I have been to over 13 concerts in my lifetime and Paramore remains one of my favorites I have ever been to.
When I saw Paramore, they were at the end of the era of their “After Laughter” album. Lead singer of the band, Hayley Williams came out wearing a hot pink blazer, yellow Doc Martens, bold colorful eyeshadow and had her hair crimped. Her garb was fitting for the vibe of the album and Paramore’s vibe in general: straight out of the ‘80s. If you don’t feel comfortable believing a Gen Z-er giving something an ‘80s categorization, don’t take it from me: take it from my dad, who lived through the ‘80s and attended the concert with me.
Paramore is listed under the genres of pop, rock and punk. Talking Heads, who had their commercial peak in the ‘80s, are also listed under these genres. A lot of times, a good cover stems from a pairing like this: alike genres but with a newer flare added by the coverer. That is why it came to my delight and as no surprise to hear Paramore would be covering Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House.”
The cover starts. You hear the familiar synthy opening riff. Pause.
“Who got a match?” Williams breathily echoes out in a near whisper.
This was a nice touch by Paramore because it pays homage to Talking Heads’ live performances of the song. The knowledge of this small detail and the intentionality of including it shows an amount of respect on Paramore’s behalf. Respect for the original artist is crucial to approaching a cover. This opening detail isn’t included in the original recording by Talking Heads, but rather only heard when they would perform it live. It can be heard in the live performance of the song included in the band’s “Stop Making Sense” 1984 documentary concert film.
Paramore’s cover of the song is the first of many covers of Talking Heads’ songs that will go on a tribute album to the band, entitled “Stop Making Sense,” named after the documentary. Last year, A24 acquired the rights to the film and rereleased it in theatres for the documentary’s 40th anniversary.
Four decades allows plenty of time for a song’s popularity to fizzle out and go out of style. Nevertheless, the original song stands the test of time. It remains an iconic classic.
Though I love the original, Paramore adds a lot to the song that almost makes me like their version better (not to blaspheme the work of the heralded Talking Heads.)
To name one, David Byrne’s, the lead singer of Talking Heads, vocals feel like he is holding back a bit, whereas Williams’ strong, punchy belts sound like she could actually burn down a house. These vocals are on full display right before the final instrumental in the cover when Williams sings “Fighting fire with fire” and then lets out a charged and electrifying scream. This song is about breaking free from the safety nets that hold you back and Williams sounds like she is making more of an effort to tear those nets down.
The subject matter of this song has a hidden melancholy feel under the surface when you stop and think about it, and yet, it is a very upbeat, danceable song. A lot of Paramore’s songs also have this formula: deep subject matter set to brighter-sounding music. This is something the two bands have in common in addition to their similar genres.
As I mentioned, similar genres usually make for a good cover. Because Talking Heads and Paramore have similar sounds, Paramore is an obvious choice for this tribute album. A few of the other artists on the lineup for the tribute album are Lorde, Miley Cyrus and The National. These choices, on the other hand, do not feel as obvious based on these artists’ genres, and yet, I am still just as excited to see the spin these artists put on some of Talking Heads’ iconic songs.
Covers tend to transcend the boundaries of genres anyway.
Take, for example, Johnny Cash’s cover of “Hurt,” which was originally a Nine Inch Nails song. You would not necessarily expect the iconic country singer to cover an alternative rock band’s song. Cash’s cover is a beautiful rendition that the music world would not have known they were missing out on if the difference in genres had stood in the way.
Like “Hurt,” sometimes a cover becomes more popular than the original to the point where some people assume the cover is the original. I am ashamed to admit that, for a while, I thought Whitney Houston was the original artist of “I Will Always Love You” and not Dolly Parton. I know. I’m sorry. You can take my Tennessean card away.
Even Talking Heads themselves have a popular cover that many people do not know is not their original song. The band covered Al Green’s “Take Me to The River” four years after its original release.
A song that went through this most recently was “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman. Though I am not a huge modern country fan myself, I am glad Luke Combs brought attention to the original.
And really, that is the beautiful thing that comes out of covers: attention being brought to music that is new to you and that you might not have listened to otherwise.
Whether you listen to a cover because you are a fan of the original or you listen to a cover because you are a fan of the coverer, your music taste has an opportunity to broaden in listening to a cover. By being introduced and exposed to a new artist, genre or song, you may end up going down a rabbit hole of listening to the new subject and end up loving it as much as what made you listen to the cover in the first place.
Because my dad had shared ‘80s music with me and expanded my music taste, I was able to observe, appreciate and enjoy the influence of the ‘80s in Paramore’s music. Then, vice versa, I got to share Paramore with my dad and broaden his. Paramore covering one of the 1980s’ most iconic songs now feels like coming full circle.
Paramore’s cover of “Burning Down the House” is streaming on Spotify, YouTube and other music platforms. The rest of the “Stop Making Sense” tribute album’s release date remains to be seen.
