Most of the time when we write about covers here at Cover Me, we write about covers of big hits. Occasionally, it’s deep cuts from albums or b-sides that are known to only the most dedicated fans of an artist or band. Well, today we have a cover of song so deep in a band’s catalogue, it was never officially released. “I Think I’m Falling in In Love Again” is an early DEVO song that has appeared in different versions on the internet over the years. There is a slower demo version from 1975-ish that only sort of sounds like the band, and there’s a far peppier version from a live show in 1977 which sounds substantially more like DEVO. It’s never been put out by the band, so there are just these lo-fi bootlegs.
Nashville punks Snooper have decided to cover this song instead of any other DEVO song I guess because they can. And they’ve decided to make it short and sweet. (Most Snooper songs are quite short, reminiscent of early hardcore in the length of the songs if not the sound.)
They start off with a way harder and frantic version of the opening from the demo but then take their cues from the live version in terms of the rest of the song. They play fast and loud and vocalist Blair Tramel gets the lyrics out as fast as she can. There are plenty of chaotic drum fills on the chorus and some frenetic slide playing.
Clocking in at 50 seconds, it is gone before you know it. But the irreverence of this – a 50 second cover of a DEVO song nobody has ever heard – feels very DEVO, even if the sound of the cover is far more punk than new wave.
Take a brief moment to listen to it below:
