And now, for something completely different...

This is, without a doubt, something completely different. Elvis Costello has covered Christina Aguilera.

Elvis contributed his version of Christina’s 2002 hit “Beautiful” to the second episode of the second season of “House,” airing in September 2005. That episode, titled “Autopsy,” opens with a scene where a girl with a blood clot listens to the original song, and closes with House listening to Costello's version. The song is included on the show’s soundtrack, which was just released Sept. 18.

I may have mentioned here that I don’t really mind hearing Christina Aguilera’s music. I think the actual words I may have used are “guilty pleasure”. And of course, I have been an Elvis Costello fan pretty much since the time he released his first album. But is it necessary to say I was a little skeptical when I heard that Costello was covering Christina?

What keeps this from bottoming out is that, while it is true the song was a hit for Aguilera, she didn’t write it. Linda Perry did. Perry, of course, has gone from being known as the leader of 4 Non Blondes to a very popular pop music songwriter and producer. She’s worked with and/or written songs for, among others, Courtney Love, Pink, and Alicia Keys. Suffice to say Ms. Perry knows how to write a decent song. That Costello can take a well-written song and make it his own should not come as a surprise. Look what he did with “(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?”, “I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down”, and “A Good Year for the Roses”, to name but a couple. From the opening notes of "Beautiful", the song is an Elvis Costello song. Give it an unbiased listen and you'll hear what I mean.

Beautiful.mp3 Elvis Costello

Labels: covers, new stuff, soundtracks

posted by aikin @ 10:03 PM