sing a song of ... somebody else's

*boots self up arse* since this is the only theme I'm actually bothering with at the moment, have some tunes...

With the other Friday's musical thread being parodies, this week's is a little more direct. Here's a handful of artist's singing other bugger's stuff.

Ever heard Outkast's 'Hey Ya' being played on an accordion? No? The result is surprisingly good:


Nick Cave's 'The Mercy Seat' is a song about redemption and the electric chair. Cave's vocals are dark and melancholic but Johnny Cash brings a different aura to the song. You can well imagine Cash walking the last hundred yards of his life, his prison denims creased by the wardens' fingers...


Here is the lovely Pixie Lott singing Kings Of leon's 'Use Somebody'


It's hard to imagine a ska version of Aha's Take On Me, but when you hear it, it all makes sense. I think it beats the shite out of the original video, so I'm linking to this 'literal video' instead. But don't worry Morten fans, it's still got him brooding away in squiggly charcoal.


And finally...Dusty Springfield's 'I just don't know what to do with myself' (although her version wasn't the original either) has been given the white stripes and supermodel treatment to create this rather interesting video:

I suspect the men may find it more interesting than the ladies!

Not Got That Friday Feeling... but hey... men in wigs and heels...

Nope, it's still not happening. I'm still as depressed as a pushed-in button. And flat as that joke. Ho Hum.

But I have discovered a new favourite film: Hedwig And The Angry Inch, the story of Hedwig, an East Berliner with a botched sex-change op who is dumped by her husband in the US and spends the entire film telling her life story and playing in a series of restaurants called "Bilgewater's"



I suppose this can go on the shelf alongside two of my other favourite films about transsexuals. The best of these is undoubtedly Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert
By the way, the music here has got sod all to do with the film, but I like the song.

And then there's The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is still going strong after god knows how many years.

and as a bonus: more Hedwig

Hey, that sounds awfully like that other song...

It's Friday again and time for some more musical masterpieces. This week my theme is parodies, or rather songs that pay homage to other songs. The formula is simple, take someone else's song, change the words and hey presto, new song. But there's a definite knack to it.

First up is Newport State Of Mind, homage to Alicia Key's Empire State Of Mind. Quite simply the best parody floating around the net at the moment, the way the lyrics have been subtly altered to fit this Welsh town. And best rhyme award for making 'rap star' rhyme with 'hamster'. Superb.



The plain white T's song 'Hey Delilah' has proved to be fertile ground for the parody-fans. There's a Harry Potter version, a cupracabra song and one about weed. But as the best parodies are mirrors to their parent songs, I'm choosing this one:


And, talking of parodies and parent songs, how about a parody of a cover song? Leanard Cohen's Hallelujah (he wrote it, Buckley sang it), it's got so many cover versions that I suspect many people aren't even sure whose song it is. One of the latest versions is Alexandra Burke's, she of the pop-idol fame. I wasn't overly keen on her version, and it seems I wasn't the only one; Mitch Benn... take it away:


and finally, if Nickleback's song is all about wanting the rock and roll lifestyle and how wonderful it would be, but this song certainly gives a different spin on celebrity.

In A Blue Funk

I am today, a miserable bint. Feeling completely uncreative and grey. So here, in stolen lyrics and videos, is a message to myself...

"..when sleep won't come and you've got no occuptaion, but nibbling at the fruits of the melancholy tree..."


"save yourself from pain, when you can..."


"and we dance while the sky crashes down"


melancholic to lunatic in three easy stages.