Lykke Li rarely records covers, but when she does, they matter. From her revelatory take on Fleetwood Mac’s “Silver Springs” to her live version of Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” she has an unbroken streak of winning reinventions of unlikely songs. And she continues that streak on her latest, a cover of “Time in a Bottle” that sounds more like James Bond than Jim Croce.
Ennio Morricone strings swoon under a menacing guitar progression on the verses, before things open up into a brighter sing-along chorus. It sounds like the product of months of work, but if you believe her Facebook post, it came together in a day: “my love for covers lives on / a little something I did on a sunday / instead of throwing it away I’m throwing it on the internet/ love you.”
We’re certainly glad she did. Listen to Lykke Li’s “Time In a Bottle” cover below.
Check out more covers by Lykke Li here and our feature on covers of Jim Croce here.
It’s only February, but I bet this cover will make the 2018 top ten list.