Results of last week’s battle: Who did it better? LEN or Robbers On High Street?
In the first of four Beatles editions of Who Did It Better, we’ll look at John Lennon’s cosmic ballad, “Across The Universe”, which has been covered dozens, if not hundreds of times. We’ll look at a couple of what I feel are the more different takes on the song. Both, coincidentally, come from movie soundtracks. The first is Fiona Apple’s sweeping take from the film “Pleasantville”. (Make sure to check out the stellar video of that version). Next up is Jim Sturgess’ moody take, from the Beatles tribute film of the same name.
Buy ’em all here:
“”Across The Universe”” – The Beatles (unavailable on iTunes)
– “Across The Universe” – Fiona Apple
– “Across The Universe” – Jim Sturgess
Which one calls you on and on…
Listen to the podcast featuring both songs:
[audio: http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/backbeat.cachefly.net/coverville/audio/Coverville-WDIB-027-AcrossTheUniverse.mp3]
Or Download
I love the Pleasantville version. It was a time travel movie. For some reason the 50's are max pop.
This is perhaps my favorite Beatles song so I’ll have to stick with the original.
This was a hard one. You need a tie option. I voted for Fiona because I've loved that version ever since I first saw Pleasantville, but I thought the Sturgess version really brought something new to the song that no other cover has done.
Easy vote for me. Fiona Apple's version has always been my favorite version. It made me go back and reappreciate the original.
Fiona Apple.
I used to really dislike this song (Beatles version), but lately have really been fascinated with the way the verses are non-standard lengths and how the words 'across the universe' seem to abruptly end verses before they naturally would end.
I'm a fan of the movie Across the Universe as well as a fan of Fiona, but my vote is actually for Selway's version featurung. Morpho Eugenia from the the Beatles Regrooved album that came out in 2005.
Usually if I'm having a hard time choosing between the two options, it's because I don't like either. This time it's because I love both.
Actually I liked the Across the Universe version of these two but could I take back my vote for that one in favor of this one: http://thebeatlescompleteonukulele.bandcamp.com/t…
And if you are going to do more Beatles covers, I think you should take at least one of them from this Beatles Complete on Ukulele project, because these versions are possibly the most adventurous Beatles covers that I've heard. http://thebeatlescompleteonukulele.bandcamp.com/a…
I knew the Jim Sturgess’s version before I heard Fiona Apple’s, and I still love his much more than I do hers. Fiona Apple’s is pretty, but Jim Sturgess’s is BEAUTIFUL. There’s so much emotion poured into it, and that’s definitely a factor in what makes it, in my opinion, much better. The sadness makes the lyrics even more beautiful than they already are, and especially with the scene that it’s featured in in the movie, his rendition is absolutely stunning. Possibly the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard.
Also, Fiona Apple’s is not as pretty on its own, only while it’s paired with the scene that it’s in in Pleasantville, whereas Jim Sturgess’s is beautiful in the movie as well as on it’s own.