Keep To The Beaches You're Used To
October 25, 2014 9:26 PM   Subscribe

 
original version natch
posted by The Whelk at 9:28 PM on October 25, 2014


When I was volunteering in south Louisiana after Katrina TLC came and spent a week rebuilding a house for The St. Bernard Project. With zero publicity. My friend Paul managed the job. Their work was better than average. I painted over their giant signatures.

I now want to see The Whelk sing "Waterfalls".
posted by vapidave at 9:59 PM on October 25, 2014 [6 favorites]


She leaves off Left Eye's verse at the end, unforgivably and like every dispiriting karaoke version ever.

Hocus Pocus or GTFO.
posted by wreckingball at 10:31 PM on October 25, 2014 [5 favorites]


Well that was excrutiating. She left out the "y'all don't hear me" part. I think the world-weary wisdom dispenser tone she was going for it sounded kind of like she was bored with the song and was sick of singing it before she started. The "y'all don't hear me" is critical.
The problem with old school divas covering pop songs is that the songs aren't like old standards where there's s clear plot and one line logically follows the next. These shallow pop songs just use any old words that fill up the lines. What does the second verse even mean?
posted by bleep at 10:35 PM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]


What does the second verse even mean?

It's about AIDS, isn't it? The "three letters" are HIV.
posted by lunasol at 11:16 PM on October 25, 2014 [2 favorites]


Yeah.. first verse is the futility of gang life, second is about HIV. Can't remember the rest offhand and it's bedtime.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 11:41 PM on October 25, 2014


from the same album, Bette Midler sings Be My Baby

I know most people didn't have a romantic dance in the parking lot of Mel's diner set to Be By Baby but it's why Be By Baby is a really IMPORTANT song for me.
posted by The Whelk at 11:54 PM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]


I love standards, but today's "old standards" were yesterday's "shallow pop songs" that "just use any words that fill up the lines." "Begin the Beguine" and "Just One of Those Things" weren't standards 80 years ago.
posted by blucevalo at 12:25 AM on October 26, 2014 [2 favorites]




This is where you can say "Is there anything white people won't steal?" and get no trouble from me.
posted by phaedon at 2:19 AM on October 26, 2014 [2 favorites]


This is where you can say "Is there anything white people won't steal?" and get no trouble from me.

Either you're a Lvl 70 Ironist or you don't realise that the lyrics of Waterfalls were plagiarised from Paul McCartney.
posted by RokkitNite at 2:45 AM on October 26, 2014


Either you're a Lvl 70 Ironist or you don't realise that the lyrics of Waterfalls were plagiarised from Paul McCartney.

What, this?

They share a single line. If that's your idea of plagarism, then the Beatles plagarised 'She loves you' from every other songwriter that ever existed.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 3:18 AM on October 26, 2014 [6 favorites]


Help me understand... This was posted because The Whelk doesn't care for this particular cover of the song?
posted by HuronBob at 4:22 AM on October 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


Ms. Midler has often covered the emotionally darkest songs, and generally finds her way with them, if only to give a glimpse from the other side. I also imagine she asks the surviving artists personally for their permission to cover them.
I remember loving this song when it came out for the lush vocals and well-tailored instrumentals...until I understood the lyrics. It was crushing at the time, and it still gets to me. This arrangement was like a ghost.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 7:17 AM on October 26, 2014 [2 favorites]


Does Not Translate
posted by Emor at 10:57 AM on October 26, 2014


On the whole, I think I prefer Michael Keaton's cover of this song.
posted by maxsparber at 4:44 PM on October 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'm actually OK with Midler's cover. But this one is my favorite: (From Jane Liu via Angry Asian Man)
posted by pantarei70 at 7:58 AM on October 27, 2014


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