One day, when I was living in Dominick Street, my friend and flatmate Stevie came in the door. Tom Wait's Blue Valentine was playing. Stevie looked from the stereo to me, and back again. He looked concerned. 'Jimi,' he said. ' For fuck's sake - it's July!'
Which brings me to today's cover. The Ramones' original is upbeat, with its bright guitar sounds and catchy 'oh-oh' chorus. The lyrics, though, reveal Joey Ramone's weariness with life on the road, and Waits' version emphasises this sentiment. It sounds like he's missing home too, especially when he sings 'it ain't Christmas if there ain't no snow.'
Hold on! Snow? Jimi - it's June!
Seasons aside, this is a lovely, sparse cover. It's the work of a Ramones' fan, someone who sees past the 'hey-ho-let's-go' to a band who wrote great songs.
Didn't The Ramones also cover a Tom Waits song...I don't wanna grow up? Or was it the other way around? Anyway, both versions are cracking!
ReplyDelete(Loving the blog man! Keep up the good work!)
Mac