Emily Loizeau | Evaluation of the single hero of the working class
Taking on a deeply loved song by an artist who is loved and respected by everyone is not an easy question. Fans of the original will often dismiss and deride any attempt to cover a beloved song in its original format. Working class hero via John Lennon, from his 1970 album, John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band, just such a song. The song is political, “revolution” is not a protest song but a song of unity and strength. The power of the lyrics conveyed in the song’s manifesto does not necessarily diminish aspiration but also embraces and appreciates what the working class is.
Many artists have covered Working class hero in the four decades since it was originally released. Elbow performed an upbeat, sympathetic cover in 2005. David Bowie’s Tin Machine gave the song an energetic and powerful makeover on their 1989 album of the same name. Shock rock singer Marilyn Manson brought nothing new to the party as he delivered an unusually restrained performance on the B-Side for Disposable Teenagers single of the year 2000. Manic Street Preachers tried, and failed, to make it an anthem on ’10 Year Collectors Edition’ of ‘Send Away The Tigers’ and Marianne Faithful provided a stage for the album.” Broken English” from her critically acclaimed 1979.
So, L’autre Bout Du Monde singer Emily Loizeau follow some great footsteps as she starts doing Working class hero all her own. With the help of John Parish, a frequent collaborator with PJ Harvey, Loizeau reinterpreted Working class hero like a few before her. Honestly, instead of John’s original acoustic guitar, or any kind of guitar, Emily chose to frame the song around a piano-driven track. The song’s simple chords are transformed within Loizeau’s fingertips as she gives the song a slight bass current with the bass keys.
The rotating keyboard arrangement along with the distorted strummed guitar and fast lead make for an enchanting combination. When combined with Emily Loizeau’s incredible, emotional and captivating vocals, Working class hero majestically reinvented. Not only does Emily do justice to John Lennon’s song, but she adds something to it, bringing her own interpretation to life in the most dramatic and vivid way.
When a cover is this good, you can’t help but be overwhelmed by how incredible it is to hear another artist create a song of their own. Emily Loizeau’s version of Working class hero similar to Sinead’s Nothing compares 2 U, or This Mortal Coil’s Song To The Siren, it is good.