In 2019, before she fully returned with Fetch The Bolt Cutters, Fiona Apple covered "The Whole Of The Moon," a classic 1985 song from the Scottish musician Mike Scott's band the Waterboys. Her version of that song was the theme for the final season of the TV show The Affair. The Waterboys are still around, and they've got a new album coming out. Life, Death And Dennis Hopper is a narrative concept LP about the live of one of the all-time great Hollywood blowhards. We already knew that Fiona Apple would appear on a track from the LP. We did not know that the song was performed entirely by Fiona Apple, but it is, and holy shit.
Life, Death And Dennis Hopper comes out in a couple of weeks, and it's got appearances from people like Bruce Springsteen and Steve Earle; we posted the early track "Hopper's On Top." On that album, Fiona Apple performs "Letter From An Unknown Girlfriend," a song that Mike Scott wrote. She sings the fuck out of it, too. The track is just Apple on voice and piano, and it must be written from the perspective of one of the women who dated Dennis Hopper once upon a time. It's about being so charmed that you let yourself be abused, and Apple brings her full intensity once the song ramps up. It is full-on absolute goosebump material. Listen below.
The Waterboys also recently shared "I Don't Know How I Made It," a new-album track with Dawes' Taylor Goldsmith. Check out that one below.
Life, Death And Dennis Hopper is out 4/4 on Sun Records. Fiona Apple covered Don Heffington's "Lately" for a tribute album, and she's got a version of "Heart Of Gold" on a Neil Young tribute that comes out next month. I guess this one counts as a cover song, too, sort of.
