How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

 

Cover version of the month #105
Al Green covers The Bee Gees

Are you ready to hear one of the most beautiful songs that you are ever likely to hear?

Al Green's How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, from his phenomenal 1972 album Let's Stay Together, is 6 minutes 23 seconds of bluesy soul goodness; the snare drum cracks, Green's voice is hushed and wonderful over piercing strings, angelic backing vocals are soothingly sublime and the lyrics are just beautiful, with the chorus asking 4 questions in a row.

And how can you mend a broken heart?

How can you stop the rain from falling down?

Tell me, how can you stop the sun from shining?

What makes the world go round?

Al Green begins to improvise a little from around 4-minutes. The pace of the music doesn't change, but the feeling in Green's voice is cranked up a notch, creating something truly magical. The song begins to fade after Al declares;

I've got a feeling that I want to live and live and live

After listening to the song Let's Stay Together recently, I decided to go back and listen to the album of the same name for the first time in ages, probably a good 20-years! This is yet another album I got from FOPP in Glasgow on CD for a fiver. The good old days! I then also bought it on vinyl!

How had I forgotten about this song?! How can you forget a song THIS good?!

OK, the title track stands out, but this stopped me in my tracks and I listened a few times in a row, marvelling at the playing, production and Green's voice.

I decided to write a blog for my regular Trust Me feature, made myself a cuppa and sat down to research the song and the album it is taken from.

Only to notice that the song was written by Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees! The single, released in 1971, became their first US chart topper! Remarkably, the song didn't chart in the UK.

Bee Gees version is only 3 minutes 57 seconds and while it is undoubtedly brilliant, I have to say that it doesn't move me in the way that Al Green's cover version does. The Gibb brothers original is almost a little too clean.

Sunset Gun, who feature in my sister Carla's Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scottish Girl Bands documentary, also covered the song on their 1984 debut album, In An Ideal World.

The Bee Gees original and the sensational Al Green cover version of How Can You Mend A Broken Heart are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs listed below. Search for the title or CLICK HERE

Al Green version

Bee Gees original

Previous covers of the month blogs

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

34. I Don't Want To Grow Up

35. Serious Drugs

36. Dancing With Myself

37. How Does It Feel To Feel?

38. Love Buzz

39. ABBA-esque
40. Jumpin' Jack Flash

41. Discoland

42. Varshons 2 by The Lemonheads

43. The Langley Schools Music Project
44. Witchi Tai To
45. Our Lips Are Sealed
46. Sunshine Of Your Love
47. Here Comes The Sun
48. I Think We're Alone Now
49. Don't Let Me Down 
50. It's Oh So Quiet
51. Alcoholiday 
52. Summer Holiday
53. Who Do You Think You Are?
54. Head On
55. Nothing Compares 2 U

56. Hey Jude

57. Seven Days Too Long

58. L.O.V.E Love

59. Into Your Arms

60. Heart Of Glass

61. Take Me To The River

62. We Can Work It Out 

63. Talking In My Sleep

64. Lola

65. Lost In Music

66. My Little Red Book

67. Isn't It A Pity

68. Walk On By

69. Walk Away Renee

70. Tainted Love

71. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

72. Listen The Snow Is Falling

73. Mrs Robinson

74. He's Gonna Step On You Again

75. In My Life

76. Caravan Of Love

77. The Only Way Is Up

78. Dancin' Round & Round

79. With A Little Help From My Friends

80. Killing Me Softly

81. Ain't No Mountain High Enough

82. Drop

83. Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay

84. Sympathy For The Devil

85. I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor

86. Love Will Tear Us Apart

87. Indian Rope Man + bonus Strawberry Fields Forever + This Wheels On Fire

88. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

89. Love The One You're With

90. Cum On Feel The Noize

91. Addicted To Love

92. Valerie

93. Ride On Time

94. Let's Dance

95. It Must Be Love

96. I Fought The Law

97. For What It's Worth

98. Do Your Thing

99. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself

100. Don't Leave Me This Way

101. Shout!

102. God Only Knows

103. The Last Time

104. Bridge Over Troubled Water

Take Me To The River

 

Cover version of the month #61
Talking Heads cover Al Green

Written by Al Green with his guitarist Mabon Hodges in 1973, then released on the album Al Green Explores Your Mind in 1974, Take Me To The River is a song that I probably first came across as a 15-year old when it featured in the film The Commitments. I must check if that is on Netflix! (UPDATE - it's not but it is on Amazon Prime).

Rather surprisingly, considering the way the song has become so well known, Green's version was never released as a single. However, his label mate Syl Johnson released it in 1975, using the same producer and musicians.

Johnson's version is very true to the original, with the addition of harmonica. It's his vocals that are just slightly different and I'd never, ever heard it until researching this blog. The vocals are rawer, I love how Johnson just goes for it a little more than Green. 

In the original, Green starts with a dedication to his cousin, before launching into the song, his voice sounds effortless as he sings of love and lust before being cleansed in the river. His yelp at 2 minutes 53 seconds is spine tingling.

Love is an ocean that I can't forget

Talking Heads released their cover version in 1978 on their second album More Songs About Buildings and Food. By then Johnson, Levon Helme and Bryan Ferry had also recorded versions. This was a song that captivated people!

Talking Heads stretch the original, which was 3 minutes 45 seconds, to a little over 5 minutes. They really hone in on the groove, Tina Weymouth's bass underpins everything, David Byrne strains and plays with his vocal. The band keep it all under control, in the groove, at times they threaten to take off (most notably very near the end), but they just keep it going in that groove, lost in it.

But check out their live versions! The song features on the albums The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads and Stop Making Sense. The addition of backing vocals, the shredding of an electric guitar and an enhanced beat move the groove and the pace of the song up a notch or two. Byrne goes for it with his vocals, especially the hug me, squeeze me, love me, tease me section.

The band drop it down to the bass groove and backing vocals and it is absolutely mesmerising, then the rest of the band kick in with Byrne really pushing things. It's a stunning version, beautifully captured. The sound of a band having fun and in full flight.

Search for Everything Flows cool cover versions on Spotify for a playlist of the covers I have blogged about and read on for a full list and links to previous cover of the month blogs. I've added the studio and live versions by Talking Heads, as well as the Syl Johnson and Levon Helme versions.

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

34. I Don't Want To Grow Up

35. Serious Drugs

36. Dancing With Myself

37. How Does It Feel To Feel?

38. Love Buzz

39. ABBA-esque
40. Jumpin' Jack Flash

41. Discoland

42. Varshons 2 by The Lemonheads

43. The Langley Schools Music Project
44. Witchi Tai To
45. Our Lips Are Sealed
46. Sunshine Of Your Love
47. Here Comes The Sun
48. I Think We're Alone Now
49. Don't Let Me Down 
50. It's Oh So Quiet
51. Alcoholiday 
52. Summer Holiday
53. Who Do You Think You Are?
54. Head On
55. Nothing Compares 2 U

56. Hey Jude

57. Seven Days Too Long

58. L.O.V.E Love

59. Into Your Arms

60. Heart Of Glass

Five for Friday 20/01/12

Reach for the tissues for this one, I don't think I have listened to it for 4-years. I had it on my nano when I was travelling, I love the different voices and opinions, the soothing synthsm, the 'bow bam ba bow bam' backing vocals. Funny at times, very moving at others.

Beautiful. The bit at the end sends a shiver down my spine.

Hey, what can I say? I am a romantic.

We'll go on a love theme this week and lets move forward with this outstanding song and performance by Al Green.

How cool is Al Green? The feeling and flow of this song is just stunning.

When it comes to love songs the duets between lovers Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell are hard to top. This must be as close to perfect as you can get. Check out the Funk Brothers instrumental version of this tune too though - schweet!

The Bee Gees have some amazing songs. I have fond memories of a post club party back at my mate Phil's and our friend Fraser taking over the decks and playing loads of Bee Gees tunes at some ungodly hour and us all just singing along and dancing.

This is heartbreaking at times, the production and musicianship are outstanding, the lyrics and vocals just keep tugging at the heartstrings.

The Beach Boys have written some amazing love songs and this must rank up at the top of them. The lyrics are so simple yet so meaingful, sublime.

The Beach Boys version is on their Holland album. Dennis Wilson version would also re-record it for his stunning solo album Pacific Blue. Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake also has a version here.