While most Sunday mornings are ripe for The Commodores and Marvin Gaye, this one is all about an absolutely incredible cover that I was clued into last night. Norwegian pop power force a-ha first introduced us to the infectious keyboard riff and dramatic, even life endangering story if you buy the video's premise in "Take on Me." Most covers fall into one of three categories:
1. That was terrible and you should apologize to the song's writer.
2. It was decent but sounds pretty much like the original (this is also called the Bar Band category).
3. Hot damn, that was great. You made it your own and did the original justice.
There is a fourth category that barely merits mentioning because a song so rarely arrives at such a level. The coveted fourth cover category:
4. That was absolutely amazing and even better than the original.
A.C. Newman, of New Pornographer's fame, actually ascended into the last mentioned stratosphere with his cover of "Take on Me." It is simple, but beautiful, interestingly arranged and even moving. In other words, he owned that biatch.
Song Breakdown
Best Place and Time for Listen:
Driving your date to the Spaghetti House (or wherever you kids take your dates) to show that you have hip inclinations and emotional sensibilities.
If This Song Was a Celebrity It Would Be:
Forrest Whitaker in The Crying Game period.
You're going to want this for every mix you make and I promise it will deliver a sweet wave of serenity through your Sunday. Take it easy, take it slow, it's Sunday morning.
AC Newman - Take On Me.mp3 -
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