in which three versions of a song are collected

so, a question for you readers - do you ever find yourself collecting songs? by this i mean versions or covers of a song. it could be by the same artist - acoustic vs. studio version. or live as well as album or off of some bootleg session or even some version you found off of youtube or vimeo or the like. or it could even be a song you like so much that, while brilliant by it's originator(s), you find yourself liking other versions by other people. maybe not as much (okay, surely not as much because that would be just wrong), but enough that when it comes on you find yourself glad it's there.

sadly, friends, i have this problem.

which is a bit contradictory because normally i like music by artists who write, record, and perform their own work. i sort of (irrationally?) feel like if you have to rely on other people's works in order to be a successful musician, then maybe you're really nothing more than a glorified wedding singer (or american idol contestant, but don't get me started on that show which, i ought to admit, i have never watched a single episode of). but on the other hand, if an artist NORMALLY does their own thing and occasionally covers someone else, well, then, i'm down with that, because that can be fun.

which leads me back to my original point of collecting songs.

i don't know why i do it, but sometimes, if there's a song i like enough, i'll occasionally search for other versions of it. like, did someone do it sweet/angry? slow as opposed to fast? girl vs. boy? cheery vs. sad? it's almost like a treasure hunt, finding these versions. or like a box of sees candies i have not personally selected. being allergic to coconut, eating chocolates is like a game of russian roulette for me. sometimes if i bite into a piece, i'll break out in hives thanks to the coconut. or sometimes, i'll come across the bland questionable middle that may be noughot or some other undefinable filling. and sometimes, i'll hit the jackpot and bite into some kind of to-die-for chocolate concoction.

covers are almost exactly like that.

i mention this because, as of today, i have three versions of broken social scene's anthems for a seventeen year old girl running around my various itunes playlists. there's, of course, the original - which is pretty brilliant. it's also one of the worst offenders in my music collection for becoming an earworm (good thing i love it so much!). but i also have a pair of others which, while not as good as the original, are pretty worthy of a listen in their own regard. i've mentioned one before in a post i did about young buffalo, but found today's version to be just interesting enough that i want to share it, as well.

i'm going to be honest here. i don't know much about margo may, a portland-based singer-songwriter. i read a post on another blog that said she's from (*shudder*) american idol, but as i don't watch the show, i can't verify this fact. but i can tell you that she's got a sweet voice and an easy-going way about her music.



i can also tell you that, while broken social scene makes their version sound catty and sly and all those things that a seventeen year old girl can be (and i can say this having once been, sigh, one of those girls), margo may's version is much more innocent sounding. which is a bit endearing, considering the lyrics.

have a listen - you can download the song off the soundcloud below:

used to be the one of the rotten ones
and i liked you for that
now you're all gone, got your make-up on
and you're not coming back

bleachin' your teeth, smiling flash
talking trash, under your breath
bleachin' your teeth, smiling flash
talking trash, under my window

park that car, drop that phone,
sleep on the floor, dream about me

used to be the one of the rotten ones
and i liked you for that
now you're all gone, got your make-up on
and you're not coming back

anthems for a 17yearoldgirl-cover by margomay

for comparison's sake, the original by broken social scene:



and the young buffalo version (for the...catty seventeen year old boy point of view, perhaps?):

Young Buffalo - Anthems For A 17 Year-Old Girl (BSS Cover) by TLOBF

go HERE to learn more about margo may. then head over to her soundcloud page to hear more of her stuff.