When you’re all on your own, and you’re writing a blog, that’s daily, and trying to keep on top of things, it’s quite hard. So, today I’m going to not look at ‘new’ things. I’m going to be retrospective.
On this day, well, this date, ten years ago, Lou Reed’s Perfect Day, performed by ‘Various Artists’ including Mr Reed, David Bowie, Elton John, Bono, Boyzone, and Tom Jones, among others, hit Number 1 in the UK.
I’d like to think it was a good cover; I really would. I’d like to believe it was good. I am sorely mistaken.
It was damned excellent on the part of Children In Need. The fact that they had 20 or so artists, all doing the same song, in their own style, was something in itself, but to splice it exactly so that these people would compliment each other as the song went on is pure genius.
Bowie’s line of “You made me forget myself…” is perfect for him. There are spoken word parts, belting solos, operatic moments, down-tempo country-twanged moments. It’s the perfect song to be ‘timeless’, as far as covers go. I’m not a cover song fan, but this won me over back then, and it still wins me over now.
The original was good, no doubt there, but, strangely, this cover, in its own way, was much better. The complimenting sounds of low to high to low, in the vocals, as it goes along is fantastic, and what’s even better, people remember this song; at least the British do.
I’m not going to rate it, because you can rate what has already been reviewed possibly a thousand times over. That would be a ripple in the pond, rather than a splash.
Tags: Lou Reed, Number Ones, Various Artists
