I recently watched the movie (500) Days of Summer, and I re-feel in love with that classic tune by The Smiths, Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths. I could resist doing a post!
This recent, and beautiful rendition is from the soundtrack for the movie 500 Days of Summer by the band She & Him. The beautiful vocals are done by none other that Zooey Deschanel, the darling actress who played Summer in the movie.
Do you remember this version? From the soundtrack for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off released back in 1986. The very dreamy instrumental version pays respectful tribute to The Smiths, while being a unique creation all on its own. I love it!
As I’ve mentioned, I’m in Peru and have found little time for the Road 2 Nowhere, but I cannot miss out on my chance to speak out on the best music of 2008, as it was one hell of a year in music! Time constraints are forcing me to write this list in small chunks… Don’t miss any of it by adding me to your blog reader!
Crystal Castles certainly deserves a mention when talking about music in 2008. I find the track Courtship Dating to be uniquely addictive. The artist’s debut full length release is a little to 80s synth-pop for me, but if you’re into this resurgence of the synthesizer, I expect you’d enjoy this album.
Atmosphere released a thoughtful hip hop album, with a witty title: When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold. The rap stylings on this album are intelligent and fun to listen to, reminiscent of Jurrasic 5’s earlier releases. The track You honestly paints the picture of a young waitress struggling, in a job she hates, to make ends meet.
As I posted about in my first edition of Cover-licious, actress Zooey Deschanel’s beautiful vocals made me fall in love with Smookie Robinson’s classic track all over again. The pain of loving someone so hard it hurts (My So Called Life anyone?) can be felt when merely listening to this track.
Watch for part 2 of my Top 20 Tracks of 2008 coming soon!
This post is the first in a multi-part tribute to great cover versions from any time and any place. I love when an artist takes a song made popular by another and redoes it, not in the same old way as the original version, but in a fresh, and new way; completely making it their own. I dedicate this series to those who are brave to take a great song of another, and put out their own unique version of it for all to hear, and judge against the original. On with the covers!
This is the best version of this song I have heard since the big and beautiful blond, Bonnie Bramlett, belted out the classic on the picnic table in the Conner back yard during an early episode of Rosanne. Originally written by Smokey Robinson in 1962, the song embodies the pleasureful pain that comes from loving someone so much it hurts. The collaboration by actress Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, She & Him, brought us the album Volume One in March 2008. This track is my favorite from the album. It showcases the beautiful vocals of Deschanel in a stunning duet with Ward, with the unobtrusive yet divine acoustic guitar accompaniment that takes the listener to the place where Robinson must have been when he penned this classic.
The young up and comers Vampire Weekend with Andrew W.K. gave props to the legend Tom Petty a week or so ago in Central Park, NYC, by doing their version of “Don’t Come Around Here No More”. I have much loved the musical offerings from Tom Petty for many years, since my sister gave me a copy of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ Greatest Hits for Christmas in ‘93. I fully share Vampire Weekend’s sentiment when they proclaim Tom Petty as a “true fucking poet”! Rock on!
I was originally planning on including the very easy to get track Scarlett Johansson’s versions “Falling Down” by Tom Waits, because I, an avid Waits fan, enjoy her refreshing feminine renditions of Waits’ crookedly strange lyrics… but, I recently discovered AM/PM/FM seem to have received a cease and desist order for posting about her album, so I won’t do that! To think I was going to add her as a friend on myspace! Gosh!
Watch for more editions of Cover-liscious on Road 2 Nowhere in the future!
