Kasey Chambers began covering Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” on tour, recently releasing a live single due to demands from fans for the outstanding version of the song.
When you have a song so identified with one artist as Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,’ it becomes difficult to imagine anyone covering the song. One of the few artists who has the talent to take on such a song and make it her own, though is Australia’s Kasey Chambers. And she does it with a banjo.
Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” appeared on the soundtrack for his movie 8 Mile in 2002. In the film, the song is part biography of Eminem’s character B-Rabbit and part boast in encountering obstacles.
Kasey Chambers stays true to the original, starting off quieter and bulding until the full band joins her with drums and a raging electric guitar. Her voice, as always, is capable of being both tender and powerful, as she wrenches the emotion deep in the lyrics.
Check out Kasey Chambers’s version of “Lose Yourself” below. The performance takes place at the Civic Theater in Newcastle, Australia, the final show of her 2022 her recent Behind The Barricades tour. Due to demand from fans, Chambers released the performance as a single and created the video puthing together video taken by fans at the show.
Chambers explained how she connects during her performance of the song: ““I had no idea that audiences would respond to it like they have. Something else takes over my body when I play it and I get completely lost in it.” She added, “I can honestly say it’s the most I’ve ever connected to a performance of a cover song in my life.”
Albert Hague, recognizable for his role in the original “Fame” movie and the 1980s TV series, also wrote the music for the beloved Christmas classic, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”
If you were around in the 1980s, you likely remember the movie Fame (1980), which also became a TV series that ran from 1982 until 1987. One of the actors in Fame had earlier found success writing music for a beloved Christmas animated special, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Albert Hague as Mr. Shorofsky
The movie Fame was later remade in 2009, but both the 1980’s version of the movie and of the series featured the character of Benjamin Shorofsky. Mr. Shorofsky was a teacher with more traditional ideas of music who sometimes butted heads with the more “hip” students. The actor who played Mr. Shorofsky, Albert Hague, was also an established musician in his own right. He wrote music for several Broadway musicals, even winning the Best Score Tony Award in 1959 for Bob Fosse’s musical Redhead. But his music that you most likely recognize is what he wrote for the Christmas 1966 animated special, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
In this scene from the original movie, Mr. Shorofsky debates about the future of music with Bruno (Lee Curreri), a student at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts.
Below is a scene from the second season of the Fame TV series. In it, Hague, as Shorosfsky, sings “Did I Ever Really Live?” as the same student, Bruno, again played by Lee Curreri, looks on.
Hague had earlier written the music for the popular song.
Music for The Grinch
As for Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Hague is credited with composing the music for the 1966 special, long before his work on Fame. While songs like “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” feature lyrics by Dr. Seuss, the music comes from Hague. In the special, that song is performed by Thurl Ravenscroft.
And Hague also wrote the music for the featured song “Welcome Christmas.” The Who’s perform the song in the special.
Hague was born in Berlin, Germany on October 13, 1920 as part of a Jewish family. As Hitler rose to power, Hague moved to America, earning a music scholarship at the University of Cincinnati. After graduating in 1942, he served in the United States Army’s special service during World War II.
During his music career Hague often collaborated with his wife, Renee Orin. She passed away in 2000, and Hague followed her on November 12, 2001.
The next time you enjoy How the Grinch Stole Christmas, say a little thanks to Mr. Shorofsky.
Here are 10 thoughts about Bruce Springsteen’s “Only the Strong Survive,” an album of covers of classic Soul and R&B songs.
Bruce Springsteen released a covers album of classic Soul and R&B songs called Only the Strong Survive (2022). Springsteen has often covered songs live and he has done another album of covers (We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions). Yet, many fans are disappointed that the songwriter is not releasing an album of new material. There are plenty of sources providing in-depth reviews, so instead Chimesfreedom gives you ten quick takes.
1. Short Overall Review: If you like Springsteen, Only the Strong Survive features the artist singing great songs. So if you get past being disappointed by the lack of new original songs, you should just sit back and enjoy this lovely album.
2. Do album reviews matter anymore? Most folks pay for a streaming service and can listen to anything they want without commitment. So if you like Springsteen or are curious, you can listen to the album and make up your own mind. I am old school and resisting streaming so I did buy it as I have done for every Springsteen album; and I’m happy I did.
3. Springsteen’s Voice: As others have noted, Springsteen’s voice has aged like a fine wine, and he is able to pull off these classic songs quite well. For example, on “I Wish It Would Rain,” one of the greatest pop records of all time, nobody can hold a candle to the Temptations’ David Ruffin. Springsteen does not surpass Ruffin or any of the originals, but he does a darn good job.
4. Well, then why do we need this album if we have the better originals? First, Springsteen has earned the right to do whatever he wants, and great songwriters can do tributes to music they love (as Merle Haggard did with albums honoring Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills). Second, if you are a fan, it is fun to hear him sing these classics. And third, while compilation albums can be good and you could make a playlist of the original versions of these songs, one artist doing a covers album offers a consistency to your listening that jumping between artists does not.
5. Good Song, Strange Video: Springsteen’s weird hand movements in the video for the Commodores’ “Nightshift” are distracting and may make it one of his worst videos ever. His facial expressions are distracting too.
6. Sounds Like a Springsteen Classic: By contrast, his recording of and video for “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” sounds like a classic Springsteen song from the first moment when the Boss yells “C’mon.” The video is fantastic and fun too.
6. The Music: The musicians, including the E Street Horns, and backing singers (Soozie Tyrell, Lisa Lowell, Michelle Moore, Curtis King Jr., Dennis Collins, and Fonzi Thornton) on this album are absolutely fantastic.
7. A Southside Johnny Album? Not surprisingly, Springsteen singing R&B covers at times makes you think you are listening to an album by that other guy from Jersey, Southside Johnny. That is not necessarily a bad thing. At no point is the Southside Johnny connection stronger than on “Don’t Play that Song,” initially made famous by Ben E. King. Springsteen even inserts a reference to the Jersey Shore.
8. Covering Diana Ross: Maybe my favorite track on the album is the final song, with Springsteen singing “Someday We’ll Be Together,” made famous by Diana Ross & the Supremes. Along with Aretha Franklin’s “Don’t Play That Song” and Jackie Shane’s “Any Other Way,” the Supremes song features one of the selections where he is covering a song made famous by female singers. So Springsteen’s recording does add a twist to hear a male voice sing the lyrics. Or maybe it is that Springsteen finds a special connection to the song, having previously written a song with the nearly identical title, “Someday (We’ll Be Together).” Springsteen wrote that outtake from Darkness on the Edge of Town around 1977, but first released it on The Promise (2010).
9. Guest Artist: It’s cool that Sam Moore from Sam & Dave sings on two tracks with Springsteen. But why not a Sam & Dave song? Springsteen has indicated there were a lot of tracks recorded that are not on the album, so I wonder if there will be a sequel album.
10. Repeated Listens: Okay, you could have just read the first point and stopped reading. But the more I listen to the album, the more I get past focusing on differences from the originals and let go and just enjoy the songs. While this album probably won’t be at the top of my list of the greatest Springsteen albums, it will likely be in the running for one of the Springsteen albums I am most likely to play. It will be a great one to play if you have company who may not think they are Springsteen fans.
What do you think of Only the Strong Survive? Leave your two cents in the comments.
On more than one occasion, Townes Van Zandt made what seemed like an odd choice in performing an Elvis Presley song about a shrimp.
At more than one performance, the great singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt covered a song about a shrimp. I do not know if he ever fully explained why he chose to perform “Song of the Shrimp” (aka “Shrimp Song”). At first, the selection seems an odd choice. Elvis Presley sang the unusual song in the 1962 film Girls! Girls! Girls! Why would Van Zandt choose what seems like one of the throwaway Elvis movie songs from a lightweight musical?
Perhaps it was part of a joke to Van Zandt. He famously had a dark sense of humor that came through in his songs, many of which are about death. And “Song of the Shrimp” is funny, not just for being a sea shanty originally heard from Elvis. The song also finds humor in a shrimp’s boast that will most likely lead to his own death.
Townes Van Zandt did seem to recognize that “Song of the Shrimp” was an unusual song choice for him. He even cracks up while performing the song on the live recording Live at McCabe’s. By contrast, when he once performed another song about an animal that Elvis Presley also recorded, the song was “Old Shep.” And instead of invoking laughter the song about a dog’s death seemed to make Van Zandt choke up.
The Shrimp’s Story
“Song of the Shrimp,” written by Roy C. Bennett and Sid Tepper, tells the story of a little shrimp saying farewell to his parents. He plans to jump into a shrimp boat net to catch a ride to Louisiana where he can come out of his shell.
The song is a parable about the young leaving their parents to go off on their own adventures, facing their own dangers. The twist is that we know the shrimp’s adventure most likely will end with him being served in a restaurant in New Orleans. But the shrimp does not know that.
Goodbye mama shrimp, papa shake my hand; Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian’; Here come the shrimper for to take me to Louisian’.
Townes performed the song as early as October 1990, with his version of “The Shrimp Song” appearing on the live albumLive in Berlin: Rain on a Conga Drum(1991). Townes Van Zandt recorded the version below live at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, California on February 10, 1995.
Elvis’s Movie Song
“Song of the Shrimp” is often cited as illustrating the fact that Elvis was lost in a musical wasteland during his movie-making 1960’s. In the abstract, it is somewhat shocking that the man who contributed so much to the rebellious birth of rock and roll ended up singing a ditty about a shrimp in a film called Girls! Girls! Girls!
But on the other hand, the song fits the scene in the movie. After all, it appears in a musical film. Elvis did not choose the song for a rock and roll record.
In the film, Presley sings the song aboard a fishing boat. The sound of the song and the setting remind one of an old sea shanty. In other words, it fits the movie. And, as Townes Van Zandt knew, it is a funny song.
Other Versions
There does not appear to be a large number of covers of “Song of the Shrimp,” for understandable reasons, I suppose. Not everyone has the sense of humor that Townes Van Zandt had. A few less famous covers appear on YouTube, including one with a ukulele by German artists Preslisa And Körnel Parka Twins and one by Lowlands (feat. No Good Sister, Maurizio Gnola Glielmo).
But another well-known artist who recognized the humor in “Song of the Shrimp” was Frank Black, aka Black Francis (formerly of the Pixies). He came to the song through Van Zandt’s version, which Black described to Uncut magazine as “a really deconstructed but very entertaining version.”
Black recorded his own version of the song, which appeared on his album Honeycomb (2005). Although he originally started playing a live acoustic version of “Song of the Shrimp,” the version he ultimately recorded sounds the most modern of all of the recordings. In it, Black takes Van Zandt’s deconstruction and finds a groove beyond the song’s sea shanty origins. Check out Frank Black’s version:
Whatever happened to the little shrimp, his legendary tale has gone into history as having been recounted by some very talented musicians.
Although John Moreland’s album “Birds in the Ceiling” has divided some fans, its atmospheric sound complements the searching lyrics of issues facing individuals and the world.
{Photo: John Moreland website}
Since John Moreland released his sixth album Birds in the Ceiling (2022), many fans of the singer-songwriter have been divided about his use of electronic sounds. While many of us came to love his acoustic backed vocals on previous albums, the new album initially seems like a departure from his signature sound, adding in layers of drum machines, sampling, and mellotron. But after a few listens, the sound begins to wash over you and you accept Moreland’s challenge to give his musical exploration a chance. Of course, the Oklahoma singer-songwriter with a great voice still writes beautiful lyrics and the acoustic guitar remains in the mix. But the overall atmospheric music on this album wins you over too.
One may wonder how much the sounds and lyrics of the album are affected by the experiences we have been through with the pandemic and the political world. The sound of the album, written for the most part in July 2021 and produced with Matt Pence, is the music of isolation. And in the lyrics to the the songs on Birds in the Ceiling, Moreland explores themes of alienation, identities, dreams, illusions, and the search for meaning.
And how can we not be affected after staring death in the face? The album ends with the title track, which finishes with the line, “Death alone is certain, but life is a beautiful question.” Similarly, on “Claim Your Prize,” he reminds us, “No one makes it out alive.”
“Does it even matter? Does it ever last? I didn’t want the answer to the question that I asked; Can I kill a monster? Can I be a man? I can’t afford to give a damn if you don’t understand.” — “Ugly Faces”
It’s heavy stuff, and maybe because of the ethereal nature of the questions and the seeking, Moreland decided there needed to be sounds beyond the physical acoustic instruments we might expect. The electronics give the album an otherworldly atmosphere that more appropriately accompanies the journey where Moreland is taking us. After all, the point of music is to express and understand things that we cannot convey in mere words.
And here, Moreland has explained that he wanted to throw off the constraints of being identified as a certain type of artist. Instead, he wanted to be free to embrace any music that he likes, even if that includes some 90’s pop influences like Sarah McLachlan and Sheryl Crow.
Moreland has reflected on how the recent elections also have affected his views. Living in Oklahoma, he has had to contend with watching a large number of people who taught him right from wrong seemingly no longer having their bearings on what matters. And while it is discouraging to “be exposed to the sort of aggressive hostility that is out there,” he declares he is glad he does not live in a bubble and gets to see the humanity in everyone.
January eyes fixed on iridescent lies; Truth be told, it’s no surprise; The saints came self-appointed, said they were anointed, And time is just a faded sign; The world was always ending, it was good in the beginning; But I don’t know how far this goes; Saw you standin’ in a pose, wearin’ someone else’s clothes; I don’t know how far this goes. — “Truth Be Told”
As noted above, like the country at large, some are divided about Birds in the Ceiling, with, for example Chuck Armstrong at Saving Country Music concluding “this album was an overstep, and dramatically so.” But I’m happy to walk in the footsteps of the pilgrimage wherever Moreland wants to take me.
If you have liked Moreland’s albums in the past and come to this one with certain expectations, give these songs more than one listen to let your expectations drift away. Moreland experimented with some different sounds on his 2020 album LP5, though we are far from the acoustic-driven High on Tulsa Heat(2015). But all of us have been through a lot since then, and we are lucky to have Moreland on the ride with us, trying to figure everything out — or to at least have some company from a friend who understands.
