Well I had this happen when I received some Christmas love from Joyous. One of the things she picked out was a CD by...Paul Anka. Yes, he of the "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" and "Puppy Love". It's a swing album, OK, fine. Then I start reading the titles of the songs. "Eye of the Tiger"? "It's My Life"? "Smells Like Teen Spirit"???
It's no joke. The album (Rock Swings) is a collection of popular rock and pop songs that have been arranged as swing music. Sure, your immediate reaction is "Uh HUH." So was mine. But...
The album indeed has some surprising moments where these reinvented songs are great and can stand alongside the original. "True" (originally by Tears for Fears) is great, as is REM's "Everybody Hurts." And in one case I actually liked this version better than the original - the Nirvana song.
But there are also a few where I had to just shake my head and say, "No, stick with the original." Examples of that were Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" and Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel."
Still, the album as a whole is full of surpises, and I will proudly add this to my collection. I can just imagine playing this during our next cocktail party and having people chatting along before they stop and say, "Wait - were those just Bon Jovi lyrics I heard?"
1 comment:
You did have me worried when I saw your face after opening it. But I thought you'd like it, and I'm glad you do.
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