This week, I’m going to share some cover songs that I like.
Here’s what I wrote about “My Heart Will Go On” when I picked it as my 2015 “Best YouTube Cover.”:
I’m a freakazoid obsessive of YouTube covers, and my big discovery of the year was Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, which recruits former members of shows like American Idol and America’s Got Talent to perform covers of modern pop songs in vintage styles with high production values. Not every swing is a home run, but it’s always fascinating and worth a listen. (For a sampling, here’s a classic soul take on Radiohead’s “Creep” and 1920’s speakeasy take on “Bad Romance”.)
My favorite video of theirs – and probably my favorite song from 2015 if I’m being completely honest – is Bradlee’s reinvention of the Titanic song, “My Heart Will Go On,” as an upbeat Four Seasons/Jackie Wilson-style jukebox jam. Stripped of its schmaltz and buoyed with a phenomenal performance by Kilgore, the tune is a catchy revelation. Colton and I acknowledged the original as an icon of the ‘90s, but, as far as I’m concerned, this is the definitive version.
Two-plus years later, and it’s still a favorite. I’ve probably listened to this song more in the past couple years than all but a handful of tracks. I especially love the choruses, the punctuated delivery of “near… far…” The original is iconic, but I think I prefer this cover.