Skip to main content

Elsa Vedder? Maybe Not

Last week, during a show in Milan, Pearl Jam inserted a few snippets of the Oscar-award winning song Let it Go into a medley which included time-honored PJ numbers Daughter, It’s OK, and Jeremy. The effects on social media were immediate, the feedback divisive. I’m on the camp that thinks the “cover” stank like cat piss, mainly because of Eddie Vedder. You can watch the whole (12 minute) video here.

Elsa Vedder

Sorry, Eddie. Elsa is not amused. Taken from KSDK.

 

Don’t get me wrong. I love Pearl Jam, and I love Eddie. And I understand that they sang it for fun since the chord progression for Let it Go and It’s OK were technically similar (listen to it!). I don’t think it was a terrible thing to do. But that doesn’t mean that I think it was a good cover. And here’s why.

1. Idina Menzel is a tough act to follow.

Seriously, have you heard this woman’s voice? I never knew who she was before Glee, but when I heard her sing for the first time, I took notice. And as did the rest of the world who didn’t spend plenty of time checking on who’s who in the theatre / Broadway scene. Her voice is such a gift to humanity that the Demi Lovato version of Let it Go is like a slap in the face of everything that is holy.

 

2. Eddie Vedder’s voice is naturally crackly.

Let’s admit it. Eddie has a great voice. But he’s no tenor. His high notes are often sung from the very top of the head tone, which means he always sounds like he’s screaming his higher octaves. And it’s no different in the few bars of Let it Go; his voice starts cracking when he gets to the higher notes of the song, which makes him sound like a little kid on puberty.

 

3. The song was sung as part of a medley of other great Pearl Jam numbers

I’m not entirely familiar with It’s OK, but I’m pretty cool with Daughter and I love Jeremy. Vedder was singing at the top of his game in the other numbers in the medley, which made the few bars of Let it Go stick out like that crunchy static you hear from overdriven guitars with grounded cables.

 

4. The rest of the band did an awesome job.

You know, this is the worst part of the whole debacle. Since the rest of the band was basically in the middle of a segue from Daughter to It’s OK, the music was great. I think I get that Vedder was playing with the crowd when he started singing Let it Go, but I’m convinced that he could have chosen a better song with similar bars to fool around with—and a song that he could have sung more efficiently.

 

So I think I’m going to stop calling it Pearl Jam’s cover of Let it Go, because for all intents and purposes, it wasn’t a cover song at all. It was a joke by Eddie Vedder, and one that probably made most of the people at the Milan concert grimace for a bit; that was probably worth it for Eddie. But dude, really. Don’t do that again. Or at least, practice the bloomin’ song first.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Maynilad Water Chronicles: The Clusterf$%#, Part 2

This is the third post in our Maynilad Water chronicles. This time, we will talk about just how inept their record keeping skills are in the face of a massive overhaul in a given area. This involves a technique used by Meralco in high-risk areas called clustering, and is efficient – if utilized correctly. Needless to say, Maynilad has yet to be able to do this.
Post a Comment
Read more

Clarity in Three Parts

i Maraming beses na kitang nilayasan Iniwanan at iba ang pinuntahan Parang babaeng mahirap talagang malimutan Ikaw lamang ang aking laging binabalikan Manila, Manila I keep coming back to Manila Simply no place like Manila Manila, I'm coming home I walked the streets of San Francisco I've tried the rides in Disneyland Dated a million girls in Sydney Somehow I feel like I don't belong Hinahanap-hanap kita Manila Ang ingay mong kay sarap sa tenga Mga Jeepney mong nagliliparan Mga babae mong naggagandahan Take me back in your arms Manila And promise me you'll never let go Promise me you'll never let go Manila, Manila Miss you like hell, Manila No place in the world like Manila I'm coming here to stay ii. Too, uh, cheesy to mention. Check the lyrics here . iii. I've been drunk or inebriated every day of this week since Saturday last week; since I'm holding an inuman party
1 comment
Read more

Manila Series: Parks of Manila

The other day, I read the post of a friend who was ranting about how Manila can only be beautiful when seen from a specific light. I could understand what he means, because Manila is the center of traffic in the NCR. The poor are here in full force, the most corrupt policemen are here, and honestly, there is no discipline whatsoever. But here’s something that I’ve discovered. You walk Manila. You don't drive it. It isn't the most walkable city in the world, but what can be seen when you do walk it is fantastic. And when you walk around the city, you don’t encounter the corrupt cops (because they’re going after the drivers), you don’t deal with traffic. You can’t do anything about the poor, though. Unless they’re doing something productive, and not just begging, I avoid them. If they’re cleaning up trash, or something similar, then I give them cash.
Post a Comment
Read more