The Good Music Corner
"Thou shalt not put musicians and recording artists on ridiculous pedestals, no matter how great they are or were. The Beatles were just a band." This lyric is from the refreshingly acerbic "Thou Shalt Always Kill" by Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip. The Beatles top a long list of other sacred musical acts (The Clash, the Sex Pistols), and the song serves as a reminder to us all. These idolized bands didn't cure cancer. They didn't negotiate peace treaties. They're just bands.
This week was Beatles week. Ahem, Beatles week. John Lennon. Paul McCartney. So tell me… how did Idol sneak a Stevie Wonder version of "We Can Work It Out" into the lineup? How do they do that!? I like Stevie as much as the next girl, but there’s only so much “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” a person can take.
I’m a KCRW / NPR type of girl. A Hideout Block Party girl. But, on occasion, I do like to check up on the real-life incarnations of my caricatures (see banner above). Was it fate, then, when last Tuesday I tuned in to Fox’s number one haven for bad music and heard the ethereal “Halleluiah” grace the stage? Has the world ended? Has hell frozen over? What in God's name is Jeff Buckley doing on American Idol?
The songwriter should not be punished for the banal inanity of the singer who sings their song. This is why I always enjoy when a talented artist brings some emotional depth to a Top 40 cover (Idols, take heed… it can be done!) A perfect example is the Britney Spears catalogue. Good musicians love to take notorious Britney singles and reinvent them---probably because they usually sound better by comparison. Here for your consideration are three great Britney Spears covers.
Frankly, we all need a break from 60s, 70s, and 80s theme weeks.
“Toxic” (written by Bloodshy & Avant, Cathy Dennis, and Henrik Jonback)
as performed by Yael Naïm: