The Eurovision Song Contest used to be an important day for the UK. One of my earliest memories of the competition was in 1981 when Bucks Fizz won with ‘Making your mind up’. Believe it or not the UK are based second in the all-time Eurovision Song Contest winners league according to The Times. But we haven’t won it since Katrina and the Waves in 1997.
So where are we going wrong? As a nation we produce some fantastic music and have artists that are popular across Europe and the World but for some reason when it comes to the Eurovision song contest we can’t seem to get it right. How can a rock group called Lordi that dress up as monsters win for Finland but the UK can’t?
Back in 2003 our entry was a boy and girl group called Jemini who performed a song called ‘Cry Baby’ and they will go down in history as one of our worst entrants ever, getting absolutely no points. Almost matching that was our 2007 entry Scooch who finished in position 23 out of 24. The last time we finished in a decent position was back in 2002 when Jessica Garlick finished 3rd.
Our 2008 entry is dustbin man Andy Abraham who shot to fame when he participated and finished 2nd in the 2005 X-Factor. He came across as a likeable man winning the hearts of many people and has since had a successful singing career releasing two albums. But will the curse of the Eurovision Song Contest put an end to a flurishing career? I really hope not.
The one problem I think that exists with this competition is that all the votes are political and very few take in to account the actual song or the performer. So even if we had the most fantastic song ever, I doubt that we would finish anywhere near the top.
I look forward to being proved wrong on the 24th May!
With Christmas in mind our classic cover versions takes a festive detour - and no, it’s not Whigfield’s version of “Last Christmas” that we are featuring. Our chosen song ‘White Christmas’ is one of the most covered Christmas songs ever and was first recorded by Bing Crosby for the film ‘Holiday Inn’ in the forties. This version however, was recorded in the sixties by legendary soul singer Otis Redding and is up there with the very best renditions ever. “May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white”…
Despite being ridiculed for much of her career for one reason or another, the one thing Britney has always had going for her has been some top-notch pop songs. Her debut single - covered here by Travis - made her a superstar in one fell swoop and is probably still her defining song, although “Oops I Did It Again” is oft-used as a backdrop or headline whenever she hits the headlines.
But never mind all that, just listen to this Travis version - it strips away the high-gloss production and makes you realise what a good song this is..
By the end of his career, Cash was regarded as outside the country music mainstream - but as he noted in his autobiography, they viewed him the same way in the 50s and 60s too. His career was revitalised in the 90s after he recorded with rap and heavy metal producer Rick Rubin on what turned out to be a series of albums of other people’s songs. Among the unlikely songs he covered were ‘One’ by U2 and ‘Personal Jesus’ by Depeche Mode but this lesser known song - certainly in the UK - by Nine Inch Nails is the best of the bunch. It was recorded in 2003, not long before he died, and it’s a performance pared to the bone, yet full of emotional resonance. If you want to read a full eulogy then try this review from Drowned In Sound which nails it completely.
On the other hand, you could just listen to it (!). Just note, if you don’t like it now, try again in another ten years. You may not be ready yet…
No, not Bryan Adams, this is Ryan Adams, and a cover version so good that even Noel Gallagher, who wrote it, seems to prefer it to the Oasis version. These days he tends to play and sings the song this way in concerts. Though the music you will hear is his Ryan Adams, the video is actually just the work of a high school film project. Ironically, it seems they planned to base their film around the Oasis original but substituted in Adams version for the final edit. If you’ve the original a zillion times, then it can take a couple of listens to really ‘get’ this version - the first time round it sounds a little like Adams hasn’t quite learned the tune properly.
I feel a bit cheeky with this one, as I never knew the original before I first heard this cover (back in 1990 if memory serves). This version takes Neil Young’s original and somewhat maudlin waltz and turns it into a indie-pop-dance affair, uptempo yet still with a sad and detached feel - and ss this video shows now with chic sixties retro appeal. This was the band’s first single and curiously not only does the song not feature their regular lead singer (Sarah Cracknell) who didn’t join until later, the video doesn’t even feature the actual singer (Moira Lambrt) who declined to appear in the video. So here’s their friend Lucy, who stood in….
One of the best ever remakes of a song by The Beatles - the opinion of none other than John Lennon himself as you can see for yourself via this grainly old black-and-white clip.
It is of course not the most famous of all The Beatles’ songs, and so in case you’re not familiar with it, and happened to wonder, no, the original wasn’t the Fab Four’s expression of love and devotion to another man: this version just sees the word ‘him substituted in for ‘her’!
“Bright are the stars that shine…” and on this version Esther truly shone.
One of the best pop singles of recent years, covered by a big bloke with a beard (a guy called Matt Weddle of a band called Obadiah Parker).
This version sees the cheeky, infectious, adrenaline-rush of the cheeky Outkast original chilled and restyled in an acoustic folk arrangement - and the clip below is a live recording captured from some coffee bar in Arizona that has viewed almost a million times on You Tube - with around 10,000 more people watching it every day.
Cool bit of editing too - synching this performance with the original video. Enjoy!
Okay, another ’swift’ cover version for you. Michael Jackson in a dancehall dub stylee from around 1984 - just a couple of years after the original and in itself still a classic all these years later.
Love it, loathe it, or, as the case with me, absolutely never ever EVER want to hear Gloria Gaynor’s 70’s disco biscuit again, this classic cover version redeems the song completely. In my humble opinion. Not a version of the song to have the ladies dancing round their handbags but a great interpretation nonetheless.
