“If could do this every night of the week with Jackson, I swear I would,” wrote Ben Harper, talking about playing alongside Jackson Browne. The two teamed up again (they’ve played together before) at Truetone Music store in Santa Monica, California to play a cover of Warren Zevon‘s “Mutineer.” With the two trading off lead vocals, Browne played an acoustic guitar while Harper played slide. In any form, it is a beautiful song and this version does not disappoint. Continue reading »
So the story of German singer-songwriter Nico‘s solo debut album is that members of The Velvet Underground, to whom she’d been attached by their patron Andy Warhol, did not appreciate her presence in the band. However, they were willing to help her perform live as a solo act and would help with her solo debut. And they weren’t the only ones, as Tim Hardin, who already had a solo career, and Jackson Browne, who was only writing songs for other people at the time, and who was then dating Nico, also were performing with her. Nico had yet to write her own music so Browne, Hardin and Lou Reed and John Cale of the Velvets all contributed songs to her debut. (There’s also a Dylan cover.) Continue reading »
This month, Bambie Thug represented Ireland in Eurovision, coming in sixth (the country’s highest placement since 2000). Shortly before the finals, they released this cover of The Cranberries’ “Zombie”amidst criticism of their outspokenness about the devastation in Gaza. The top YouTube comment puts it well: “The significance of Bambie choosing to cover this song will not be lost on anyone in Ireland or the UK, or many places outside them. It’s just about the most impactful call for peace an Irish person can give, and they’ve done it as well as anyone ever has.” Continue reading »
“Running on Empty” is a song that has always been laden with nostalgia. It has lyrics that talk of the time and road slipping away from you. But in alt-rock band FIDLAR’s hands, it has become more modern and clear. The band has taken Browne’s words and made them feel more mournful, something tinged with navy blue. The combination of the laid-back vocals, mellow bass, and fuzzed-out snare make this version charmingly new.
The group’s tour-footage music video is a collage of memories and moments, much like the song. As we listen and watch the flashes of being out on the town, the graffiti bathrooms, and time passing, we can’t help but reminisce.
For more great Jackson Browne covers, be sure to check out this link!
Alicia Bognnano spearheads Bully, an alt-indie project that originally started out as a rock band. In her cover of the Jackson Browne original “These Days” performed at SiriusXM, she cultivates a chill-mournful magnetic sound. Continue reading »
‘The Best Covers Ever’ series counts down our favorite covers of great artists.
Last week we kicked off our new One Hit Wonders series with ten covers of big 1950s hits, and today we continue it with 20 covers of 1960s smashes.
Some classic songs getting covered in here, in some cases by artists that should have had many more hits just as big. So it goes in pop music. We’ll probably never be able to do a The 40 Best Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs Covers Ever list, though, so we celebrate them here with a few fun reimaginings of their early 1960 chart-topper “Stay.” Continue reading »