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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 “Back On The Chain Gang”, a song about loss originally written and recorded by one-half of the original Pretenders, and a slightly sunnier Spanish-language cover performed by Selena over a decade later.
It was a tough time for the Pretenders when they stepped into the studio to record “Back On The Chain Gang” in July 1982. Only half the band was around; singer/songwriter Chrissie Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers. The previous month, they kicked out bassist Pete Farndon due to his drug issues and guitarist James Honeyman-Scott died of a drug overdose only a few days later. (Farndon would die of a heroin overdose the following year.)
Hynde was feeling the pressure from the music industry as her profile rose higher. “I found a picture of you, o-o-oh, o-o-oh/Well it hijacked my world at night” references her estranged partner, The Kinks’ Ray Davies, as she was pregnant with their daughter at the time of recording. Hynde would dedicate “Back On The Chain Gang” to Honeyman-Scott and would become one of their signature songs, never losing its emotional punch.
by Claence Ewing
With over 100 years of recorded music available to our ears, sometimes it can be tough to know where to begin exploring the art form’s many genres and styles. This series provides ideas for those interested in exploring unfamiliar genres and styles of music.
What Is It: Take a four-on-the-floor beat (or something awfully close to it), and sweeping guitars, strings, and horns as needed, keep it playing all night to sing songs about love (both physical and spiritual), happiness, and ecstacy (the mental state and/or the drug).
America has always had a fraught relationship with dance music. This was especially true with Disco, a dance craze that emerged from underground New York clubs and took over a post-Vietnam, post-Watergate USA looking for a little escapism during the mid to late 1970s. For a brief time, Everyone from the ultra-glamorous patrons of Studio 54 to grandparents in retirement homes were learning new steps and having a party that didn’t involve staring at screens all night.
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.
(Original 1986 version)
(bootleg remix)
By 1986, singer Candi Staton, a working musician since the mid-1950s, was a born-again Christian whose heyday seemed to be behind her (The 1976 single “Young Hearts Run Free” is her most successful song in the U.S). She had left Disco and R&B to record and perform gospel. However, she was approached to record this song for a video about weight loss.
by Eddie Sayago
The mesmerizing lead of a fascinating documentary now airing on HBO, Tina Turner has been captivating audiences for over six decades, performing and recording numerous songs ranging from country and rock to R&B and EDM.
In 2020, Turner collaborated with DJ/producer Kygo on a remix of “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” and has performed covers from many artists including Elton John, Sam Cooke and Al Green.
Here are five artists who pay tribute to the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll with these eclectic covers.
Yes, this was originally a Tina Turner song. "Don’t Turn Around” was a B-side for the 1986 single “Typical Male,” written by Albert Hammond and perennial Oscar nominee Diane Warren. Ace of Base’s rendition was the second single from their debut album and peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Turner’s “Don’t Turn Around” would appear in the 2018 jukebox musical Tina.
Floatie – Voyage Out (Exploding in Sound)