In addition to making modern pop masterpieces like Melodrama and Solar Power, something that absolutely blows us away about Lorde is how she can refresh songs we already love into something new and dynamic when she covers them! Whether she’s preserving elements of the original or completely taking us into her own sonic world, there’s genuinely never been a time that we haven’t enjoyed hearing her take on another artist’s work. Here are three of our all-time favorite covers that Lorde has given us over the years!
‘Take Me To The River’
Lorde totally took us to cover heaven when she released ‘Take Me To The River’ as part of A24 Music’s Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense project! Interestingly, Talking Heads’ version of ‘Take Me To The River’ was an Al Green cover, so it’s really cool to see how the song has evolved as different artists have taken it on. Lorde’s rendition adds some dreamy synths to the mix while honoring Talking Heads’ iconic bassline and murky mood. The Everyone’s Getting Involved compilation also has features from standout artists like Paramore, Miley Cyrus, and Toro y Moi, so be sure to keep an eye out for the rest of the project if you like this cover!
This version of the first Talking Heads song I ever heard was done in a few days in Echo Park, L.A. with my friend Jimmy. It’s my interpretation of that pixellated spiritual experience [watching a Talking Heads video for the first time]. We did it fast, I didn’t let myself tidy it up too much, it had to feel young and imperfect, the peeling posters, the jaw of acne.
Lorde
‘Swingin Party’
“If being afraid is a crime,” then excluding ‘Swingin Party’ from this list would be a total sin! One of our favorite tracks on Lorde’s Pure Heroine album is a cover of The Replacements’ song from 1985, bringing a more moody ambiance than the original. The heavier energy almost reminds us of the confusion on ‘Ribs,’ which also describes a party while explaining how suffocating it is to grow up. We love how Lorde really put her own fresh spin on the song and made it fit into the album’s narrative so well!
‘In The Air Tonight’
Phil Collins’ ‘In The Air Tonight’ is a classic rock staple, and we consider Lorde’s version a staple in its own right. It takes a bit of a softer, more melancholic approach while really letting the anger of the story shine through her vocals, eventually building as the iconic drums kick in. We also give this one some bonus points because it’s so fun to sing along with “Oh, Lorde!” If this isn’t on the soundtrack for some kind of psychological horror in the next few years, we’ll be sorely disappointed.
Which of these covers is your favorite? What song would you do anything to hear Lorde do her own version of? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
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