They keep on coming–but thankfully, they never stop surprising and delighting.
We’re talking about covers of Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 megahit single, “Dancing in the Dark.”
Ever since Bruce almost topped the charts with it (Prince denied him what would otherwise have been his only #1 hit single), and with increasing frequency, artists have been putting their own spins on it. Considering that the original version sounds about as eighties as you can get, “Dancing in the Dark” has proven to be almost infinitely malleable in the hands of the right bands.
So let’s play catch-up and take a look at five recent versions by international artists who teach us how to reinterpret a song.
Let start with Australian indie-folk band Hollow Coves and their recent appearance on NPO Radio 2 in The Netherlands. Their version is the most traditional of today’s crop, but that says more about what’s coming than about the band’s fresh take, which makes for a great listen.
Hollow Coves is headed to North America this fall; if you’re interested in catching them on the road, check out their tour dates here.
Since we’re already in Europe, let’s head south to Italy, where Roberta Finocchiaro makes her third appearance on the Shuffle. Roberta is an amazing guitarist, and she knows how to arrange a song to play to her strengths. (See her previous covers of “New York City Serenade” and “If I Was the Priest.”)
She’s outdone herself with “Dancing in the Dark” though, giving us a cool groove of a cover that’s guaranteed to get you dancing in the dark yourself.
“The lyrics of this song move me so much,” Roberta told me, “so this version with this arrangement represents my emotion in music.” All the emotion we hear is hers–Roberta plays every instrument on the track. She even filmed the video on her drive to Sicily.
Let’s linger in Italy and dial up the funk–Parafunk, that is, and their cooler-than-cool live re-interpretation of “Dancing in the Dark” from 2014.
Parafunk appears to be defunct (at least their web site is, and their YouTube page hasn’t been updated in a couple of years), but you can check out more of their great covers here.
Next up: let’s cross the pond to the U.S., where New York City-based Peter Wise keeps the funk going with his solo performance, featuring some great guitar work of his own.
Peter will be appearing at the Mercury Lounge in New York later this month–for info and future dates, check out his web site.
“Bruce has swagger. I didn’t grow up listening to him, so I just recently saw the video of ‘Dancing in the Dark’ where he pulls Courteney Cox on stage… Whenever you get to experience that video, whatever stage of life you’re in…it’s a gift.” So writes Pomplamoose, the American husband-and-wife duo with the most popular entry in today’s round-up.
Pomplamoose’s electronic dance treatment has racked up almost a quarter of a million views to date, deservedly so. Their version is infectiously cool and current, and is easily the most inventive interpretation I’ve heard in a while.
That’s it for this installment of Cover Me Round-Up: Dancing in the Dark, but I’ll leave you with a bonus entry you’ve probably already seen: Shawn Mendes’ recent commercial for Tommy Hilfiger.
The Hilfiger ad marks the first time Bruce’s music has been used commercially since the sale of his catalog to Sony late last year, and if future licensing deals keep the bar this high, fans have nothing to fear.
