A Song Has To Change To Stay Alive

I've been sitting on the Covers EP* by Lykke Li since it came out on 13th June, as it wasn't quite the right time to post about it. 

However, following Ernie's musings yesterday on the purchase of a Swedish Pop Music CD in a charity shop, and Swiss Adam's comment that he likes Lykke Li a lot (me too, Adam, me too), that time is now!

The Covers EP features Lykke's singular takes on songs by Ben E. King, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and The Everly Brothers. Into My Arms seems to be the one getting all the attention in promoland, but they're all hauntingly wonderful, as you might expect from Ms. Li.

Of course, Lykke's got plenty of form in this regard so, in case you haven't heard them previously, I've added five more cover versions that she's released into the world in the last decade and a half.

And, another prime example that every day is a learning day, I've only just discovered that Ring Of Fire by Johnny Cash was itself a cover version. I knew that Johnny's wife June Carter co-wrote the song with Merle Kilgore, but not that it was first recorded by June's younger sister, Anita Carter. You can listen to the original here.

1) Stand By Me (Cover of Ben E. King) (2025)

2) Into My Arms (Cover of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds) (2025)

3) Love Hurts (Cover of The Everly Brothers) (2025)

4) Ring Of Fire (Cover of 'Love's Ring Of Fire' by Anita Carter) (2024)

5) I WIll Survive (Cover of Gloria Gaynor) (2020)

6) Unchained Melody (Cover of The Righteous Brothers) (2017)

7) Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? (Cover of The Shirelles) (2009)

8) Knocked Up (Cover of Kings Of Leon) (2009)

* not literally, it's digital!

And to prove that Lykke Li is a formidable songwriter in her own right, I've reposted a link to the 48-minute Dubhed selection that I created in November 2021.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forget About My Tainted Heart

From Norway yesterday to Sweden today and the brilliant Lykke Li. It was her megahit Little Bit and debut album Youth Novels that first drew me, but she has gone from strength to strength since. Lykke Li's last album was in 2018, but earlier this year the 10th anniversary edition of 2nd album Wounded Rhymes was released and in October, a new song Bron emerged, hopefully presaging a new album in 2022.

For today's selection, I randomly settled on the setlist for Lykke Li's performance at Lollapalooza in 2014. I wasn't there, and it is heavy with songs from her then-current 3rd album, I Never Learn, but it's as good a selection as any. I've mixed it up a bit by dropping in remixes and acoustic versions of several tracks.

As a bonus, I've included a link to the full Lollapalooza performance on YouTube. A fan has taken a previously out of synch video and re-sequenced it, so every now and then it jumps a bit. Finally, I've included a 2017 performance of I Follow Rivers, featuring Kelsey Lu (a favourite on this blog) and Nancy Whang, perhaps best known for her work with The Juan Maclean and LCD Soundsystem.

 

1) I Never Learn (Album Version) (2014)

2) Sadness Is A Blessing (Gold Panda Remix) (2011)

3) Just Like A Dream (2014)

4) No Rest For The Wicked (2014)

5) Jerome (iTunes Session) (2010)

6) Dance, Dance, Dance (Buraka Som Sistema Remix) (2009)

7) Little Bit (CSS Remix) (2008)

8) Gunshot (Acoustic) (2014)

9) Never Gonna Love Again (2014)

10) I Follow Rivers (Dave Sitek Remix) (2011)

11) Youth Knows No Pain (Acoustic Version) (2011)

12) Get Some (Remix By Beck) (2010)

 

2008: Little Bit EP: 7

2009: Dance Dance Dance EP: 6

2010: Get Some EP: 12

2010: iTunes Session: 5

2011: I Follow Rivers EP: 10 

2011: Sadness Is A Blessing EP: 2

2011: The Lost Sessions Vol 1. EP: 11

2014: I Never Learn: 1, 3, 4, 9

2014: Gunshot EP: 8

Forget About My Tainted Heart (48:13) (Mega)

 

Live @ Lollapalooza (Grant Park, Chicago, 01 August 2014): Lykke Li

I Follow Rivers (Live @ The Standard, High Line, New York, 15 March 2017): Lykke Li ft. Kelsey Lu & Nancy Whang

Der Trommelschlag Knackt Im Takt

A random selection for Friday, the only connection being that I haven't listened to any of these songs in far too long. The title is a German translation of 'the drum beat cracks in time', a line from The Anvil by Visage, although in the German version of the song the line becomes 'magisch schlagen die trommel' which translates into English as 'beat the drum magically'. 

 

1) Inner City Life (Rabbit In The Moon's Return To Vocalic City): Goldie ft. Diane Charlemagne (1996) 

2) Shining Bright Star (Zongamin Remix): Black Strobe (2007)

3) Kowalski (Automator Mix): Primal Scream (1997)

4) Runark (Jokers Of The Scene Remix): Congorock (2009)

5) Aqualung (Dub): Spooky (1994)

6) Der Amboss (Vocal) (Remix By Visage & John Luongo): Visage (1982)

7) Little Bit (Loving Hand Remix By Tim Goldsworthy): Lykke Li (2008)

8) Laugh (Vox-Reverse Tele) (Remix By DJ Vadim): Low (1998)

9) Teardrop (Scream Team Remix): Massive Attack ft. Elizabeth Fraser (1998)

10) Fast Forward The Future (Buckets & Bongs Mixture By The Orb) (Album Edit): Zodiac Youth (1991)

Der Trommelschlag Knackt Im Takt (1:03:26)