“This is Not a Love Song” – Nouvelle Vague
(Words/music: Martin Atkins, Keith Levene, and John Lydon, available on Nouvelle Vague, Luaka Bop 2004)
If the search on the Tumblr dashboard is right (and I have no reason to doubt it), I’ve yet to use the term “overrated” in a post. That’s a good thing, because it’s a generally overused term; while sometimes it fits the situation perfectly, it’s often shorthand for “I don’t like this thing that other people like, but I don’t have a good reason why.” It rarely gets conversations – or rather, meaningful conversations – going. Instead, things devolve into a schoolyard “am not / are too” level bout.
That being said, I think novelty covers are overrated. I also think I’m being lazy with that statement.
I’m all for juxtaposition and irony, but I’m generally looking for a reason with a cover song. At one point, punk covers of pop standards made me smile, so maybe my heart has chilled, but I’m generally unmoved. So it caught me off guard earlier tonight while making dinner when I found myself nodding along to Nouvelle Vague’s interpretation of Public Image, Ltd’s “This is Not a Love Song.” Their lounge-tinged, boss nova rehash of the song makes sense to me because the original seems gimmicky in the first place. If John Lydon and company took risks with PIL, “This is Not a Love Song” feels like a limp misstep that lacks the edge of some of their best singles. If anything, the Nouvelle Vague version doesn’t feel like a gimmick; instead, it feels like a full-on embrace of the song and a willingness to take it to its extreme. In this case, it’s embracing the cheesy synth horns and following that all the way down the elevator music rabbit hole. I’d imagine Lydon getting a kick out of it, at least.
More on Nouvelle Vague: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm
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