Jan 102011
 

Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song.


Although “Somebody Told Me” introduced the Killers to the world in 2004, “Mr. Brightside” made them sensations. Appearing on their debut album Hot Fuss, this elegy to unrequited love brought the group both attention and accolades. Perhaps most impressively, as of April 20th of this year, “Mr. Brightside” has been named the most-played song on the Internet music site Last.fm, racking up 7.66 million listens since 2003. Take that, The Bravery!

Though “Mr. Brightside” has not yet amassed as many covers by professional musicians as other entries in our Five Good Covers series, it has inspired a staggering number of YouTube artists to take a whack at it. For our collection, we strove to bring you the best of both. Check ’em all out below. Know any good ones we missed?

1. Aledo, Texas songwriter/producer Daniel Hunter, also known as PlayRadioPlay!, released this track on his 2007 The Frequency E.P. Its synthesized beats and distant vocals simultaneously emphasize the original song’s quasi-dance music styling and crushing feeling of loneliness.

2. A number of instrumental “Mr. Brightside” covers have made their way to YouTube. However, Eric Wuest’s sharp arrangement, which features stellar interplay between a piano and twin violins, possesses a melodic texture that escapes many of the others.


3.
Certainly the youngest of our featured musicians, Irish students Orla and Ashley delivered a victorious rendition of “Mr. Brightside” at their school talent show that led to them getting to play a 1000-seat venue in Dublin – not bad for a couple of young’uns. Here’s a video of their practice, which shows off vocal harmonies that give this song a really interesting depth.


4.
Singapore quartet The Sets here lends an especially relaxed atmosphere to an originally intense song. They score major style points for turning “Mr. Brightside” into a coffee shop jam complete with those breathless vocals that modern pop singers love to embrace.

5. Finally, college a cappella group MIT Resonance released a recording of “Brightside” on a self-titled 2007 album. One must respect the gusto with which they tackle that relentless guitar part.

Want more Five Good Covers? Check out previous installments here.

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