It’s been a holiday tradition for over 10 years and yet again, Sondre Lerche has released his annual holiday cover.
As Lerche wrote with the release of this year’s cover, “we pick the huge hit we feel most compelled to cover at the end of each year, and record and mix it in one day.” The following day, the song is released. This year he decided to tackle Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!”
“’Good Luck, Babe,’ is a punch in the gut for the way it calls out, not just the object of desire for not daring to live truthfully, but also society for making it so damn hard to be who you really are, and love who you really love,” Lerche added. He also added that he approached the song by asking, ‘what if “Good Luck, Babe” was arraigned by Ryuichi Sakamoto?’
Lerche’s version slows down Roan’s original version, allowing the listener to really hear the message the song imparts. And while you could argue that slowing down any song can add unwanted importance to sometimes banal lyrics, the closing repetition of “you’d have to stop the world just to stop the feeling,’ rings out after the song is finished.
Lerche’s first 10 years of covers were released on the 2023 album, Understudy. He suggested a follow-up compilation coming out in 2033.
Lerche has two performances schedule for 2025, both at the Oslo Opera next week. After that, Lerche says he is leaving his calendar clear. And as he ended his note, “I’m wishing you and yours love, compassing and music, always.”
