Does it surprise you that “Enjoy the Silence” is Depeche Mode‘s highest charting single on the Hot 100? Because it surprises me. Obviously Depeche Mode had way more hits in the UK than in the US. But, being sentient in 1989 when Violator came out, it felt like “Personal Jesus” was the bigger hit. Well, it is their biggest US hit and is also their most covered song by over 100 versions. And it’s their most streamed song. So it’s indisputably their biggest song, no matter what I thought.
This kind of popularity can pose a challenge for musicians who want to cover a song. When a song is so familiar and there are so many cover versions – nearly 300 in this case – it may be hard to come up with a distinct version. Fortunately, French covers institution Nouvelle Vague have a niche and it’s a niche that is pretty unique. Continue reading »
Nouvelle Vague is back with a new collection titled Should I Stay or Should I Go? I’m going to hesitate in answering that question, as there is the one more demanding, about how this lot are still going. No offense intended, mind; back in the day, Nouvelle Vague’s bossa nova revisiting of punk and new wave songs was really something to behold, with both the novelty and the application well worthy of praise and merit. But now? I know a version has been touring, but I hadn’t appreciated they were still marketing something new, or, more to the point, new to them. So, is this a soft sophisticated samba swirl through the song cycles of Eilish and Swift, Sheeran and whoever else the young people adore? Ummmm, nope. This is a further trawl through the hallowed dusty halls of the last century. Or, more to the point, hoping the audiences who loved them near two decades ago will still love them now, and are still listening to their tired old record collections.
