroying that bowl* by the handful the entire time.
*Actually, it occurs to me that the phrase “destroying that bowl” might explain a lot about this performance.Report
Is his hair fused to his beard?
Also, the second verse of that song is so spectacular.Report
Lip Synch version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGheV059UBAReport
Shoot, beat me to it!Report
Writer Steve Almond analyzes at great length this song, adding in more than a little autobiographical detail:
http://youtu.be/d3fxkhWZbx0Report
That was awesome.
I have to say, though: I remain a staunch lover of this song. Even as it remains stuck in my head.
(And, dude, I’ll tell Maribou to pick up Game Over)Report
Aw, hey, thanks!Report
I had a Metallica cello cover stuck in my head for a while. Some things just work, I guess.
I’m also a fan of beer bottles, both full and empty.Report
Disclaimer: I have a teenage daughter in the house.
These two are making me smile this week:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfWlot6h_JM
(My wife and I have taken to replying to our daughter ‘haters gonna hate’ every time she tells us about some drama at school)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PCkvCPvDXk
(Meghan Trainor’s album is really good by the way)
And a cover:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyTTX6Wlf1YReport