"Bad" Songs Actually Being Great In Right Hands. Examples Abound

This uniquely styled French woman named Nathalia performed
the campy song "YMCA" the France's version of "The Voice"
and turned the song into a sexy tour de force. 

Sometimes, over the years, a song becomes a big radio hit and I wonder why.

The tune in question often seems, at least to me,  lame, annoying, unoriginal.  The song gets inexplicably stuck in my head, and my mood sours for the entire day.

I've learned, though, that some of these "awful" hit records are hits because they are actually well-crafted songs. It's just that the rock or pop star that recorded the song didn't get it quite right. At least in my opinion.

That could be why these songs get stuck in my head - the classic earworm.  At some level, the public gets that these songs are somehow good, and they latch on. These songs become big hits. And earworms. For a reason.

I'm a big fan of those talent shows like "The Voice" that's broadcast all over the world and "(Insert Nation Here)'s Got Talent." Contestants often play around with these popular songs. They change the tempo, or the pitch or they strip the tune down to the bare essentials.

That's when I understand these "terrible" pop songs are actually quite good. Which is why I encourage people to give these music reality shows, and these different versions of "bad" songs a chance.  I've got a few examples that you should watch and listen to.

In 2016, Jasmine Elcock, then 14, went on Britain's Got Talent and performed the Cher song "Believe."

Elcock was smart enough to slow the song way down, strip away the Auto-Tune. the dance track and all the bells and whistles and reveal "Believe" for what it is: A beautiful, introspective and heartbreaking song. Elcock even had the judges and stage hands in tears. Watch and listen:



Then we have that Britney Spears song, "Oops, I Did It Again," another lightweight, fluffy song

In Germany's version of "The Voice," back in 2016, Vera Tevares turns what felt to me in Spears' version like a cold, manufactured pop song into something truly sexy. She also ditched the Auto-Tune in Spears' rendition. What is it with this awful Auto-Tune anyway?  It doesn't improve things. Watch and listen to this much better version.



Speaking of sexing things up, we should turn to a woman named Nathalia, who appeared on the French version of The Voice back in 2017.

She sang, of all things, the Village People classic, "YMCA."

Yeah, the Village People song is fun and campy, a staple of every bad wedding reception you've ever attended.

Nathalie combined a jazzy vibe, that sexiness and a wonderful vocal range to wow the judges and the audience with this song. This is my favorite video in this post. By far.  Watch and listen:



I kind of like, but don't love this next song, "Highway To Hell," originally done by AC DC.  The song has become kind of a cliche, frankly. And the performer who sang this on 2018's Britain's Got Talent didn't really change it up all that much, as in the performances above.

But considering it came from Jennie Darren, a nice, demure 68-year old Britsh retiree, it makes it totally fun and new and refreshing. Be patient at the beginning of the video, and you will be rewareded. It turns into proof that as I advance into old age, there's hope for a rock and roll life yet:



I'll conclude with a song I actually truly, really, love, pretty much whoever performs it.  "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen has been done many, many times by contestents on talent shows around the world.

Most of the contestants use the song to showcase their range, their pipes, their belting out songs, like this stunning performance by Emmanuel Smith on Britain's The Voice 2019.

In 2018, Mennel Ibtisse took a completely different tack with the song.  She remained seated, and did a subdued, but absolutely gorgeous version of "Hallelujah." It will move you to tears:



So yeah, go on line and look for versions of songs you don't really like.  You'll be surprised and rewarded.

SNL's Cold Opening Gives One Chills After Trump Win, Cohen Death

Kate McKinnon,  dressed in her Saturday Night Live
Hillary Clinton charactoer, performs Leonard
Cohen's "Hallelujah" on SNL Saturday

The cold opening of Saturday Night Live is usually a laff riot.

Not last night. Kate McKinnon, who always plays Hillary Clinton, appeared in her Hillary outfit and sang a durge of sorts.

Playing the piano, McKinnon sang Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."

Cohen died this week, and some people worry that American democracy died with the election of Trump. We'll see.

But last night, for the first time, Saturday Night Live's opening made me want to cry. See for yourself:

Acclaimed Songwriter Leonard Cohen Dies, Making Dark Moods Darker.

The late, great Leonard Cohen 

I've been in a dark mood lately, and I've been consoling myself by listening to gloomy, haunting Leonard Cohen music.

My mood, and that of many other people who love thoughtful, incredible songwriting, got even darker this morning when we learned Cohen died yesterday at the age of 82. 

He'd just released a new album, "You Want It Darker," just last month. As always with Cohen, that album was universally acclaimed by critics.  

Rolling Stone magazine, on its web site had this great eulogy for Cohen:

"Cohen was the dark eminence among a small pantheon of extremely influential singer-songwriters to emerge in the Sixties and early Seventies. Only Bob Dylan exerted a more profound influence upon his generation and perhaps only Paul Simon and fellow Canadian Joni Mitchell equaled him as a song poet.

"Cohen's haunting bass voice, nylon stringed guitar patterns and Greek chorus backing vocals shaped evocative songs that dealt with love and hate, sex and spirituality, war and peace, ecstasy and depression."

 Cohen is most widely known for the contemplative song "Hallelujah," which has been covered by just about every singer, but is still one of my all time favorite songs. Unlike some critics, I don't believe this song is overplayed, or even could be overplayed.

In a recent New Yorker article that came out with the release of his new album, he said he was in poor health. "I am ready to die... I hope it's not too uncomfortable. That's about it for me."

However, he later said in another interview that he was exaggerating. "I've always been into self-dramatization....I intend to live forever."

At least Cohen's music will.

For a sampling of Cohen's songs, or at least fantastic covers of them, here's a few videos/soundtracks for you below. You might have to click on "Watch on YouTube" to activate some of them: Rolling Stone has these and other wonderful Cohen covers on This Link. 

Here's a famous cover of Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley



The other night, after the election of Donald Trump, Cohen's song "Everybody Knows" struck me as fitting the national situation perfectly. I posted the Concrete Blonde cover of the song on Facebook but it's worth reprising it here



Here's Tori Amos doing a haunting cover of Cohen's "Famous Blue Raincoat."



Finally, here's Lana Del Rey doing Cohen's "Chelsea Hotel 2"

Rufus Wainwright And 1,500 Magically Sing Cohen's "Halleujah

A crowd gathers in an abandoned Toronto
power plant recently to perform the
Leonard Cohen classic "Hallelujah"

I know, I know, I'm supposed to be sick of Leonard Cohen's classic song "Hallelujah."

After all, everybody and their brother have done it 

But it's a great song, no matter what.

Some people do it better than others, but I found a cool recent version of it.

In the video below, Rufus Wainwright leads 1,500 or so peoplein an abandoned Toronto power plant to do a version of "Hallelujah."

The acoustics in the decrepit industrial building are awesome, and the light coming from the half-shattered windows in the structure add a beautiful visual element to the video.

The video and song was organized by Choir!Choir!Choir! a drop-in weekly singing event in the Toronto area. (Actually, it's up to two nights a week now.)

Enjoy this version of the song in this viral video: