Stepping out

I walked into a cafe this morning, and blaring out of the speakers was an 80s song I had almost forgotten: Joe Jackson’s Stepping Out. The song didn’t have much of an impact on me when I was a teenager. It was far too mellow for my tastes then. But where the song really came to be a favourite of mine was while I was playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, a game I loved, but never finished. And I never finished the game, because the soundtrack was so good. I’d get into a vehicle in the game, start driving and the radio stations would play amazing music, and I’d just want to keep listening. So the game became just driving around listening to the radio. And Stepping out became one of my favourites for driving. And when I walked into this morning’s cafe, that feeling of just driving through the fictional city of Vice (the Miami of the video game world), and immediately, I’m smiling.

Good start for the morning.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8kx8UgxFBI

Awesome Covers: Do you Really Want to Hurt Me

Your awesome cover this week is Culture Club’s Do You Really Want to Hurt me, covered by the Violent Femmes. You probably know the Femmes from their most famous songs, Add it Up or Blister in the Sun, but their cover of Culture Club’s first hit is really unique. They take this well known song and make it into a very Femmes sounding song, using just their three instruments (acoustic guitar, bass and drum) to great effect.

Awesome Covers: Take on Me

If you know me, you probably know how much I love a good cover song. And what makes a good cover? When a band takes a previously recorded song and makes it their own, that’s just the best. So, I’m going to start sharing some of my favourite cover songs.

First up: Reel Big Fish’s cover of A-ha’s Take on Me. A-ha’s signature song has been covered many times, but Reel Big Fish’s ska flavoured cover is one of the best. They take the 80s classic and rock it up, yet still retain the best of the classic song.