There was a time I might have claimed to be into The Wu Tang Clan in order to pretend to be down wi' da kidz. Considering that this band came together in the early 90s though... and that's getting on for 30 years ago, in case you need that mortality check... well, I doubt da kidz have a clue who they are anymore.
Today's cover isn't by (or originally by) The Wu Tang Clan though. It's a song called The Wu Tang Clan, originally recorded by The French. I have to admit that I'd never heard of The French before, despite being a fan of Hefner. Apparently The French was a side project back in the early noughties for Hefner's Darren Hayman and John Morrison.
I probably wouldn't even known that this song was a cover... had it not come from something called The Covers EP. The covering band are Allo Darlin', and London-based indie group with an Australian singer who released three pretty cool albums a few years back, and then, I'm guessing, called it a day.
Here's the Casio-flavoured original version of The Wu Tang Clan by The French.
And below, the Allo Darlin' cover, which I find far superior. That said, credit to Darren Hayman for writing this, because lyrically, it's a belter.
She dreams of Staten Island
She never ever dreams of Walthamstow
Her friends are getting married
Getting their haircut like Jill Dando
She hopes that Terry Soanes won't ask her out tonight for the 4th time
She wants to be alone
With the curtains drawn and the stereo on
She swings her hips and dances to the Wu-Tang Clan
And RZA, Ghostface Killah, Inspecta Deck and Golden Arms
Will hold her tight and out of harm in the council flat tonight
And the thought hits her at 105 bpm
That sometimes for a second, she believes that everything will be
Alright
I've said it before but I really miss Allo Darlin'.
ReplyDeleteThis was originally on a rather nice picture disc 7"
Ah, Allo Darlin'... (heart beats a little faster). Elizabeth Morris is lovely. All three of their albums were fantastic. I do not have that picture disc. Pretty pricey on Discogs.
ReplyDeleteI missed that one for my best covers of the decade. Will add to the list, thanks
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