It’s time for another edition of Cover Me Round-Up, featuring six fresh takes on Bruce Springsteen’s most covered song, “I’m on Fire.”
Today’s cover crop is our most stylistically diverse one yet, with artists from around the globe translating “I’m on Fire” into genres and arrangements far afield from Bruce’s original Top 10 single.
We’ll start our world tour in The Netherlands, with not one but two great in-studio performances brought to us by NPO Radio 2. Turn your volume up for this first one, an awesomely crunchy roadhouse version by Mick Stender. You’ve never heard “I’m on Fire” rock like this before!
Not to be outdone, Dutch indie-pop combo Cookhouse evokes Bruce’s Seeger Sessions with their terrific interpretation, featuring an apparently impromptu harmonica solo by deejay Giel Beelan.
If Cookhouse seems comfortable and confident covering “I’m on Fire,” that’s because they’re no stranger to it. They’ve been including it in their sets for years–check out this clip from Pinkpop 2018 for another great performance.
Now let’s head to the Mediterranean and join Leon of Athens for his in-studio EDM version of “I’m on Fire” on popular Greek radio station En Lefko.
Leon is on tour at the moment, and if you’re in the U.S. you can catch him at at Shaky Knees later this month and at Bonnaroo Day 2 in June.
Next, we cross the Atlantic to check out Lara Lark’s new single. Lara’s “I’m on Fire” treatment emphasizes the song’s sensual side, and both studio track and moody video heighten Bruce’s impassioned lyrics.
We’ve got one more American artist to check out today, but we’ll have to cross the Pacific to do so. Trust me, it’s worth the trip.
Tavana is a Honolulu-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (guitar, banjo, lap steel, and ukelele) whose music incorporates rock, blues, and island influences. And we can definitely hear all three in his live version of “I’m on Fire” below–it’s my personal favorite among today’s collection.
“This song is such a great example of how Bruce can take the emotions of an average everyday man and turn it into poetry,” Tavana wrote on his Facebook page earlier this month. “I also just love the way it feels to play it on the lap steel. It brings out another layer of grit that I think is very fitting.”
We’ve got one more artist to check in with today, and we’ll end our tour with her in Dublin.
Emmeline Gracie attracted worldwide notice when a video of her busking with James Burnell on the streets of Dublin went viral in the middle of the pandemic, racking up almost 2.5 million views to date.
I saw that video not long after if first came out, but I opted out of spotlighting it here on the Shuffle–because as lovely as Emmeline’s vocals were, the arrangement was just a bit too traditional for what I look for in a cover.
But then I stumbled across her intimate solo piano performance from earlier this year, and I was absolutely mesmerized. I think you might be, too.
Emmmeline’s interpretation is pensive, yearning, and very, very lonely. Her performance will stick with you long after the video ends.
That’s it for this installment of Cover Me Round-Up, but as always: there will be more. Bruce’s songs strike universal chords in musicians around the globe, and the line-up for Volume 6 is already forming.
In the meantime, enjoy these six great artists, and then tell me: Which one’s your favorite?
