Skip to main content

Morrissey Surprises with Excellent Cover


     Stephen Patrick Morrissey is good at many things, from the negatively notorious like canceling shows or entire tours without notice or spewing cringeworthy political and social commentary, and to the positive like giving us timeless music (solo or with The Smiths) that fill our personal soundtracks to releasing a damn good cover. Last Friday, the mercurial front man announced a vinyl reissue of 2017’s underperforming Low in High School, due December 7th, which will include a version of The Pretenders’s ageless classic “Back on the Chain Gang”, four unreleased original tracks, five live covers of some of his favorite artists, a limited-edition lithograph photo, and a portrait of the singer as a student. Optionally, the song will be released as a single on November 23rd and will feature Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “I Didn’t Know What to Do” on the flip side. Quite a cool deal for an otherwise sleeper of an album.


     “Back on the Chain Gang” was famously interpreted by the late Tejano superstar Selena in the mid-90’s and became a massive hit, propelling her to an even higher platform. Morrissey, however, makes a convincing argument that his version reigns over. He gives the tune a fresh, new pop sound and while staying loyal to the original’s feel, he explained his loose lyrical interpretation to Rolling Stone: “I didn’t ever see the lyrics correctly printed because I wanted to sing them as I had always thought they were. This is tricky with [Pretenders frontwoman] Chrissie [Hynde] because sometimes she’ll sing into a misty wobble. So, I decided to wobble also.” With some switched-up words, it’s a respectful cover. Crooning Hynde’s lyrics in his signature tenor along to jangly guitars and a consistently solid drum and bass rhythm, the end result sounds like a mix of The Smiths, his solo music and the Pretenders. Having to choose between Morrissey and Hynde is particularly unfair, but his version is truly something special. It’s like he was destined to sing the song, and the way it’s paired with a Sixties music showcase-like video with wavy-haired women dancing alongside Morrissey and his band to a backdrop of Morrissey posters oddly sells that idea.
     Morrissey and Hynde have a close friendship, with both being fervent animal rights activists and vegetarians. Additionally, she’s appeared on some of his songs like “My Love Life” and “Shame Is the Name.” He said a deep reverence for her and the Pretenders motivated him cover the pop classic, and the two musicians are, without question, two of the most iconic pop stars of Gen-X era and beyond. Whether you love or hate him, there’s no denying Morrissey’s appeal, wit, and incredibly unparalleled taste and quality.
     The video can be seen by clicking on the link below. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_hInzyYN3o&list=RDq_hInzyYN3o&start_radio=1

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Grim Folk: As Grim as It Gets

     San Antonio dark country/psychobilly band The Grim Folks have been taking the San Antonio music scene by storm, albeit in their own way. Not one to mix in with the rest, The Grim Folks deliver a fresh and exciting sound in a city obsessed with metal and Mexican regional music. It’s not to say they don’t fit the bill; simply, they aren’t the typical band you would expect to come across. That, however, is a damn good thing. At home with the punk and goth crowds, The Grim Folks play macabre songs inspired from “roots” Americana full of dark humor and superstitious folklore with an undisguised energy. They aren’t exclusive to particular crowds; they have a loose and inviting vibe anyone can enjoy.      “When it comes to writing lyrics, my influence is inspired by horror movies I watched as a kid or stories of the supernatural, “said Nathan Quintanilla, the band’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist. “That enticing feeling I get when seeing or hearin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chelsea Wolfe Births Violence

     If the American Gothic movement had a sound, Chelsea Wolfe perfectly captures it.            Wolfe’s latest album (and sixth overall), Birth of Violence , brings her back to her gloomy folk roots. It’s a goth-tinged acoustic album, a departure from her harder, heavier and sludgy doom-metal heard in her previous releases, Abyss and Hiss Spun , two albums that followed the more accessible Pain is Beauty , whose title sounds like an art school kid’s expressionist project.      Acoustic offerings are nothing new for Wolfe. Her catalogue features a few here and there, and Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs is as stated: a collection of acoustic songs from her earlier days.      Acoustic music has a tendency to be skipped over, but Wolfe’s should not. No matter how they’re performed, they are desolate, raw and impassioned. If her studio recordings can move you to the d...
Post a Comment
Read more

Them Are Us Too Make Amends

      The Bay Area’s euphoric dream pop duo Them Are Us Too began in 2012 with schoolmates Kennedy Ashlyn and Cash Askew playing well balanced eighties inspired synth-pop shoegaze. In 2015, they released their debut album, Remain , a gloomy tour de force to incredible acclaim. They built up a dedicated cult following, and that success hyped the anticipation for the follow-up to their big debut. Tragically in 2016, a warehouse fire claimed Askew’s life at 22 years old, putting the band’s career in uncertainty. However, through the ashes of tragedy arose a new album, Amends , the band’s second and final as TAUT (as fans call them) and it is a beautifully haunting piece of work filled with ethereal elegance and atmospherics.      Amends , as Ashlyn describes, is “a collection of songs that would have been the second Them Are Us Too record, an amendment to our catalog cut short, a final gift to family, friends, and fans.” Amends is a celeb...
Post a Comment
Read more