These Days

There are some songs so perfect that covers just shouldn't be attempted. I had, until yesterday, considered Jackson Browne's "These Days" one of them.

Some "These Days" facts:

Browne wrote it at sixteen! Which means he was crafting this lyrical poetry

I've stopped my dreaming
I won't do too much scheming these days
These days
These days I sit on cornerstones and count the time in quarter tones to ten
Please don't confront me with my failures
I had not forgotten them

at the same age that I was struggling to make eye contact with people in my Driver's Ed class.

There are three independently famous recordings of the song before the many post-1973 covers.

It was first recorded in 1967 by German model/Andy Warhol muse/sometimes Velvet Underground singer Nico for her album, Chelsea Girl.

Two versions were released in 1973. Browne's friend Gregg Allman recorded an arrangement for his album Laid Back that includes vocal harmonies, modified lyrics, and entirely different instrumentation.

Browne released his recording in '73 as well on For Everyman.

While all of these are independently awesome versions of the song, I'm partial to Nico's--probably because it is featured in one of the greatest movie scenes of all time.

And then the covers! Annie Clark a.k.a. St. Vincent has a gorgeous voice, but her rendition doesn't do anything for me. I feel the same about this Tallest Man on Earth cover. While his voice is perfect on songs he has written, it detracts from the inherent beauty of the song. Due to my disappointment in two of my other favorite artists' versions, I almost didn't click on this cover by Robin Pecknold and Alela Diane…but I am so glad I did.

Their restrained harmonies show such a reverence for the song that I can't help but fall in love with it again. And their high five at the end is almost too precious to handle.

P.S. While Robin Pecknold has been a long-time favorite as lead singer of Fleet Foxes, Alela Diane is a new, welcome addition to my music library. If you want to hear some of her solo work, this recording of Lady Divine is a good place to start :)

Today's Top 5

I'm back at school with less time to troll the internet (good and bad--mostly good), but here are some gems from the past few days.

1. My roommates and I are trying to learn this secret Beyonce handshake (not so secret anymore, MUAHAHAHAHA) and make it look half as legit as she does.

So far we haven't been too successful. For more Beyonce gems, check out her Tumblr page!  

2. This new video of the Avett Brothers performing "Live and Die" is making me unbelievably excited for their new album, The Carpenter (released September 11, 2012). From the songs I've heard, I think it has the potential to be some of their best work so far. I just really love them.

Another future classic is "The Once and Future Carpenter":

Also there have been many, many mixed reviews on their appearance in this new Gap commercial:

It's bringing back the age-old "Are you a sell-out, or are you paying for your kids' tuitions?" debate. What do you think?

3. This list of "53 'Arrested Development' Jokes You Probably Missed" makes me wish I had time to watch it all over again. And again. And again. 

My favorites are #4, #9, #32, and #34, but they're all so excellent. And I can't believe I never noticed #49 before!

4. I recently cut my hair a la Margot Tenenbaum,

which I feel mostly great about, but it's quite limiting in the hair style department. Will someone try some of these hair tutorials from Joanna Goddard's blog for me? I love them.

5. Also, I can't look at that scene from the film without hearing this song as recorded by Nico:

which is one of my all-time favorites. Nico herself is also a recent favorite. Her life was so tragic and fascinating. I'm looking for a good biography about her to read after I finish this one about Bob Dylan. Any suggestions?

Happy Wednesday!