For Wine and Old Formal Dresses

I was born in the 80’s, 1989 to be specific. Which until recently was a ‘Thank god, I don’t have pictures of me wearing white overalls and a scrunchy at my 17th birthday- DAMN THE 80s!- moment. But wait, what’s this? 80s is retro now? Shit.

Lucky for me Cyndi Lauper and The Go Go's are closet favourites. My love for them comes in right alongside my love for Romy and Michell's Highschool Reunion. However these nostalgic I-wasn’t-born-yet-but-I-should-of-been classics are usually only cracked out after a few wines with friends, alluring us to my wardrobe and trying on all my old formal dresses. Oh please, like we’re the only ones. Only then, when the dress(s) are on and we are dancing in my room to Whip It, can I really achieve a Pretty in Pink moment and party like its 1986. Whip it good.

However, on my recent travels through, oh I don’t know, Chelmer, I came across a song. It was on album number four of Triple J’s Like a Version compilations. It was by Saosin. It was a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time. It rocked.

I’ve always been hesitant about covers. I usually find covers are just an artist's excuse to strip back a hit song of another artist. Somehow, they think their version will sound more deep and meaningful. And yes, sometimes that works. I’ve never appreciated Beyonce’s Crazy In Love more than I did when I heard The Magic Numbers’ rendition. Their haunting harmonies actually made Crazy in Love sound musical; instead of another bootylicious princess pop song.

Most covers, however, are not as effective. Artists, instead of moulding their musicianship to the song, mould the song to their own taste and the original gets lost altogether. A prime example of this is Angus and Julia Stone’s cover of Chumbawumba's Tubthumping. I did not think that such a distinctive (and ghastly, I might add) song could ever lose its identity. But it happened, with the Stone duo stripping it back so much that it sounded just like all their other songs, and nothing like the original. Who wants that??

Well, I do actually because I hate Tubthumping. But I love Time after Time. You just can’t deny that it is a good song. I’ll agree it’s been killed a bit. I blame singing teachers and their staple favourite songs for that. But Saosin manage to make the song sound current while retaining the melody. Saosin front man Cove Reber actually makes it sound sort of sexy, and less prom night with chiffon. An impressive feat for someone so boy-band I would usually cringe at the sight of them. Finally! The next generation of artists are matching the next generation of scrunchy wearers!

P.s. I promise I’ll never, ever say bootylicious again.