Cover Commissions is a monthly series in which a featured artist produces a special cover for this blog. The song to be covered is usually chosen by blog readers via a poll or suggestions form. Any artists interested in participating in a future installment, please email me at the address on the right.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from May’s Cover Commissions’ artist Dan Eaton, but he’s been away in his cover lair watching Duran Duran music videos, playing his 8-bit Nintendo and perfecting his “Walk Like an Egyptian” dance. It’s 1986, people, and he’s gotta get in the Wang Chung mood.

Because great covers take time, and this one was worth the wait. It’s Wang Chung’s maybe-about-masturbation hit “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”! It ranked third in Blender’s list of most “awesomely bad” songs ever, but Dan’s version might make them start a list of most awesomely awesome songs ever.

Dan keeps the ‘80s vibe, but comes at it from the freakier side of the decade, spazzing out over a wall of synths and an insistent drum machine. Here’s his description:

I ran into some interesting places when trying to “re-produce” or “rework” Wang Chung’s most famous single, “Everybody Have Fun Tonight.” This was a song that was written well before my birth (April 1986) and released right around then, so I had to dig it out of the ‘80s pop cemetery. Growing up on Rolling Stones, Traveling Wilburys and Ozark Mountain Daredevils, this was never a hit in either of my parents’ LP collections, but a song I, and anyone else my age, have heard several times before. When I approached it I wanted to keep the electronic-ity involved, using MIDI keys and pads but I was also intent on my own re-invention of the song itself, no matter how out of left field it may seem. When I was creating my representation I could only playback the original through a YouTube video, and had been listening heavily to some more modern electronic artists Dan Deacon as well as Australian pop groups Empire of the Sun and Cut Copy (credit robinson source). So some of that may come out, but like my Jesus and Mary Chain cover, I also used my few resources to keep it on the lo-fi side of things, creating a track that strives to be almost as fun as the original.

And so we are proud to present…

A Cover Me Exclusive

Put that on a cassette with last week’s new Duran Duran cover and have yourself an ‘80s covers weekend! Then come back next week for your chance to vote for the next Cover Commissions!

These mp3s may be freely shared with the artist’s blessing. Post them on your blog, send them to your friends, burn them for your office mates. When you do share this however, please include a link to this site. Cover Commissions is a monthly occurrence here, and the more traffic this project draws the more exciting we can make future installments.