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Game of Thrones Actor Kit Harington Covers Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” on Fallon: Watch
Last night, NBC rang in the 1,500th episode (!) of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with help from Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington. To celebrate the milestone, the TV star broke out a bold cover of “Drops of Jupiter” by Train while playing (?) the piano. Harington puts his whole self into the rendition, which you can see for yourself when watching the performance below. The video opens on Harington, dressed in a black suit and playing a grand piano covered in flower petals and burning candles. After the opening section, Harington immediately starts belting out the lyrics to “Drops of Jupiter” so loudly that you can see the veins popping out of his neck. Once the rest of Fallon’s band starts playing the backing track, Harington doubles down, his face turning red at points as he si...
Chris Stapleton Covers Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters”: Stream
Chris Stapleton has covered Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” as part of The Metallica Blacklist charity covers compilation. The song is available now ahead of the collection’s September 10th release date. The “Black Album” ballad is prime material for Stapleton, who renders the song in a compelling Americana style. Stapleton’s soulful croon works perfectly atop the sparse country-rock instrumentation and the cover’s eight-minute arrangement. Once again, the upcoming Blacklist comp has served up a high-profile cover that lives up to its billing. We just heard Phoebe Bridgers’ “baroque” take on the same track, which followed the widely heard Miley Cyrus-Elton John version (also included on the Blacklist). Advertisement Related Video Meanwhile, Weezer took on “Enter Sandman,” and St. Vincen...
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Reunite for New Album Raise the Roof, Share “Can’t Let Go”: Stream
Few cover albums can be considered legendary, but then, few cover albums ascend to the lofty heights of 2007’s Raising Sand. More than a decade after they intertwined their indelible voices (and winning the Grammy for Album of the Year in the process), Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have reunited to announce Raise the Roof, a new album arriving November 19th on Rounder Records. To whet the appetite, the duo have shared their take on “Can’t Let Go,” a song by Randy Weeks that was made famous by Lucinda Williams. Like Raising Sand, Raise the Roof was produced by T-Bone Burnett. It includes songs by Merle Haggard, The Everly Brothers, Anne Briggs, Allen Toussaint, Geeshie Wiley, Bert Jansch, and more, as well as “High and Lonesome,” an original song co-written by...
Into It. Over It. Shares Origins of Fugazi Cover “Instrument”: Exclusive
Our ongoing new music series Origins asks artists about the inspirations behind their latest tracks. Now, Into It. Over It. has revealed how his bruising cover of Fugazi’s “Instrument” came together. It’s not often that a classic punk song hits harder after acoustic guitars replace electric, but that’s just what Into It. Over It. has accomplished with the new cover of Fugazi’s “Instrument.” The project from Evan Thomas Weiss contributed the track to Silence Is a Dangerous Sound: A Tribute to Fugazi, which comes via Ripcord Records. All proceeds benefit the Tribe Animal Sanctuary in Scotland. The double-CD release will be available October 1st, and includes 43 Fugazi tracks by admiring artists, including La Dispute, Authority Zero, and even Pet Symmetry, W...
Billie Eilish Covers Julie London’s Version of “I’m in the Mood for Love” for BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge: Watch
One week after dropping her latest album, Happier Than Ever, pop wunderkind Billie Eilish stopped by BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge for a four-song set highlighted by her stunning cover of “I’m in the Mood for Love.” While accompanied by FINNEAS on an acoustic guitar, Eilish delivered her take on Julie London’s 1955 version of “I’m in the Mood for Love” in a rich, sultry tone while singing lyrics like, “Heaven is in your eyes/ Bright as the stars we’re under.” “I’m in the Mood for Love” was introduced by Frances Langford in the 1935 film, Every Night at Eight, becoming her signature song to perform for American troops during World War II. Other artists who’ve covered the ballad over the years include Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Paul Anka, Barbra Streisand, and Rod Stewart. Advertisem...
Weezer Cover Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” at New York’s Citi Field: Watch
Fans planning to catch Fall Out Boy on the Hella Mega Tour alongside Weezer and Green Day were bummed when the pop-punk icons pulled out of the New York City and Boston dates after a member of their team tested positive for COVID-19. But the show must go on, so last night at Citi Field, Weezer and opening act The Interrupters ensured the crowd’s Fall Out Boy hunger was satiated by ripping through not one, but two covers of “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down.” It’s unclear whether or not the double-cover situation was accidental, but who would complain about getting to hear “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” twice in one night? While The Interrupters kept more true to the original punky attitude of the 2005 hit, Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo took a one-man approach with just his voice and guitar, making t...
Sharon Van Etten, Jack Antonoff, Fred Armisen Join Beck Onstage at Newport Folk Festival: Watch
For being such a low-key event, Newport Folk Festival sure loves to jam as many star-studded cameos and surprises as possible into their schedule. The latest example of such went down on Tuesday when Beck was joined onstage by Sharon Van Etten, Jack Antonoff, and Fred Armisen for different songs. Because, you know, why not? Normally Newport Folk Festival takes place over the course of one weekend, but the 2021 edition of the event is operating a little differently. They divided their schedule up over two back-to-back three-day chunks, each with a completely unique lineup. To help mitigate COVID-19 risks, Newport organizers also limited the capacity to just 5,000 daily attendees. All of this helps set the scene for the magical reality of a cameo-filled set like the one Beck just p...
Chad Smith’s Daughter Ava Maybee Covers Red Hot Chili Peppers: Watch
Ava Maybee is a Los Angeles-based musician who writes indie pop songs with a funk undercurrent. She’s also the daughter of Chad Smith, the drummer in Red Hot Chili Peppers and the internet’s favorite Will Ferrell lookalike. Over the weekend, she paid tribute to her dad’s band by covering “Universally Speaking” on Instagram, notes Exclaim. Check it out below. “Universally Speaking” originally appeared on Red Hot Chili Peppers’ classic 2002 album By the Way. It’s a poppy number full of vibrant guitar riffs and hard-hitting yet simple drums. But in the hands of Ava Maybee, the single turns into a moving piano ballad with gentle background ambiance. She’s got a naturally deep voice, and hearing it stripped down for this cover song makes it obvious just how talented of a singer she re...
De-Aged Paul McCartney Will Haunt Your Dreams in Video for Beck’s Cover of “Find My Way”: Watch
A de-aged Paul McCartney is here to dance through your nightmares in the new video for Beck’s version of “Find My Way.” The track appeared on McCartney III Imagined, a collection of heavy-hitting covers of tracks from the master’s latest album McCartney III. With “Find My Way,” Beck transformed a rock tune that could have come from any decade into a disco funk banger, with off-kilter percussion that transported Macca back to the groovy music of his youth. The new video, directed by Andrew Donoho, makes that metaphorical time travel literal. The clip opens in a hotel hallway painted in two once-popular shades of burnt orange. The door at the end experiences a few violent flashes of light, after which who should appear but Paul McCartney, looking less like the 79-year-old he currently is and...
J Balvin’s Cover of Metallica’s “Wherever I May Roam” Puts a Reggaeton Spin on Metal: Stream
Metallica have been slowly unveiling tracks from their new covers collection The Metallica Blacklist and each one is more exciting than the last. However, today’s release may be the most intriguing of all. Metallica just shared J Balvin’s cover of “Wherever I May Roam,” which puts a reggaeton spin on the metal classic. Stream it below. In his version of “Wherever I May Roam,” J Balvin brings his swagger-filled flow to the track to transform it into a completely fresh hip-hop single. Balvin raps in Spanish ith an explosive delivery, his words occasionally lining up in the chorus with Metallica’s thick guitar riffs. Near the end, his rendition pauses to make way for a full sample from the original version of the song. “Wherever I May Roam” comes with a music video directed by Daniel Duran. I...
BLACKPINK’s Rosé Delivers Acoustic Cover of Paramore’s “The Only Exception”: Watch
Rosé unveiled her take on Paramore’s “The Only Exception” while appearing on the South Korean variety show Sea of Hope. Seated on the ground outside a Korean food stall, the BLACKPINK singer strummed an acoustic guitar while accompanied by another guitarist and a keyboard player. “When I was younger I saw my daddy cry/ And curse at the wind/ He broke his own heart and I watched/ As he tried to reassemble it/ And my momma swore that she would/ Never let herself forget/ And that was the day that I promised/ I’d never sing of love if it does not exist,” she sang. The laidback performance follows Rosé’s earlier cover of John Mayer’s 2006 classic “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” from the same program late last month. Advertisement Related Video While the K-pop idol has recently ventured out on ...
The xx’s Romy Combines Two Covers with “You’re Not Alone in the Rhythm of the Night”: Stream
The xx broke out with indie rock so sparse it sounded black and white, but their last album I See You (2017) introduced bright neon techniques cribbed from hip-hop and EDM. Now, co-founder Romy has combined the approaches with “You’re Not Alone in the Rhythm of the Night,” a simple acoustic performance that remixes two songs together. Built from parts of Olive’s “You’re Not Alone” and Corona’s “The Rhythm of the Night,” Romy’s new cover is a stirring statement to those feeling lost and afraid. She recorded the track for Apple Music’s Home Session for Pride, and in a press release she said she chose these tunes because they remind her of “when I was about 17 and started going to Gay bars in London.” She explained, “I’ve combined two songs into this cover, Olive – ‘You’re Not Alone...
