Last week, as I was putting together the Pop of the Past playlist, I kept thinking “gosh, I know a different version of this song!” If it wasn’t a different version, it was a sample or maybe an alternative version. I even toyed with the idea of making a second playlist for last wee. Instead, I decided to go with those alternative versions, covers, and samples for this week. So yeah, that’s just about the gist of this week’s playlist: Past Pop Remix.
Let me explain a little. I include a bunch of covers. Allison Krauss transforms the song “Baby, Now That I Found You.” Voices of Freedom turn U2’s “Sweetest Thing” into a spiritual. The Carpenters have fun fun fun with “Fun, Fun, Fun.” But wait, while there’s a bunch of covers, there are also songs inspired by the original. Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight” has Ronnie Spektor singing “Be My Little Baby.” And DaVinci’s Notebook makes fun of Billy Joel, to the tune of “For the Longest Time.” A few alternative versions – Xanadu with Jeff Lynn’s ELO sans Olivia Newton-John. Also, Barry Gibb does a version of “How Deep is Your Love” with Little Big Town singing background. An experiment this was, indeed. But a fun experiment.
I hope you enjoy this week’s playlist, Past Pop Remix.
What’s your favorite pop remix?
Speaking of remixes, what’s your favorite “actual” remix of a song? I remember getting a single of Erasure’s “Oh L’amour” with some incredible remixes. Then again, any electronica or dance band can boast a good remix. Usually. Maybe I’ll do a playlist of actual remixes soon. Sounds like fun.
I do want to admit that in this week’s playlist, there were some pretty questionable choices. For instance, to represent the Level 42 classic, Something About You, I used a Boston song of the same name. Two totally different songs, but I couldn’t find a good cover of the Level 42 song. I substituted The song “In Too Deep” with another Genesis song, “Invisible Touch.” The biggest stretch, however, was the substitute for Boy Meets Girl “Waiting for a Star to Fall.” I used Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know.” Why? Because Boy Meets Girl wrote the song.
That’s all I’ve got this week. As always, rock on and rock steady.