Well, the pleasure - the privilege is mine

As a loose rule, I don’t think bands should cover The Smiths.

A rule you could easily dismiss as blinkered biased fanboy bollocks.

But let me explain. It's not because I think it’s sacrilegious or anything. More that they generally end up being a bit rubbish. I can’t think of a single Smiths cover that comes close to touching the original. And not for a want of trying. Lord knows, there have been enough attempts but they all end up lacking one vital factor. Morrissey. His voice. His delivery. Love them or hate them, you can’t deny that his vocals are a key element to the band. A totally idiosyncratic instrument. As defining as Marr’s guitar but impossible to replicate. A voice that manages to encapsulate the heartfelt, mocking, melodramatic, morose, sarcastic, lovelorn, dour and witty, all at the same time. When that’s missing, so is the heart of the song. And I can’t think of any other artists or band you can say that about. Morrissey, Marr, Rourke and Joyce's original versions are the defining versions. Even Radiohead sounded a tad apprehensive and nervous when they covered ‘The Headmaster Ritual’.

So it may surprise you that I’m actually bothering to post a cover of a Smiths song. And not just any Smiths song. My favourite Smiths song. The song I instinctively reel off when I’m asked what my favourite ever song is. A song I consider to be lyrically perfect and musically wonderful. A song which I don’t think can ever be improved upon. In much the same way that remaking Citizen Kane or recreating the Mona Lisa would be utterly futile and fruitless. Having said all that, this is a pretty good attempt. It doesn’t exactly stray from the dots but Ben Gibbard’s quivering, little boy lost voice does at least suit the song’s tone. It’s still not a patch on the original but it is a pleasant enough diversion.

Death Cab For Cutie - there is a light that never goes out (The Smiths Cover Live Acoustic Session Version)

mp3 / music / death cab for cutie