Imagine There’s No Jack Johnson
By Dan on Jan 6, 2008 in Blog, Music
Today, I had the misfortune of hearing Jack Johnson’s totally unimaginative reinterpretation of John Lennon’s overrated Imagine. Why does this song merit air play? How is Johnson’s version any different than those offered by tens of thousands of other sensitive-guys-with-guitars at open mic nights throughout the country? It’s just so, ordinary. Yet for some reason, the gods smiled on this Johnson character and he’s raking in the dough for something that sounds the same as what Zach from UMass will play for free to any girl willing to visit his dorm room.
If you want to cover a classic, at least bring something new to the table. Like the Beatnix did with this Beatlized version of Stairway to Heaven!*
*This kind of treatment can get old in a hurry if a band tries to build a career on it, but for two minutes and forty seconds, it’s pretty cool.
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That was good, but I started to get tired of it before the 2:40 was up.
DJ NuMark of Jurassic 5 did a cool instrumental hip-hop version of “Imagine” a few years ago.
Re: Jack Johnson… you’re right about the gods smiling on this cat. Dude’s handsome, lives in Hawaii, is a surfer and pulls mad honeys with his wack music. Jerk.
Anonymous Communist | Jan 7, 2008 | Reply
Dan,
Interesting comments that you made about Johnson’s cover. In regard to any band being able to do a particular song I felt that same way about one of the songs you recommended several blogs ago. I listened to the song and said to myself, and then my wife, that any bar band in Springfield could have put that one together. To each their own I suppose.
The Beatnix thing was kind of neat but I would never call that a “cover” song. All they did was use the lyrics. To me a cover needs to be somewhat similar musically like “Pretty Woman” by Orbison and Van Halen. The Scissor Sisters did a cover of “Comfortably Numb” which like the Beatnix thing was entertaining but totally changed the music. What do you think?
M.B. | Jan 7, 2008 | Reply
M.B. listens to Scissor Sister! I never want to hear another word about James Blunt.
On a related note, I do like Jack Johnson and most of the stuff on Brushfire Fairytales, but I think early commercial success spoiled JJ. On and On & In Between Dreams are not nearly as good.
Russ | Jan 7, 2008 | Reply
Anon,
I thought it kind of novel at first, but it does get tiresome after a couple of listens.
MB,
Okay, maybe it’s not a cover song since they changed the music and the melody. But what would be the point of doing a straight interpretation of Stairway to Heaven? Even Robert Plant is uncomfortable performing that song, reportedly, because it’s become the proverbial 800 pound gorilla.
As for Imagine, that’s probably the go-to song for performers who aren’t deep or socially conscious, but want to appear that way. So really the only thing interesting you could do with it is Weird-Al it up let an accordion take it to a festive place where people don’t need to dream, because they’re already drunk.
Cover songs are fine for concerts, but when a band starts cashing in on a song that was already popular, they should at least put a different spin on it. And the stripped-down, unplugged thing doesn’t count.
As for Van Halen, it always irked me when I heard their version of You Really Got Me on the radio, because the Kink’s version is far superior. They made quite a career for themselves taking other people’s songs and having Eddy play a really fast guitar solo in the middle of it. They’re the most overrated cover band in the history of rock.
What song that I recommended didn’t you like and what exactly is wrong with you?
Thanks for commenting,
Dan
Dan | Jan 7, 2008 | Reply
There is a place in my heart for both “You Really Got Me” versions. I know you enjoy being in the minority on many media/entertainment issues and you certainly are on this one.
Think of the scene on “Night Shift” where Billy Blaze is hosting a frat party in the morgue. The Van Halen version is blasting and the place is going nuts. Do you think the scene would have the same impact using the Kink’s version? Hell no!
Daniel, there is a time and a place for both. Try to enjoy.
M.B. | Jan 7, 2008 | Reply
MB
How does preferring the Kinks version put me in the minority? I dare say that more people associate that song with Ray Davies than with that pederast David Lee Roth.
The original is still played on the radio quite often, but I never hear the Van Halen version. In ten years, society will have forgotten about that bastardization and the Kinks will continue to be hailed as the geniuses that they are.
Thanks for offering inane comments,
Dan
Dan | Jan 7, 2008 | Reply
I call on the vast BFS audience to put Dan in his place on this one. You don’t have to prefer the VH version over the Kink’s version, but to say that in 2008 that the Kink’s version is more popular is silly bordering on ridiculous.
As ridiculous as Russ, Roy, and I needing anymore help in kicking ass at trivia. The rest are just like our entourage. Who are you Dan, Johnny Drama or Turtle?
M.B. | Jan 8, 2008 | Reply
MB
Google “You Really Got Me” and you know what you get? The first page of actual results are links to Kinks-related content.
What does this tell us? That more people who are looking for information on that song are interested in the Kinks. This isn’t my opinion, this is a statistical indicator of popularity.
Now you could argue that this is only a sampling of people who surf the Internet and not the population in general, but considering that the Kink’s version came out in 1964 and Van Halen didn’t glom on to it until 1978, this bias would seem to favor the younger VH fanbase.
I will grant you that the VH version is probably more popular among law enforcement types who still consider Burt Reynolds the biggest star in Hollywood.
As for you trivia superiority, I’m more than willing to sit out and let the Team of Four try to take on a full field of competition. Actually, we have another invitation for that night so maybe we’ll go to that one and swing by the FF club later, in time to see you collect your winnings.
Thanks for commenting,
Dan
Dan | Jan 8, 2008 | Reply
I’m confused. Where were we lacking a “full field of competition?” And don’t threaten us….you need us.
I can guarantee you, you could go to the common man on the street and hum the song and probably 8 out of 10 would say, “that’s Van Halen isn’t it?”
Thanks for commenting.
M.B. | Jan 8, 2008 | Reply
For the record, I would much rather play with a full table. It’s hard work carrying MB and Roy for 10 rounds.
Russ | Jan 9, 2008 | Reply
I was skeptical before playing the video but I think it was very original - well not “original”, but at least quite creative and very well done, both musically and video/technologically. I really liked it.
I think your comment about “as long as they don’t try to make a career out of it” is right on target. It makes me think of the ’90s band Dread Zeppelin - They made a career out of being the only band around to do ‘Reggae covers of Led Zeppelin tunes, whose lead singer is an Elvis impersonator’. Some niche, huh.
Dr. Snacky | Jan 9, 2008 | Reply
Oh yeah, Jack Johnson. I liked Brushfire Fairytales - his laid back slacker guitar had a funk edge to it that seemed to match his simple lyrics. He seemed so fresh and earnest - “Why don’t the newscasters cry when they read about people who die” - that he was real and endearing.
But his CD’s since then have just been more of the same mellow (put me to sleep) guitar without that funkiness. When you combine that with the continuing naivete of his lyrics, he is the musical equivalent of Forrest Gump. I know that, to many people, that would qualify as high praise (8.4 rating on IMDB.com) but I found that to be the most heinously over-rated movie ever (The Unforgiven being a close 2nd).
That may make me sound like a hopeless cynic, but that truly isn’t the case. John Lennon’s “Imagine” still gives me goose bumps when I hear it; but if I am lucky I will never have to hear more than the 30 second ITunes sample of the singer/surfer boy wonder’s abomination.
Dr. Snacky | Jan 9, 2008 | Reply