Trying to find great acoustic cover songs on the web is like trying to find a needle in the hay…
…and now you can find both in the same place!! (In this case, a great acoustic cover song music blog AND a “Needle in the Hay”)
Seriously, though, it is my pleasure to bring you the Laptop Sessions’ second installment in the Elliott Smith category (see our 100+ band categories in the drop-down menu above) with his great song “Needle in the Hay.” This is track one on his second, self-titled album. I truly love Elliott Smith’s work, but I’m really a fan of his third (Either/Or), fourth (XO), and especially fifth (Figure 8 ) albums. His first two releases are solid and I’ve grown more and more fond of them after multiple listens. I think what really holds them back for me is the fact that they’re predominantly Smith and his acoustic guitar. There is, of course, double-tracking and soloing, but it simply doesn’t stand up to the mixture of simple acoustic tracks and lively, fully-produced, upbeat tracks on the aforementioned three later albums. I just discovered XO recently, and I was so into it that I decided to record my first Elliott Smith session based on “Waltz #2 (XO).”
So, you may be wondering why I chose this track from the early two albums. The answer is simple — what better song to record for an acoustic cover than a song that is already based on vocals and acoustic guitar alone? I hope you enjoy this song as much as I enjoyed learning and playing it — I’ll certainly be digging into Smith’s catalog again at a later date, after I’ve helped patch some holes in our category offerings (can anyone say, “The Rolling Stones” or “Simon and Garfunkel”?…).
For now, you’ll have to rush back for a Jeff Copperthite fix tomorrow (wasn’t his first of “Fa Fa” one of his best??) and then a Saturday dose of the man, the myth, the legend: Jim Fusco (whose version of “I Need…” reminded me how much I love his My Other Half album!); I’ll be back on Super Sunday. Is that what we’re calling it now?
“Passing Friend”
Beach Boys – Written by Culture Club’s George O’Dowd & Roy Hay
Intro: Gm – F (x4)
F Eb Bb
Well, there’s nothing worse than a passing friend
Bb Eb Bb
Who will die on you till the bitter end.
Bb Eb Bb
There’s nothing worse than a burning heart
Bb Eb Bb Gm – F (x2)
Or a past that tears the world apart.
F Gm F
I’ve been thinking about my situation,
Nothing ventured, nothing left to lose.
When it’s easier to just say nothing,
I had thought about what I might lose.
F Cm7
But through the child’s eyes,
Cm7
There were feelings
Dm7
Touching my violet skin.
Dm7 Cm7
When the love games start appealing,
Dm7
You better get out and move on in…
‘Cause there’s nothing worse than a passing friend
Or a pioneer of a dying trend,
Nothing worse than a silent ghost
Or to lose your head at the starting post.
Ain’t it always just a short vacation?
When it’s love it always has to end.
Under the sheets of life it’s just frustration,
While the body goes in search again.
But through the child’s eyes,
There were feelings
Touching my violet skin.
When the love games start appealing,
You better get out and move on in…
‘Cause there’s nothing worse than a passing friend
Who will die on you till the bitter end.
There’s nothing worse than a burning heart
Or a past that tears the world apart.
Eb Dm7 Cm7 Bb
Why do you love someone who wants to break your heart?
Why do you need someone who wants to tear your world apart?
No; no, not again…
SOLO
I was packing up my life in cases
For a hundred years or maybe more.
I’ve been talking to a million people,
Don’t you think I should have known the score?
But in the child’s eyes,
There were feelings
Touching my violet skin.
When the love games start appealing,
You better get out and move on in…
‘Cause there’s nothing worse than a passing friend
Who will die on you till the bitter end.
There’s nothing worse than a burning heart
Or a past that tears the world apart.
‘Cause there’s nothing worse than a passing friend
Or a pioneer of a dying trend,
Nothing worse than a silent ghost
Or to lose your head at the starting post.
No; no, not again…
** These chords and lyrics are interpretations and transcriptions, respectively, and are the sole property of the copyright holder(s). They are posted on this website free of charge for no profit for the purpose of study and commentary, as allowed for under the “fair use” provision of U.S. copyright law, and should only be used for such personal and/or academic work. **
For Beach Boys / Culture Club chords & lyrics, CLICK HERE!
By Chris Moore:
The general public’s response to my video tonight will most likely be:
“Culture Club? Finally!”
Since I’ve been focusing so heavily on more recent music, I decided tonight to go back to one of the best bands of all time, the Beach Boys! (You might be thinking: “Wait, I thought he said ‘Culture Club,’ and you’d be right. Be patient; all will become clear soon…) For the past week, I’ve been listening back and forth to newer and older music. In the car, it’s been newer — Wilco and Marcy Playground — and in the house, it’s been older — Beach Boys and George Harrison. (I’m trying to iron out my George Harrison essentials playlist; I made the first selection of tracks months ago, but the recent release of the Let it Roll CD has inspired me to finally make the next set of cuts necessary to carve out the compilation.)
For tonight’s session, I’ve chosen to cover “Passing Friend,” a track from the Beach Boys’ self-titled release back in 1985. This song was penned by George O’Dowd — better known as Boy George — and Roy Hay of Culture Club. (So, I suppose, this technically isn’t a Culture Club song, but it’s as close as we’re going to come on this blog at least for now!) “Passing Friend” is generally considered to be a disposable track on what is often considered a disposable album in the Beach Boys catalog.
Nonsense!
Okay, so maybe “Passing Friend” is somewhat disposable. But let’s be very clear here that The Beach Boys (1985) is one of my favorite albums of all time. I think that I’m one of only two people who would give it that distinction, but it really is an enjoyable, versatile, all-around great album. “Passing Friend” isn’t one of the strongest songs on the album by any means, but it’s still a solid track. I was surprised by how easy and fun it was to learn, play, and record an acoustic cover of the over-produced studio version.
The story behind the song is based on members of the then-popular band Culture Club — singer Boy George and guitarist/keyboardist Roy Hay — writing a track for the Beach Boys to record. It seems that the Beach Boys were experimenting with new ways to regain some semblance of relevance in a musical climate that was drastically different from their 1960’s hey day. At the time, Culture Club had taken a break after touring England. Hay was involved in a new band (This Way Up) and Boy George was making the rounds on the club scene. Although they came together to write this song, Culture Club was destined to disband the following year due to tensions within the band and Boy George’s addiction to drugs.
Thus, we have “Passing Friend,” a deep track if I’ve ever heard one! I hope you enjoy this stripped down version. Maybe it will even encourage you to give The Beach Boys (1985) either a shot or a second chance…
To address old business, I had promised in last week’s cover song music video post that I would bring you a double header this week. Well, today was a tremendously busy day, so I decided to hold off, as I need just a little more time to focus and figure out the chords for the second of the two songs. I won’t give them away just yet, but suffice it to say that I’m presenting an all-new band to the blog. They are big time one hit wonders — probably for good reason — and I’ll be recording a video of their hit single, as well as the single from their most recent album. More on that next Monday…
But this is certainly NOT the last time you’ll be hearing from me this week. You can look forward to a very special post — one that is very near and dear to me — coming on Wednesday and then another post on either Saturday or Sunday.
I realize this is all very vague, but believe me: these posts promise to be well worth your time clicking back to the best acoustic cover song blog in the universe! (And we’re modest, too…) Just think: you’ve got Jim Fusco Tuesday tomorrow (maybe more Beach Boys cover songs?), then I’ll be back on Wednesday, Jeff Copperthite’s “Thumpin’ Thursday,” and at least one more post this weekend. Don’t miss any of the musical fun!
