I Don't Wanna Grow Up

Cover version of the month #34
Scarlett Johansson covers The Ramones/Tom Waits

UPDATE - I usually research the history of a song before writing a blog about a cover version. However I was so confident that this song was a cover of The Ramones that I didn't bother! So thanks to Jamie Keenan from the La Fontaines for pointing out that it is in fact a Tom Waits song, released on his 1992 album Bone Machine.

Check the original version here, before my unresearched blog below. Lesson learned!

I'm not overly familiar with the back catalogue of The Ramones (who may feature in this regular feature again soon with their cover of The Ronettes) at all. Other than owning some of their 'hit' singles on various compilation albums, they are not a band who have inspired me to dig deep into their history.....or buy a t-shirt!

This is yet another song that I discovered through a cover version. I was browsing Scarlett Johansson ....(ahem!) on Spotify and loved the song title so clicked on play.

The almost homemade electro vibe captivated me immediately, and then Scarlett's treated vocals made me fall (further) under her spell.

The lyrics are brilliantly young, naive and innocent, yet at the same time some of them speak out and capture things that everyone thinks about at times.

Nothing ever seems to turn out right

I don't want to grow up

Seems that folk turn into things

That they never want

The only thing to live for is today

The song lists observations about the world and society, cutting through everything from watching the 5 o'clock news, to getting a loan, to hair falling out.

The Ramones version is predictably punk pop and it's great fun. But Scarlett's version would always get my vote as I think it capture that young frustration and is more believable than The Ramones.

She finds extra beauty in the song, in the lyrics and in the melody. And the sparse electro backing modernises the song brilliantly.

Previous covers of the month

1. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' 

2. Going Back To My Roots

3. Nirvana play The Vaselines

4. Slip Inside This House

5. Top 10 covers by Teenage Fanclub

6. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

7. Time For Livin' 

8. Sound and Vision 

9. All Along The Watchtower

10. I Am The Walrus 

11. Guiding Star

12. You’ll Never Walk Alone

13. Hurt
14. This Guy's In Love With You

15. I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine
16. California Soul
18. Wonder wall 
19. Dancing In The Dark
20. Always On My Mind
21. Ceremony
22. Heroes
23. Different Drum
24. Wild Horses

25. Respect
26. Mr Tambourine Man
27. I Heard It Through The Grapevine
28. Superstar
29. Twist and Shout
30. Purple Rain
31. Baker Street
32. Not Fade Away
33. Stop Your Sobbing

Velveteen Saints at Broadcast, 29.12.12

I ventured into town last night for my last gig of 2012 to catch the Velveteen Saints at Broadcast. It was the third time I had seen them live in a matter of months and by far their most impressive performance to date. 

They had clearly (well from my eyes and ears) been spending considerable time rehearsing and watching a few classic rock'n'roll videos as they blasted through a 30-odd minute set of punk paced guitar pop.

They have already been likened to The Clash in numerous reviews and whilst I likened them to BRMC and the Marychain in previous blogs, it was Hamburg era Beatles, The Ramones and the glorious pop of The Monkees that came to mind last night.

Top marks to the bands mate who was DJ-ing as he blasted though a great mix of funk, soul and classics to get the crowd in the mood. The band came on an hour later than scheduled, so the extra alcohol consumed also helped.

The drummer took to he stage first and launched into a drum solo before the rest of the band came on and charged immediately into the opener 'Always Gonna Be'.

The Monkees reference earlier could be applied to the 3 frontmen - Martin (guitar), Sean (guitar - picture from another gig) and Thommo (bass) who all share a flat together, so they are tight on and off the stage.

Martin brings a raw edge in his look and vocals, whilst Sean is the poster boy frontman with a perfect quiff that he must have spent a good bit of time on. Thommo anchors things together and their 3 voices combine in a razor coated sugar manner, their on stage chemistry looks good - sharing a mic at times a-la Jagger and Richards or bumping into each other a-la Doherty and Barrat.

'Wake Me Up' is just glorious guitar pop that flows superbly well, a real stand out, but the band were confident enough to drop it only three songs into their set. I caught up with Thommo before the show and he said they were going into the studio to record 5 or 6 songs in the near future. If a couple of them are up to this standard then people will really begin to take notice.

Another song had a real Ramones style hook and 'Juliet' and 'Janey' were blasted through before 'Rock 'n' Roll Is Dead' closed things, another stand out and the song that brought them to my attention.

There was time for an encore of 'Red Wine' (not UB40) before people went into the cold night with a warm glow that only guitar pop can provide.