Words: Ruby Corrigan.
Months after Paramore’s cover of ‘Burning Down The House’ for A24’s tribute album ‘Stop Making Sense’, Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has covered Paramore’s ‘Hard Times’, and I am so ready to talk about it.
I honestly feel like tribute albums and covers of artists get a lot of stick, in fact when A24 announced their plans to record a tribute album with new artists doing their own renditions of Talking Heads’ greatest tracks in order to help promote their rerelease of the film of the same name in 4K, they faced a lot of stick on social media, because how could any modern artists ever compare to the ineffable talents of Talking Heads?! I’ll be honest, I was one of these people, when I heard this news, I simply couldn’t fathom the idea of someone else singing any songs by David Byrne made me feel a bit sick. But, that opinion quickly changed. Hearing Hayley Williams’ gut punching vocals on ‘Burning Down The House’,the first single released from the album, showed me that re-recordings are not something to turn your nose up at, but instead to appreciate. Because if you really think about it, these bands aren’t on the album to be like or ‘copy’ the original, but to pay homage to their work and reimagine their tunes in a fresh and modern light. While of course there will STILL be people who moan about this because they are purists who wish to ‘preserve’ the original art, for me, I just see it as a new way to experiment with music, and how are we meant to move forward sonically without experimentation?
Enough with the politics of re-recording, you read enough about that online, you don’t need it from me either. What I really want to talk about is David Byrne’s cover of Paramore’s ‘Hard Times’, and how, since it has been released, it has (bit extreme I know) changed my life in a multitude of ways. Musically it was just incredible, even at the grand old age of 71, he still has an immense power in his voice that is just full of pure joy, I mean you can’t listen to this tune without smiling or bopping your head. What’s more, Byrne and the talented group of musicians behind this cover of ‘Hard Times’ have completely reinvented the tune. By injecting it with a classic ‘talking heads-esque’ sound that is full of punchy brass instruments and crunching harmonies they are able to elevate the already iconic song to new heights.
What I love most about this cover is how much it highlights that David Byrne really is that sweet, supportive grandad of the music industry. As I’ve already mentioned, the news of an album of talking heads covers sparked outrage across the fan community. So by covering ‘Hard Times’, a song written by the band who sang the first single on the cover album, it feels like Byrne is not only defending the band from the backlash they faced by doing his own cover, but also defending the right of all performers to take songs and reimagine them in their own style, as music is about having fun, appreciating the craft of your fellow musicians and, most importantly, not gatekeeping. Maybe I am reading too much into it, but after seeing the media storm that Paramore and the other artists on the upcoming album faced when their names were announced, it was really refreshing to see Byrne not just recognising but celebrating the artistry behind covers, by putting his own twist on (arguably) Paramore’s most famous song.
If you haven’t already listened to ‘David Byrne Does Hard Times’ or Paramore’s version of ‘Burning Down The House’ then I highly implore you to change that as soon as possible, stream them both below!
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