Knows

Well, damn, how did I forget the best cover that is better than the original? It’s “Everybody Knows” by Concrete Blonde, originally by Leonard Cohen. As much as I listened to that song in the 1990s, I never realized there was a video for it.

Johnette Napolitano’s voice is just perfect for that song and the intricate, spidery fretwork also exceeds the original.

Brings up a memory of a former friend of mine in high school. We were watching some show where Johnette Napolitano appeared live. Don’t remember the song or the show, but previously he’d been a fan of Concrete Blonde but (as was fairly common those days) had never seen her or the band, so he had no idea what she looked like.

He remarked on how ugly she was and declared he was no longer a fan. That’s the first time I lost all respect for someone (that I’d previously respected) in just one single second. After that, I rarely talked to him if I could avoid it.

As you can see from the video, Napolitano is indeed a hideous troll (for the dense, that is sarcasm). And even if she were, how does that change the quality of the song? (I suspect he actually disliked her cocky brash confidence more than her looks, now that I think about it, but could not express that.)

But, what a great cover — far better than the original. I can’t believe I forgot it the other day.

BTW, Concrete Blonde’s cover of “Little Wing” is also pretty great, but not better than the original. Just as good, but not better. Look it up sometime.