most of my friends give me a hard time because i am NOT a big fan of maroon 5. they have some great songs, but adam levine’s douchiness [and his just alright voice] in combination with a sort of sellout feel has left an unfortunate taste in my mouth. don’t get me wrong, i think they are solidly talented and have written a great catalog of good music. that’s as much as i can say for them though.
i have no commitment to the name, no jumping to defend the band and the music, no faithfulness to the group at all, and for me, that’s a huge chunk of why i like what i like. it’s not just good music, and i’m not just listening because “i like the beat” [gah. GAH!!] but i’m invested in what the band stands for and believes in and ultimately sings about. and in the immortal words of jeremy mckinnon, at least i can say i stand for something.
that said… there have been a ton’s ton of covers on youtube of this freakishly catchy song Payphone. i’ll post a few here that i’ve seen:
1 alex g. i love LOVE alex g. she’s talented, energetic, confident, and gorgeous. i don’t see a huge reason to credit this jameson bass person, since anyone could’ve done that, but hey. haha.
2 skarlett. i’ve never heard of this band until last night. i’m really not that happy with the way the rap parts worked out or the vocals in general, but otherwise it’s a pretty solid cover with a full band. it preserves some of the original emotion as well, which is key. [for the greatest pull-off of original emotion, check out a skylit drive’s cover of Love the Way You Lie. incredible.]
3 jayesslee. every one of my friends love them. i think they’re alright. the concept of attractive twins who can sing in sync [N SYNC, AMIRITE] at an astonishing level is cool, but not quite my cup of tea. even so, good cover. those accents though.
and of course, the original with wiz khalifa if you haven’t seen it.
watching it now again… man, adam levine’s voice is normally alright, but when treated and polished into a slick sheen it becomes really tweety and annoying. not really into it. sorry man. also, i’m not a rap connoisseur in even the slightest sense of the word, but wiz’s part seems weak.
there comes a point when just dropping the f bomb everywhere is a copout, you just can’t come up with better lyrics. i found the point. it’s in this song.
the cobra’s a nice touch though.
cheers.