Eiffel 65’s “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” was inescapable in 1999. Everywhere you went, there it was. I thought they were saying “If I was green I would die” (trying singing it instead of “dabadeedabadi”) and generally did everything I could to get away from this ubiquitous song. Now, over 20 years later, Eiffel 65’s fellow Italians Fleshgod Apocalypse have given me something to celebrate, a crazy symphonic death metal cover of the song. I didn’t know I wanted this, but I absolutely did.
The spoken word intro isn’t changed all that much; there’s the familiar piano and lead vocalist Francesco Paoli’s narration is just a bit growlier than the original. But when the chorus comes in…well, get ready for some insane growling and impressive blast drumming from Eugene Ryabchenko. The band funk up the bridge – where Paoli is joined by bandmate Veronica Bordacchini actually singing some of the words – before the chorus once again slams you into a wall. Because restraint is not something this genre does, there’s also a string section. Why not?
If you hated this song as much as I did when it was everywhere this cover redeems it with a ridiculous, fun, totally over-the-top take. And if you like the song well, you’ll probably still enjoy this.
