The Cover
Grant Lee Phillips - Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Grant is from the band Grant Lee Buffalo (if you didn't know that already). He released an album last year full of covers from the 80's of bands that influenced him in his career aptly called "Nineteeneighties. I liked the selection of songs he chose but his execution of the songs made me yawn. When I hear a cover, I'm looking for something new or something accentuated. The songs sounded the same to me except this cover. He stripped the song down and focused on it's tender melody. I wished he would have given the flute more volume and stayed away from synthesizers for the strings. The guitar arpeggios drive the melody delicately through the song beautifully. I'm glad he didn't recreate the long 2 min intro that the original had. I really liked this version.
The Original
The Smiths - Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
from the "Strangeways, Here We Come" album in 1987. Wow, that long ago. 20 yrs ago. I remember listening to this album in high school. I can see distinct images in my brain from that time flashing back to my consciousness while I listen to this song. It's been a while since I've actually listened to this album. I loved the Smiths at the time (and I still do now) which is why I was bummed when I found out that this was their last album.
Listen above in Channel 4!