When is a cover song better than the original? Only you can decide. This week St. Vincent takes on Nico’s “These Days.” MAGNET’s Edward Fairchild pulls the pin. Take cover!
Supposedly written by Jackson Browne when he was only a teenager, “These Days” was given to Nico for the recording of her first solo album, Chelsea Girl. The pair was rumored to be romantically linked, but frankly, so was she and every other male musician in her orbit in the late ’60s. The song would eventually be recorded by several artists over the years, including Gregg Allman, Elliott Smith, Paul Westerberg and Browne himself, but one of the better versions has to be this one, by former Polyphonic Spree member Annie Clark (a.k.a. St. Vincent). This sweet, delicate rendition was recorded as part of a session to benefit Brooklyn’s Dumbo Arts Center and appears on her Paris Is Burning EP.
The Cover:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vxQs84FMWQ
The Original:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1N8GtDkYfQ
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2 replies on “Take Cover! St. Vincent Vs. Nico”
the ORIGINAL version would be by jackson browne, to me. granted nico might have had the first issue of the song, but it will ALWAYS be browne’s version that get’s me – then Nico – then the new one.
I’d like to vote for Gregg Allman. I like his version even better than ones by Nico, Jackson Browne and St Vincent.