Spotlight: Lera Lynn

This week I discovered this little treasure from Athens, GA-based artist Lera Lynn.

 

That's a cover of TV On The Radio's song from a few years ago, "Wolf Like Me."  I cannot stop playing this over and over again.  It's so unlike the original, yet so fantastic.  And for the record, I'm definitely part of the reason this version currently has over two million hits on YouTube.  I'm a huge fan of the TotR original, and that Letterman performance is spectacular.

Lera Lynn's version is less about savagery, more about seduction.  It takes an approach that's less apocalyptic, more existential.  Put another way: it's less Mad Max, more True Blood.

To me, this is what the best cover songs are all about.  An artist like Lera Lynn sees the potential for a song, which she obviously already loves, to become something else entirely.  And the original song is so good, the lyrics and story and structure so strong, that it can stand up to multiple interpretations without losing any of its power.

Lera Lynn will be playing at the Big Bang Ball later this month, which I really hope (fingers crossed that scheduling and cash flow will align) to be attending.  I already wanted to go anyway, but having seen this, I'm even more excited about it.

What are your favorite cover songs?

Comments

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