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This song is a centerpiece of arguably the most successful album from the 1980s-90s “New Age” marketing category. Enya started out creating mood music for BBC documentaries, and the cinematic quality of her work is on full display here.
The core of the song features pizzicato violins and synth washes and arpeggiated runs. Percussion is provided by a spare bassline and strategically placed timpani dramatically leaning on the one of the measure, a pattern well known in Funk music, BTW.
Lopping two chord patterns and impressionistic nautical lyrics make the music hypnotic in its way. You don’t need to be anywhere near water to get to dreaming of adventures on the high seas.
There is a chance that you have come across a song (or two, or so many more) that you enjoy and did not realize that it's either been covered by someone else or is a cover itself. We hope that this series allows you to appreciate both the original and the covers they have inspired, and to seek out and enjoy new music in the process.
We take a look at The Stone Roses’ signature song and how another band from across the sea from them made it their own decades later while sorta plugging some English footwear.
“I Wanna Be Adored” is the opening track from The Stone Roses’ 1989 self-titled debut album, and it is the perfect introduction for this English rock band. One of the most memorable bass lines in rock ‘n’ roll history, the buildup to the first verse is nothing short of pure joy. The lyrics are simple and to the point, with “I don't have to sell my soul/He's already in me” comprising half the lyrics.
The Stone Roses is a prime example of when a band’s spotlight shines a bit too bright very quickly and fades away almost as fast, either by circumstance or the band’s own undoing. By the end of 1989, they were on top of the charts, performing sold out shows at large theaters, and allowed numerous other neo-psychedelic rock bands to exist like the Charlatans UK and Happy Mondays.
By the end of 1990, they were fighting with their record label, Silvertone (which ended up in court, with the band winning) and taking their sweet time on their second (and final) studio album to follow-up their impressive debut.
The band split up in 1996 and though they have since reunited and toured (and split up again), sometimes it’s for the best when a band and its lead singer have reached their prime and remain in the past, like 8-tracks and MTV’s 120 Minutes.
by Eddie Sayago
There is a chance that you have come across a song (or two, or so many more) that you enjoy and did not realize that it's either been covered by someone else or is a cover itself. We hope that this series allows you to appreciate both the original and the covers they have inspired, and to seek out and enjoy new music in the process.
Here we take a look at one of Hank Williams’ most memorable songs and two different covers by two of the most influential male crooners America has ever produced.
Despite his short life (he died on New Year’s Day 1953 at age 29), Hank Williams accomplished more as a musician than most other artists who live twice as long.
Arguably America’s first country music superstar, Williams had written/co-written and recorded over 160 songs over the course of a decade, with 35 of them becoming Top 10 hits on the Country Charts (and 11 of them going to #1).
“Cold, Cold Heart” was actually a B-Side to a more upbeat single, “Dear John” (a very downer title, if one is familiar with “Dear John” letters/stories). “Cold, Cold Heart” is by far the more memorable of the two songs released on that record in February 1951, quickly becoming a #1 hit and becoming a popular song to cover by other artists.
Though the song could apply to any couple going through hardship, a line in the first verse, “A memory from your lonesome past keeps us so far apart”, references an abortion that Williams’ first wife, Audrey, had that may have been from an extramartial affair.
Hank also had affairs of his own, eventually divorcing Audrey to marry Billie Jean Horton–who later had an affair with Johnny Cash–shortly before his death in October 1952. Horton got her name from her next marriage, to singer Johnny Horton, whom she married the following September.
by Eddie Sayago
There is a chance that you have come across a song (or two, or so many more) that you enjoy and did not realize that it's either been covered by someone else or is a cover itself. We hope that this series allows you to appreciate both the original and the covers they have inspired, and to seek out and enjoy new music in the process.
In this entry, we pay homage to a very popular drinking song that has been on a very crazy journey, from the pen and paper of its songwriter to the top of the pop charts on two continents at two different times during the 1980s.
The cover we will discuss is a dance party compared to Neil Diamond’s depressing look at lost love.
The song, which was a minor but unmemorable single from the Just For You album, is full of heartbreak, as Neil sings about a woman who left him and he is all alone with his bottle of red wine. It almost sounds like he’s holding back tears in the first verse.
There is also a cover of “I’m A Believer” on Just For You, which he wrote and was recorded by The Monkees, scoring Diamond his first big payday and #1 hit as a songwriter.
At this point of his career, he was best known for writing hit songs for other artists, and Just For You would be a turning point. He performs the song on occasion, which is a crowd favorite, along with “Cherry, Cherry” and “Sweet Caroline.”
by Eddie Sayago
There is a chance that you have come across a song (or two, or so many more) that you enjoy and did not realize that it's either been covered by someone else or is a cover itself. We hope that this series allows you to appreciate both the original and the covers they have inspired, and to seek out and enjoy new music in the process.
For this entry, we take a look at a love song that was performed by two very different performers and released in the same year.
Three albums into their career, Canadian rock band The Guess Band took a couple different steps in their journey. First, they got a new lead singer, Burton Cummings, replacing original lead Chad Allen. Next, they leaned into psychedelic and British rock influences for Wheatfield Soul (album #4).
The album wasn’t a big commercial success but “These Eyes” became a hit in their native Canada and their first Top 10 hit in the U.S. (peaked at #6 on Billboard Hot 100), so 1969 wasn’t too bad. And guess what? Their biggest success arrived the following year with their first #1 hit song and album of the same name, "American Woman."