At Music Times, we love a good cover song. There's something wonderful about repurposing music and essentially bringing life to another creation. Music is not a rigid and inflexible product but rather a malleable one that allows songs to take on a new life as others reimagine it. Nothing gets a crowd more excited than seeing one of their favorite bands cover one of their favorite songs. The cover song makes music accessible to new audiences, and spreading music is what we are all about. Welcome to Freak Friday. Each week we highlight a new cover song that we're crazy about. Have suggestions? Send them our way! This week, we give you...
Song: "Oh! Darling"
Cover Artist: Florence and the Machine
Original Artist: The Beatles
Why We Love it: It's safe to say that most bands have, at some point, covered a song by The Beatles, but this is one that really captures the soul and emotion behind this particular song. Florence and the Machine have managed to make a solid name for themselves in the indie and more commercial scene. Covering this song made total sense with Florence's vocal range, and it's a favorite for Beatles fans.
Background: Today was a huge day in music history for pop music when The Beatles arrived in America for the first time. February 7, 1964, the band stepped off a plane and created what would be known as the British Invasion.
In a 1980 interview with Playboy magazine, John Lennon said, "'Oh! Darling' was a great one of Paul's that he didn't sing too well. I always thought I could have done it better - it was more my style than his. He wrote it, so what the hell, he's going to sing it." Well, it's still a classic regardless, and Florence Welch really captured the feel of the track from the album Abbey Road released in 1969. "50 Years: The Beatles" airs this Sunday, Feb. 9, 6:30p ET on CBS to honor the first time the Fab Four performed on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Listen to both versions of "Oh! Darling" below.
