Earlier this week, I published my Roll of the Dice article on “Cover Me” and proclaimed it my least favorite Springsteen song ever.
I wasn’t particularly generous in my review, but in all fairness I did caveat: “There’s an argument to be made for ‘Cover Me’ being a decent pop song if only it was set to a different backing track and arrangement.”
Well, J.D. Desharnais of the New York City band 13th Alibi certainly set me straight on that.
J.D. saw my post on a Springsteen-related Facebook group and directed me to his band’s smoking 2013 performance of “Cover Me,” featuring guest vocalist DiLiA.
Trust me: even if you hate “Cover Me”–especially if you hate it, in fact–you need to watch this. Imagine “Cover Me” arranged like “The Fever,” and that’s what you’re about to hear.
DiLiA and 13th Alibi recognized the sultry, sensual heat at the heart of “Cover Me,” and they zeroed right in on it.
Their performance is fantastic, and it’s enough to make me reconsider my opinion of the song. I now rank it above “I’ll Stand By You.”
(There ain’t no saving that song. Prove me wrong, please.)
Thanks, J.D.!
I don’t have the same hatred of Cover Me that you do, but this version is really good. Thanks for sharing it. I can’t find any other music by DiLiA; her website says “new site coming soon.” Know anything about her?
I don’t, other than that she seems to be pretty active in the NYC music scene.
I love Bruce’s version of Cover Me, but I’m not really feeling this version. It sounds like she’s really forcing the sultry mood, instead of just taking it naturally.