While SNL offered over its airwaves in aid of Hillary Clinton’s attempt to woo the hip ‘youths at home watching TV on a Saturday night’ vote, Barack Obama was getting a similar stamp of hipster approval on the same day in Nelsonville, OH, where Arcade Fire played a show for the cool, ‘easily wooed by celebirities and rock stars’ demographic. If you need to know Win, Will, Régine, and Jeremy’s bona fides when it comes to knowledge of politics and the process, look no further than the band’s cover of choice: Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.” Change! Somebody’s been watching their presidential debates! Actually that is good song choice, and it sounds pretty good (shitty YouTube notwithstanding — but once they go into “Rebellion (Lies)” it’s muddy and unlistenable).
Isn’t that Sarah Neufeld on violin? Why wasn’t she part of the initial announcement? Well, maybe they withheld it because she’s a full-blooded Canadian they wanted to give the Clinton camp less rope with which to hang itself in its “anti-immigrant counterattack.”
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Arcade Fire should not be covering this song, as much as I love both the band and the song.
why shouldn’t they be covering it? it sounded pretty epic.
arcade fire rely on a lot of the emotion that obama relies on. and i think that emotion is a good thing and i love them both for it. don’t hate.
Look, uh, I love Arcade Fire, but seriously guys, this song’s like one of the GREATEST EVER and you just shouldn’t fuck with that shit.
Did anybody go to this? I live a little over an hour away and thought about it. I wasn’t wild about the “first come/first serve” thing, I didn’t want to spend my whole Sunday in line in Nelsonville, Oh.
I ended up going, they played 2 shows, one at 7 and one at 9. There were only about 150-200 people at the second. This cover was really amazing live. truly.
God fuck this band. I can try and ignore them all I want, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re covering Sam Cooke and just pissing me off more and more every day.
I am of the opinion that EVERYBODY should cover this song.
The Arcade Fire has free reign in my book, but if you think this song shouldn’t be covered either way, better check out cellist Ben Sollee’s version… new verses, fresh take, timely, etc. It just might change your mind.
the arcade fire shouldnt cover this song? who are you, greg, to say what they should or should not do? i dont even think sam cooke should have the right to say that. arg.
OK, this is my favorite song of all time.
I saw Cold War Kids cover it last year at SXSW, and when they started, I couldn’t believe anyone would have the audacity to do so. But, y’know what? It was pretty damn good, and it was a bit thrilling to hear it being performed in front of a thousand or two people who had no idea what the hell it was.
I can’t help but think it might have gone over well again, especially under the circumstances of the gig. But by the same token, judging from the YouTube video, it sounds like they massacred it.
Anyone have the full version from the second show?
I just threw up in my mouth a little.
Thanks, Stereogum.
The Cold War Kids killed this song (in a good way). Win Butler doesn’t have that kind of voice. Sometimes he can hardly carry his own songs live. You shouldn’t cover Jimi Hendrix if you’re not a sick guitar player, and you shouldn’t cover this song if you’re not a sick singer.
way to use the same “easily wooed” joke as the onion
I’ll be damned if I’m going to let Canadians tell me anything.
aren’t these guys Canadian?
Win is from Texas and Regine has dual citizenship.
Oh yea you got served.
Should you not cover this song if youre not a black singer..? I think the Fire are desperately trying to escape the depressed brit guy joy division thing they got pinned with in the first place. first david byrne, then springsteen, now sam cooke! too bad nobody these days has the talent to cover the everly bros