Full Transcript for Inside the Covers: 7 Unique Cover Versions of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ “Refugee”

on it. But that being said, 25 years in 00:02:10.310 --> 00:02:13.110 radio, media and all, audio is my go -to. So 00:02:13.110 --> 00:02:15.430 it's easier for me to just turn the mic on and 00:02:15.430 --> 00:02:18.210 get going. What's going to be interesting about 00:02:18.210 --> 00:02:21.030 this format is, depending on whatever song I 00:02:21.030 --> 00:02:25.210 choose, there could be as little as a few covers 00:02:25.210 --> 00:02:29.069 to maybe even hundreds of covers. Or in the case 00:02:29.069 --> 00:02:32.729 of The Beatles' Yesterday, thousands of recorded 00:02:32.729 --> 00:02:35.449 renditions of that song. But with that said, 00:02:35.490 --> 00:02:37.509 I'm going to try to stray away from the songs 00:02:37.509 --> 00:02:39.889 that are well -known for having tons and tons 00:02:39.889 --> 00:02:42.150 of renditions. And I'm going to try to focus 00:02:42.150 --> 00:02:45.590 on songs where you certainly know the original. 00:02:46.349 --> 00:02:48.889 But you might not be familiar with the covers. 00:02:48.969 --> 00:02:51.810 And if you are familiar with the covers, maybe 00:02:51.810 --> 00:02:54.229 you haven't heard them in a while. And I can 00:02:54.229 --> 00:02:57.530 dust off the old cobwebs in the brain, unlocking 00:02:57.530 --> 00:03:00.930 those random, man, I forgot I even had that memory 00:03:00.930 --> 00:03:03.490 kind of songs. So that's what I'm going for here. 00:03:03.550 --> 00:03:06.889 And yes, in a lot of these instances, if I do 00:03:06.889 --> 00:03:09.710 this episode more often moving forward, the original 00:03:09.710 --> 00:03:13.789 song will probably be the go -to slash definitive 00:03:13.789 --> 00:03:17.060 version. So I understand if you're a big fan 00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:19.780 of the original, this might just be me listing, 00:03:19.919 --> 00:03:24.340 I don't know, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 atrocities to 00:03:24.340 --> 00:03:27.219 your love of the original. But the way I see 00:03:27.219 --> 00:03:31.020 this, if I love a song and another artist covers 00:03:31.020 --> 00:03:34.680 that song. Usually, I want to feel that that 00:03:34.680 --> 00:03:38.000 artist at least has a genuine like, maybe love 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:41.099 for that song to want to put their artistic stamp 00:03:41.099 --> 00:03:43.979 on it. So from that standpoint, I'm a big fan 00:03:43.979 --> 00:03:48.020 of cover songs because I love hearing what another 00:03:48.020 --> 00:03:51.039 artist wants to bring to a song that they love. 00:03:51.219 --> 00:03:54.219 And being I love the song as well, there's that 00:03:54.219 --> 00:03:57.479 camaraderie between me, the listener, and the 00:03:57.479 --> 00:04:00.430 artist who's doing the rendition. Now, going 00:04:00.430 --> 00:04:03.550 back as far as tune styles and playlist wars, 00:04:03.650 --> 00:04:06.250 I always tried to work in my love of cover songs. 00:04:06.430 --> 00:04:09.050 And then over on my weekly mixtape, I've done 00:04:09.050 --> 00:04:12.310 several cover song specific episodes, like episode 00:04:12.310 --> 00:04:15.909 seven, which was hard rock cover songs. Episode 00:04:15.909 --> 00:04:19.550 26, which was punk rock cover songs. Episode 00:04:19.550 --> 00:04:23.290 33, which was wait, that's a cover song, as well 00:04:23.290 --> 00:04:26.970 as others that I've mixed in throughout the discussions. 00:04:26.990 --> 00:04:28.850 But this is a little bit of a different animal. 00:04:29.160 --> 00:04:32.560 In this episode, I'm just taking one song and 00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:35.500 I'm going to try to bring up several different 00:04:35.500 --> 00:04:39.100 cover song examples of that song that'll give 00:04:39.100 --> 00:04:41.660 you an appreciation from the way other artists 00:04:41.660 --> 00:04:45.459 see the original. This was actually something 00:04:45.459 --> 00:04:48.279 we did way back on TuneStyles towards the beginning. 00:04:48.860 --> 00:04:52.720 Jay and I did not have an episode topic for the 00:04:52.720 --> 00:04:55.439 night. So we literally were just talking about 00:04:55.439 --> 00:04:58.720 things we could do. and Africa started playing 00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:01.560 by Toto. And I said, you know, between the Weezer 00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:04.399 cover, and then he immediately chimed in with 00:05:04.399 --> 00:05:06.759 another cover, and then I chimed in with Quiet 00:05:06.759 --> 00:05:09.660 Drive's cover, it became an episode of TuneStyle. 00:05:09.660 --> 00:05:11.540 So I'm kind of using that format for tonight. 00:05:12.040 --> 00:05:15.579 One original song, endless cover song possibilities. 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:19.220 And if you visit the episode page at myweeklymixtape 00:05:19.220 --> 00:05:22.259 .com, I'm going to post YouTube videos for each 00:05:22.259 --> 00:05:25.339 of these songs, because in a lot of these instances, 00:05:25.540 --> 00:05:28.259 the songs aren't available on streaming. Some 00:05:28.259 --> 00:05:31.079 of them are from deluxe editions of an album, 00:05:31.319 --> 00:05:34.720 live performances, or simply the regular label 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:37.420 nonsense keeping the songs off of streaming, 00:05:37.500 --> 00:05:40.550 which I'm not even going to get into. So tonight's 00:05:40.550 --> 00:05:43.269 cover du jour won't come as a huge surprise to 00:05:43.269 --> 00:05:45.769 anyone because I'm going to start with my favorite 00:05:45.769 --> 00:05:48.829 artist slash band of all time, that being Tom 00:05:48.829 --> 00:05:50.970 Petty and the Heartbreakers. And I'm going to 00:05:50.970 --> 00:05:54.269 go with the incredible second single. Yeah, it 00:05:54.269 --> 00:05:56.689 was the second single. And surprise, surprise, 00:05:56.850 --> 00:06:01.069 album opening track from 1980s Damn the Torpedoes, 00:06:01.069 --> 00:06:04.209 Refugee. Now, just a little bit about the song. 00:06:04.250 --> 00:06:06.930 It reached number 15 on the U .S. Billboard Hot 00:06:06.930 --> 00:06:09.750 100. It

was one of the first songs Mike Campbell, 00:06:09.910 --> 00:06:12.029 the song's co -writer as well as heartbreaker, 00:06:12.230 --> 00:06:15.610 ever wrote, which was a really kind of killer 00:06:15.610 --> 00:06:19.199 way to start a songwriting career. Anyway, this 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:23.120 song is and has always been a Tom Petty staple 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:26.560 ever since Damn the Torpedoes was released. It 00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:30.420 ranked number 10 on Billboard's 20 greatest Tom 00:06:30.420 --> 00:06:34.120 Petty songs and number two on Rolling Stone's 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:36.930 50 greatest Petty songs. That's a little bit 00:06:36.930 --> 00:06:39.209 closer to where I would place it in my overall 00:06:39.209 --> 00:06:41.610 Tom Petty rankings, even though Rolling Stone 00:06:41.610 --> 00:06:44.970 and I don't always see eye to eye. Now, before 00:06:44.970 --> 00:06:47.430 we get into those cover versions, if you like 00:06:47.430 --> 00:06:50.149 what you're hearing on my weekly mixtape, you 00:06:50.149 --> 00:06:52.089 can help me out by either telling a friend about 00:06:52.089 --> 00:06:54.709 the show. Leaving the show a five -star review 00:06:54.709 --> 00:06:57.529 wherever you're tuning in or becoming a Patreon 00:06:57.529 --> 00:07:01.949 mixtaper at patreon .com forward slash myweeklymixtape. 00:07:02.050 --> 00:07:04.329 There you can enjoy ad -free episodes of the 00:07:04.329 --> 00:07:07.290 show, become a future guest, and so much more. 00:07:07.449 --> 00:07:10.370 And an idea I have for this... kind of bonus 00:07:10.370 --> 00:07:13.269 series is to, in the future, have the Patreon 00:07:13.269 --> 00:07:16.569 mixtapers send in songs that then I will attempt 00:07:16.569 --> 00:07:19.870 to unearth some fun and unique cover versions 00:07:19.870 --> 00:07:23.089 for. But alas, for today, as nobody knows I'm 00:07:23.089 --> 00:07:25.790 even recording this right now, I am choosing 00:07:25.790 --> 00:07:28.230 this song. Once again, if you'd like to join 00:07:28.230 --> 00:07:30.949 the Patreon mixtaper family, however, we'd love 00:07:30.949 --> 00:07:34.310 to have you there. Patreon .com forward slash 00:07:34.310 --> 00:07:38.680 My Weekly Mixtape. Okay, so let's start diving 00:07:38.680 --> 00:07:41.100 into these cover versions of Tom Petty and the 00:07:41.100 --> 00:07:43.980 Heartbreakers Refugee. And remember, visit the 00:07:43.980 --> 00:07:46.560 episode page at myweeklymixtape .com because 00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:48.639 there I've got all of the different versions 00:07:48.639 --> 00:07:51.160 embedded so you can give them a listen one by 00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:54.339 one. And in a nod to my old Playlist Wars days, 00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:57.439 vote for your favorite cover version from the 00:07:57.439 --> 00:08:00.079 episode. Now, I hope you're sitting down for 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:01.759 this one because the first song that I'm going 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:06.620 with came out in 1980, shortly after... Damn 00:08:06.620 --> 00:08:09.360 the Torpedoes was released. And no, this version 00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:11.839 being released in 1980 is not the reason you're 00:08:11.839 --> 00:08:13.480 going to be jumping out of your chair and screaming 00:08:13.480 --> 00:08:16.279 in traffic. But this is actually the version 00:08:16.279 --> 00:08:19.860 that introduced me to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. 00:08:19.980 --> 00:08:23.019 And this was an album my parents got me. It was 00:08:23.019 --> 00:08:25.779 Alvin and the Chipmunks, Chipmunk Punk. Now, 00:08:25.779 --> 00:08:27.279 hopefully I don't need to give it a minute for 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:29.660 everybody to calm down. And please don't hit 00:08:29.660 --> 00:08:32.299 stop on the episode. I'll continue to explain. 00:08:32.779 --> 00:08:36.250 When I was growing up, My parents on Friday night 00:08:36.250 --> 00:08:38.710 always did Friday night music night where we 00:08:38.710 --> 00:08:41.230 would not turn the TV on. My dad would just open 00:08:41.230 --> 00:08:43.110 up the cabinet. We'd start pulling out records 00:08:43.110 --> 00:08:45.730 and putting on music. And as I got old enough 00:08:45.730 --> 00:08:49.049 to want to hear my own songs, my parents pretty 00:08:49.049 --> 00:08:51.470 much didn't want to torture themselves with, 00:08:51.610 --> 00:08:55.190 let's say, the Baby Shark of 1980 over and over 00:08:55.190 --> 00:08:57.710 and over again. So they found a unique way to 00:08:57.710 --> 00:09:01.190 get in songs they liked. That spoke to my children's 00:09:01.190 --> 00:09:03.809 music at the time, so to speak. That being Alvin 00:09:03.809 --> 00:09:06.610 and Chipmunks. They had Chipmunk Punk, Chipmunk 00:09:06.610 --> 00:09:09.350 Rock, songs from the television series. So I 00:09:09.350 --> 00:09:11.870 had a bunch of Chipmunk albums. But Chipmunk 00:09:11.870 --> 00:09:14.029 Punk was always my favorite. And it contained 00:09:14.029 --> 00:09:16.330 kind of a who's who of what I listened to growing 00:09:16.330 --> 00:09:20.210 up. It had The Cars, Let's Go, Blondie's Call 00:09:20.210 --> 00:09:23.090 Me, Billy Joel's You May Be Right, Queen's Crazy 00:09:23.090 --> 00:09:25.490 Little Thing Called Love, The Nacks, My Sharona, 00:09:25.570 --> 00:09:29.149 and Tom Petty's Refugee. refugee was one that 00:09:29.149 --> 00:09:32.289 i always kept playing on those friday night music 00:09:32.289 --> 00:09:34.690 nights and at one point my father said okay it 00:09:34.690 --> 00:09:37.529 seems you like this one let me try something 00:09:37.529 --> 00:09:41.330 boom he puts on damn the torpedoes and proceeds 00:09:41.330 --> 00:09:44.029 to blow my mind because at the time you know 00:09:44.029 --> 00:09:47.529 three four five years old i thought that was 00:09:47.529 --> 00:09:50.889 an alvin and chipmunk song so there was my introduction 00:09:51.580 --> 00:09:53.980 To Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. And from 00:09:53.980

--> 00:09:57.860 that point on. I still enjoy listening. To the 00:09:57.860 --> 00:09:59.879 Alvin and the Chipmunks version. Because it reminds 00:09:59.879 --> 00:10:04.179 me. I can see myself back in my pajamas. On a 00:10:04.179 --> 00:10:06.100 Friday night. Sitting on my parents living room 00:10:06.100 --> 00:10:08.259 floor. Listening to it. So that one is always 00:10:08.259 --> 00:10:10.340 going to hold a special place to me. But it's 00:10:10.340 --> 00:10:13.480 what kick started my love. For Tom Petty and 00:10:13.480 --> 00:10:15.840 the Heartbreakers. And as well as the other bands 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:19.399 on the album. Queen, Billy Joel, The Cars, Blondie, 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:22.789 etc. Very smart move on Ross Bagnasarian's part 00:10:22.789 --> 00:10:26.210 to do the whole chipmunk version of popular songs 00:10:26.210 --> 00:10:29.450 because it really did kind of become the quote 00:10:29.450 --> 00:10:33.309 unquote kids bop for the 1980s. So anyway, first 00:10:33.309 --> 00:10:36.389 one, Alvin and the Chipmunks. Now, we got to 00:10:36.389 --> 00:10:40.870 fast forward 20 years for the next cover of Refugee. 00:10:40.870 --> 00:10:44.440 And this one is one that. One of my close friends 00:10:44.440 --> 00:10:46.779 down in North Carolina introduced me to because 00:10:46.779 --> 00:10:49.159 at the time I was in college hosting a college 00:10:49.159 --> 00:10:52.620 radio show. And I was always looking for country 00:10:52.620 --> 00:10:55.340 music because my first college radio show was 00:10:55.340 --> 00:10:59.539 a country music radio show. That was simply because 00:10:59.539 --> 00:11:02.000 when I wanted to get on the air, they basically 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:05.000 said they had all the genres filled. So as I 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:09.000 was perusing through the schedule, I called out 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:12.059 the fact that there wasn't a country show. And 00:11:12.059 --> 00:11:13.659 they said, no, we haven't had a country show 00:11:13.659 --> 00:11:15.340 in years. If you want it, then we can get you 00:11:15.340 --> 00:11:18.960 on the air. So 7 a .m. on a Monday morning through 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:21.000 the last three years of college, I would hop 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:23.159 on the air and do two hours of country music. 00:11:23.620 --> 00:11:25.480 And with that, I would reach out to my friends 00:11:25.480 --> 00:11:27.519 in North Carolina and say, hey, you guys, if 00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:30.500 you guys know any up and coming country songs 00:11:30.500 --> 00:11:33.299 that are popular down in North Carolina here 00:11:33.299 --> 00:11:35.340 in New Jersey, they might not be popular yet. 00:11:35.379 --> 00:11:38.539 And I can use all the help I can get. One of 00:11:38.539 --> 00:11:41.139 my friends, Chris Snyder, down in North Carolina, 00:11:41.259 --> 00:11:42.860 thank you very much, man, because you know I'm 00:11:42.860 --> 00:11:45.759 a huge fan of this one, sent me 2000's Pickin' 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:48.899 on Petty, a bluegrass tribute to Tom Petty. And 00:11:48.899 --> 00:11:51.580 the musicians featured on this version are David 00:11:51.580 --> 00:11:55.559 West, Tom Corbett, Tom Ball, Thomas Martin, and 00:11:55.559 --> 00:11:58.559 Chris Hillman. Lots of different Toms featured 00:11:58.559 --> 00:12:01.259 on a cover of a Tom Petty song, but I digress. 00:12:01.379 --> 00:12:04.460 This is an interesting version of the song. This 00:12:04.460 --> 00:12:08.289 is not like your Hasty Dixie. bluegrass cover 00:12:08.289 --> 00:12:11.950 there are no vocals so to some this could be 00:12:11.950 --> 00:12:15.909 a little jarring but to me this really explores 00:12:15.909 --> 00:12:21.370 the music for the song not so much the vocals 00:12:21.370 --> 00:12:23.610 you're not singing along with this version you're 00:12:23.610 --> 00:12:26.250 getting immersed in the actual music because 00:12:26.250 --> 00:12:28.529 tom petty and the heartbreakers at the end of 00:12:28.529 --> 00:12:32.570 the day wrote fantastically catchy songs that 00:12:32.570 --> 00:12:34.990 you could sing along with but underneath that 00:12:34.990 --> 00:12:39.340 layer There is fantastic music, and I feel like 00:12:39.340 --> 00:12:42.340 this team really brought it out in bluegrass 00:12:42.340 --> 00:12:45.100 form. Now, granted, you might not be a bluegrass 00:12:45.100 --> 00:12:47.700 fan. This might not be up your alley. I completely 00:12:47.700 --> 00:12:51.039 understand that, and I respect that. But this 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:53.639 version is definitely worth checking out if you 00:12:53.639 --> 00:12:56.480 like hearing different versions of the song, 00:12:56.519 --> 00:12:59.000 because there's a lot going on musically that 00:12:59.000 --> 00:13:02.320 you can hear. That normally you're too busy singing 00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:05.019 along with to notice those nuances. So I highly 00:13:05.019 --> 00:13:08.340 recommend that one. Next up, I am going to go 00:13:08.340 --> 00:13:12.320 to 2005. And we're going to do the first cross 00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:16.500 -gender cover of the song. This being Melissa 00:13:16.500 --> 00:13:20.120 Etheridge for her 2005 greatest hits album, The 00:13:20.120 --> 00:13:23.309 Road Less Traveled. The first time I heard this 00:13:23.309 --> 00:13:26.129 version, it stopped me in my tracks because she 00:13:26.129 --> 00:13:29.029 kind of slowed it down a little bit and she made 00:13:29.029 --> 00:13:33.509 it very much a Melissa Etheridge song. It was 00:13:33.509 --> 00:13:37.070 emotive. It was powerful. It was strong. It was 00:13:37.070 --> 00:13:40.690 confident. The original has an upbeat kind of 00:13:40.690 --> 00:13:44.009 rocking swagger to it. This version was very 00:13:44.009 --> 00:13:47.899 deliberate. You could feel the angst in it. And 00:13:47.899 --> 00:13:50.679 she brought out a different emotion from the 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:54.879 original song, kept

the heft of the song and 00:13:54.879 --> 00:13:58.820 was able to slow it down and still make it rock. 00:13:59.220 --> 00:14:01.679 And I'm going to hit on that point again shortly, 00:14:01.860 --> 00:14:05.159 but she did such an amazing version of this song. 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:08.840 I can listen to Tom Petty's version back to back 00:14:08.840 --> 00:14:11.679 with Melissa Etheridge's version and feel like 00:14:11.679 --> 00:14:14.580 for the most part, I'm listening to. two different 00:14:14.580 --> 00:14:18.039 songs because her rendition just hits a lot differently. 00:14:19.139 --> 00:14:23.039 Now, fast forwarding six years later, we're going 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:25.799 to get a little bit of a punk edge to this. Now, 00:14:25.840 --> 00:14:28.539 this is where I decided to get away from streaming 00:14:28.539 --> 00:14:30.679 because I realized this is where it was just 00:14:30.679 --> 00:14:33.899 going to become impossible. Because for one, 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:36.500 Alvin and the Chipmunks isn't available on streaming. 00:14:36.600 --> 00:14:38.799 Not that anyone is looking that version up, but 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:41.320 it is available on YouTube. And sometimes the 00:14:41.320 --> 00:14:43.899 Pickin' On Petty or the Pickin' On series as 00:14:43.899 --> 00:14:46.200 a whole is hit or miss on streaming. So right 00:14:46.200 --> 00:14:48.480 there, I would have been 0 for 2. Then Melissa 00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:50.379 Etheridge would have been the first one. Regardless, 00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:53.159 all there on YouTube. And when I can put the 00:14:53.159 --> 00:14:55.200 actual music video, like in the form of Melissa 00:14:55.200 --> 00:14:57.080 Etheridge's version, I will do that. It's an 00:14:57.080 --> 00:14:59.480 interesting video. Definitely worth checking 00:14:59.480 --> 00:15:05.350 out. But 2011. iTunes sessions. Kids, this was 00:15:05.350 --> 00:15:07.870 back when people were buying songs individually. 00:15:08.169 --> 00:15:32.750 Streaming was not a thing. I don't know, $10, 00:15:32.850 --> 00:15:35.009 $20 each, even if they're cracked in half with 00:15:35.009 --> 00:15:38.779 a scratch in them. But anyway, 2011 had... things 00:15:38.779 --> 00:15:40.940 called iTunes sessions. And this is where bands 00:15:40.940 --> 00:15:43.399 would go in and they would record several renditions 00:15:43.399 --> 00:15:46.559 of their hit songs, maybe a couple of covers, 00:15:46.600 --> 00:15:48.919 and do it in the iTunes studios. And they would 00:15:48.919 --> 00:15:53.039 put them out as little digital EPs. And New Jersey's 00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:57.080 own The Gaslight Anthem did that for 2011's iTunes 00:15:57.080 --> 00:16:00.240 sessions. Now, I looked this up on Apple Music, 00:16:00.299 --> 00:16:03.059 and believe it or not, this song isn't even available 00:16:03.059 --> 00:16:06.330 on Apple Music, which is the streaming progression 00:16:06.330 --> 00:16:09.570 of itunes so i don't know why

they're leaving 00:16:09.570 --> 00:16:12.169 it kind of out of that domain because the itunes 00:16:12.169 --> 00:16:16.250 sessions as a whole was pretty damn cool i remember 00:16:16.250 --> 00:16:18.789 off the top of my head grace potter and the nocturnals 00:16:18.789 --> 00:16:21.789 did a version of itunes sessions that features 00:16:21.789 --> 00:16:25.649 a cover of madonna's like a prayer which then 00:16:25.649 --> 00:16:29.710 again was also done by h2o so that could be a 00:16:29.710 --> 00:16:32.970 future cover songs episode i'll put a pin in 00:16:32.970 --> 00:16:36.309 that but anyway Gaslight Anthem, iTunes Sessions. 00:16:36.710 --> 00:16:40.750 This version sounds like the Gaslight Anthem 00:16:40.750 --> 00:16:44.289 is channeling Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Like 00:16:44.289 --> 00:16:46.909 Melissa Etheridge's version, it's a little slower, 00:16:47.029 --> 00:16:51.710 but it's heavy. This one focuses on the guitars. 00:16:51.889 --> 00:16:56.110 The guitars are big and loud in the mix. And 00:16:56.110 --> 00:16:59.590 Brian Fallon's voice, while not... Anywhere near 00:16:59.590 --> 00:17:02.009 a dead ringer for Tom Petty. He is definitely 00:17:02.009 --> 00:17:04.410 more aligned to the Bruce Springsteen gravelly 00:17:04.410 --> 00:17:07.650 kind of voice. When he brings the energy and 00:17:07.650 --> 00:17:10.509 the way they interpreted the song by kind of 00:17:10.509 --> 00:17:13.950 slowing it down, really cranking up the overdrive 00:17:13.950 --> 00:17:17.049 on the guitars, his voice actually immediately 00:17:17.049 --> 00:17:20.269 becomes perfect for the song and their version. 00:17:20.869 --> 00:17:23.849 So you're channeling the energy and heft of the 00:17:23.849 --> 00:17:26.779 original. But you're putting a unique stamp on 00:17:26.779 --> 00:17:28.660 it that doesn't kind of give it that musical 00:17:28.660 --> 00:17:32.980 photocopy that sometimes I call it a paint -by 00:17:32.980 --> 00:17:34.799 -numbers cover, where when you're done listening 00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:38.299 to it, you kind of say to yourself, huh, I should 00:17:38.299 --> 00:17:40.099 have just listened to the original. You do not 00:17:40.099 --> 00:17:42.960 get that so far with any of the ones that I've 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:45.420 mentioned tonight. And you're certainly not going 00:17:45.420 --> 00:17:48.000 to get it with the next one, which came out two 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:51.390 years later. It's probably going to be the one 00:17:51.390 --> 00:17:53.369 where most people hit the stop button on this 00:17:53.369 --> 00:17:56.009 episode. But hear me out. Hear me out. Any of 00:17:56.009 --> 00:17:58.769 you who are parents out there know that sometimes 00:17:58.769 --> 00:18:01.890 it's hard to get your little ones to sleep, especially 00:18:01.890 --> 00:18:04.609 in those early years up to the toddler years. 00:18:04.730 --> 00:18:07.309 And sometimes you use music in the room to help 00:18:07.309 --> 00:18:09.690 them fall asleep at night. And there was some 00:18:09.690 --> 00:18:13.640 very, very forward thinking. Smart groups out 00:18:13.640 --> 00:18:17.359 there that realize this was an untapped market. 00:18:17.440 --> 00:18:20.799 Groups like Rockabye Baby. They realized people 00:18:20.799 --> 00:18:25.299 were out there listening to lullabies that they 00:18:25.299 --> 00:18:29.299 might not actually enjoy over and over and over 00:18:29.299 --> 00:18:32.839 and over again. So over time, groups like this 00:18:32.839 --> 00:18:35.119 put out series of albums based on all different 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:38.160 artists, everything from Metallica to ACDC to 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:41.059 Nine Inch Nails, as well as obviously Tom Petty 00:18:41.059 --> 00:18:44.160 and it's Twinkle Twinkle Little Rockstar. And 00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:47.519 in 2013, they put out an album, Lullaby Versions 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:50.119 of Tom Petty. Now, granted, this isn't going 00:18:50.119 --> 00:18:52.859 to be the version that you're going to go put 00:18:52.859 --> 00:18:56.279 on and play when you have friends over. This 00:18:56.279 --> 00:18:58.700 to me sounds like the version that it's three 00:18:58.700 --> 00:19:01.390 o 'clock in the morning. your baby's not falling 00:19:01.390 --> 00:19:04.250 asleep the music helps and you're sitting there 00:19:04.250 --> 00:19:06.789 and you don't want to listen to the same 30 second 00:19:06.789 --> 00:19:09.890 lullaby loop playing over and over again which 00:19:09.890 --> 00:19:12.809 a lot of those toys had so you put a cd on like 00:19:12.809 --> 00:19:15.470 this and at least while you're rocking back and 00:19:15.470 --> 00:19:17.829 forth getting your child to fall asleep you can 00:19:17.829 --> 00:19:19.809 kind of hum the melodies of the songs and it's 00:19:19.809 --> 00:19:22.589 an interesting listen believe it or not this 00:19:22.589 --> 00:19:25.509 is the kind of song that if i ever went for a 00:19:25.509 --> 00:19:28.309 massage and they have that kind of spa music 00:19:28.309 --> 00:19:30.670 playing in the background, I'd almost rather 00:19:30.670 --> 00:19:33.509 have this because it kind of gives you that really 00:19:33.509 --> 00:19:38.549 relaxing, tranquil atmosphere. But it's also 00:19:38.549 --> 00:19:40.910 hitting those dopamine receptors because you 00:19:40.910 --> 00:19:43.609 realize song after song that you actually know 00:19:43.609 --> 00:19:46.450 the song that's playing, even though there's 00:19:46.450 --> 00:19:49.789 no lyrics being sang once again. Certainly not 00:19:49.789 --> 00:19:51.450 one if you don't have kids. Obviously, check 00:19:51.450 --> 00:19:53.849 it out. You might like it. And keep it in mind 00:19:53.849 --> 00:19:56.930 if you are going to be having kids one day. Because 00:19:56.930 --> 00:20:00.329 if you're not a fan of all of Tom Petty's catalogs, 00:20:00.329 --> 00:20:02.549 they have albums out with so many different artists.

00:20:03.069 --> 00:20:06.250 Definitely worth checking out. Now, kind of moving 00:20:06.250 --> 00:20:08.529 forward a couple more years from that, we're 00:20:08.529 --> 00:20:11.690 going to jump seven years ahead. And this next 00:20:11.690 --> 00:20:15.819 one is kind of a cheat. Because it's... Technically 00:20:15.819 --> 00:20:18.079 a cover version, but it's also not. I mentioned 00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:20.259 at the top of the show, Mike Campbell is one 00:20:20.259 --> 00:20:22.539 of the co -writers of the songs. Well, in 2020 00:20:22.539 --> 00:20:26.579 on Sirius XM, Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs 00:20:26.579 --> 00:20:30.400 did a live performance of Refugee. Now, Mike 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:34.039 co -wrote the song, and it's ridiculously insane 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:38.549 how tonally similar. mike campbell is to tom 00:20:38.549 --> 00:20:41.390 petty sometimes when i hear mike campbell singing 00:20:41.390 --> 00:20:44.170 there's almost this moment of oh my god is that 00:20:44.170 --> 00:20:48.329 and i stop myself because they have a similar 00:20:48.329 --> 00:20:52.309 sound almost in a way to where rick okasik from 00:20:52.309 --> 00:20:55.569 the cars and benjamin or from the cars had voices 00:20:55.569 --> 00:20:58.369 that were almost similar enough that maybe there 00:20:58.369 --> 00:21:00.529 are points in the car's discography where you 00:21:00.529 --> 00:21:02.450 listen to a song and you think it's one but it's 00:21:02.450 --> 00:21:04.869 really the other i think this could have happened 00:21:04.869 --> 00:21:08.430 here and This version of refugee that they did 00:21:08.430 --> 00:21:13.349 is a slower acoustic campfire kind of style version 00:21:13.349 --> 00:21:16.009 of the song. And what I love about it is they 00:21:16.009 --> 00:21:18.930 do it in three fourths time. So it gives the 00:21:18.930 --> 00:21:22.730 song a completely different feel coupled with 00:21:22.730 --> 00:21:25.390 the fact that it was performed after Tom passed. 00:21:26.029 --> 00:21:30.369 It adds a bittersweet and maybe somber tone to 00:21:30.369 --> 00:21:33.430 it, but the song is already heavy as it is from 00:21:33.430 --> 00:21:36.720 the original. This version just packs more of 00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:40.839 an emotional weight versus the musical weight 00:21:40.839 --> 00:21:43.900 of the original. And I think therein kind of 00:21:43.900 --> 00:21:46.680 lies the beauty of what is a well -written song. 00:21:46.779 --> 00:21:50.359 You can manipulate it and change it in many different 00:21:50.359 --> 00:21:52.640 ways and many different styles. But at the end 00:21:52.640 --> 00:21:56.759 of the day, a well -written song will translate 00:21:56.759 --> 00:22:01.740 to whatever another musician's style is and still. 00:22:02.259 --> 00:22:04.680 resonate with people because of the fact that 00:22:04.680 --> 00:22:08.380 it's just a fantastic song and i think the last 00:22:08.380 --> 00:22:10.839 one i'm going to go with tonight is one that 00:22:10.839 --> 00:22:14.579 is the newest of all of the cover songs and one 00:22:14.579 --> 00:22:16.480 that i heard this past weekend which is kind 00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:19.420 of what inspired me to maybe go down this road 00:22:19.420 --> 00:22:21.920 if i ever decided to do a bonus episode like 00:22:21.920 --> 00:22:24.039 this which i also hope you guys are enjoying 00:22:24.039 --> 00:22:27.259 obviously it's just me talking this time so it's 00:22:27.259 --> 00:22:29.329 a little bit of a different animal for the My 00:22:29.329 --> 00:22:31.730 Weekly Mixtape listeners, but I'm going to go 00:22:31.730 --> 00:22:35.529 off of 2024's Petty Country, a country music 00:22:35.529 --> 00:22:38.130 celebration of Tom Petty, and we're going to 00:22:38.130 --> 00:22:43.789 go with two female powerhouses, Winona and Lainey 00:22:43.789 --> 00:22:47.690 Wilson. Lainey is just coming off her 2024 Academy 00:22:47.690 --> 00:22:50.690 of Country Music Awards Entertainer of the Year 00:22:50.690 --> 00:22:53.650 win. When I first heard her, and I'm going to 00:22:53.650 --> 00:22:55.650 be honest here, I was a little late to the Lainey 00:22:55.650 --> 00:22:58.329 Wilson party. I discovered Laney Wilson with 00:22:58.329 --> 00:23:00.970 Watermelon Moonshine from 2022's Bell Bottom 00:23:00.970 --> 00:23:03.470 Country. And as soon as I heard that, I immediately 00:23:03.470 --> 00:23:05.630 went out and bought the album and then went backwards 00:23:05.630 --> 00:23:08.710 to pick up Saying What I'm Thinking and 2016's 00:23:08.710 --> 00:23:11.970 Tougher. I knew upon first hearing Bell Bottom 00:23:11.970 --> 00:23:14.069 Country that we were going to deal with somebody 00:23:14.069 --> 00:23:17.430 who was going to be a big name in country music. 00:23:17.549 --> 00:23:20.470 And I'm glad that that came to fruition because 00:23:20.470 --> 00:23:24.660 she has such a unique voice. It almost has. kind 00:23:24.660 --> 00:23:27.359 of a linear connection to maybe a Dolly Parton, 00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:29.480 but with a little bit more heft, and she could 00:23:29.480 --> 00:23:32.359 really belt. But there's something that is almost 00:23:32.359 --> 00:23:34.720 timeless about her voice that I love as well, 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:37.480 very similar to Winona. So when I heard that 00:23:37.480 --> 00:23:39.700 these two were pairing up, one, I thought it 00:23:39.700 --> 00:23:42.460 was an interesting combination, but I was worried 00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:45.519 when I first hit play, was it going to be a let's 00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:47.940 try to outshine each other? But instead, it's 00:23:47.940 --> 00:23:51.700 the total opposite. This version, timing -wise, 00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:55.539 Feels as close to the original as any of the 00:23:55.539 --> 00:23:58.099 covers I've talked about tonight, minus Alvin 00:23:58.099 --> 00:23:59.980 and the Chipmunks, because that was played to 00:23:59.980 -->

00:24:02.539 kind of sound like the original, only with Alvin 00:24:02.539 --> 00:24:05.880 and the Chipmunks singing, of course. This version 00:24:05.880 --> 00:24:08.700 brings in country aspects like the banjo and 00:24:08.700 --> 00:24:12.559 violin, but it doesn't take it as far as the 00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:15.759 Picanon series where it leans heavily into the 00:24:15.759 --> 00:24:18.000 instruments. These are more mixed in to give 00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:21.900 it that rock slash country almost combo feel. 00:24:22.660 --> 00:24:24.680 Another thing that struck me about this song 00:24:24.680 --> 00:24:27.240 is the fact that there isn't a group of backing 00:24:27.240 --> 00:24:30.220 vocalists singing the don't have to live like 00:24:30.220 --> 00:24:33.259 a refugee kind of answer in the chorus. It's 00:24:33.259 --> 00:24:36.460 just Winona and Laney kind of ping -ponging back 00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:40.200 that vocal line, which really adds a dynamic 00:24:40.200 --> 00:24:44.619 layer to the duo portion of the song. It really 00:24:44.619 --> 00:24:47.599 emphasizes that part of it, whereas all the other 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:50.730 versions, Sans the Instrumental, have... The 00:24:50.730 --> 00:24:52.869 background vocal singing, which I should probably 00:24:52.869 --> 00:24:54.950 go back and say that the Alvin and the Chipmunks 00:24:54.950 --> 00:24:57.910 version, man, Simon and Theodore nailed those 00:24:57.910 --> 00:24:59.750 backing harmonies. I mean, people, it's always 00:24:59.750 --> 00:25:02.890 about Alvin, Alvin, Alvin, but damn it. Don't 00:25:02.890 --> 00:25:05.630 forget the Chipmunks part of Alvin and the Chipmunks. 00:25:05.950 --> 00:25:09.240 Simon and Theodore matter. But back to Winona 00:25:09.240 --> 00:25:11.839 and Lainey, around the three minute mark, both 00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:14.779 of them start doing their vocal acrobatics back 00:25:14.779 --> 00:25:18.279 and forth. And it's kind of this harmonious call 00:25:18.279 --> 00:25:21.339 and response, but they're not actually harmonizing 00:25:21.339 --> 00:25:24.759 each other. Their voices just pair so well together. 00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:27.720 You could feel the original's passion coming 00:25:27.720 --> 00:25:31.750 out. But make no mistake, this can end. probably 00:25:31.750 --> 00:25:37.049 will be a hit country radio song in 2024. Because 00:25:37.049 --> 00:25:39.849 like I said earlier, at the end of the day, it's 00:25:39.849 --> 00:25:44.170 a song that's written well. Refugee is a musical 00:25:44.170 --> 00:25:46.650 chameleon that when another artist puts their 00:25:46.650 --> 00:25:49.430 stamp on it, the masterpiece of the original 00:25:49.430 --> 00:25:53.390 always shines through. Yes. even with Alvin and 00:25:53.390 --> 00:25:56.349 the chipmunks. Now I've given you seven different 00:25:56.349 --> 00:25:59.049 cover versions of refugee to check out over on 00:25:59.049 --> 00:26:02.109 the episode page at my weekly mixtape .com. And 00:26:02.109 --> 00:26:04.769 there you can view each version in its YouTube 00:26:04.769 --> 00:26:07.789 embedded form. You've got Alvin and the chipmunks, 00:26:07.869 --> 00:26:11.190 the picking on series, Melissa Etheridge, the 00:26:11.190 --> 00:26:13.970 gaslight anthem, twinkle, twinkle, little rock 00:26:13.970 --> 00:26:18.059 star. the dirty knobs and Winona and Laney Wilson. 00:26:18.420 --> 00:26:21.220 I also threw a poll up on the page because just 00:26:21.220 --> 00:26:23.579 like in the old playlist wars days, I'd love 00:26:23.579 --> 00:26:25.440 to know which version that I talked about tonight 00:26:25.440 --> 00:26:27.599 is your favorite after listening to all of them. 00:26:27.640 --> 00:26:29.519 So make sure to vote for your favorite cover. 00:26:29.640 --> 00:26:32.380 You can also message me at my weekly mixtape 00:26:32.380 --> 00:26:35.160 at gmail .com and tell me which cover version 00:26:35.160 --> 00:26:37.680 was your favorite. And I'd love to know why too, 00:26:37.779 --> 00:26:40.420 if you picked one. And then also I'll add to 00:26:40.420 --> 00:26:44.000 that. If you like any of these more. than Tom 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:46.740 Petty and the Heartbreakers version. Please let 00:26:46.740 --> 00:26:49.119 me know. I would love to know if there's an instance 00:26:49.119 --> 00:26:52.559 like that. So with that said, I hope you enjoyed 00:26:52.559 --> 00:26:55.200 this under -the -covers dive into Tom Petty and 00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:57.819 the Heartbreakers refugee. Remember, you can 00:26:57.819 --> 00:27:00.279 find My Weekly Mixtape on almost all the social 00:27:00.279 --> 00:27:03.779 media haunts at My Weekly Mixtape. You can also 00:27:03.779 --> 00:27:06.240 head to MyWeeklyMixtape .com to check out the 00:27:06.240 --> 00:27:08.960 full catalog. of My Weekly Mixtape episodes. 00:27:09.319 --> 00:27:11.140 And if you like what you're hearing on the show, 00:27:11.240 --> 00:27:13.079 you can help me out by either telling a friend, 00:27:13.299 --> 00:27:15.500 leaving the show a five -star review wherever 00:27:15.500 --> 00:27:19.160 you're tuning in, or becoming a Patreon mixtaper 00:27:19.160 --> 00:27:22.740 at patreon .com forward slash My Weekly Mixtape. 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:25.279 There you can enjoy ad -free episodes of the 00:27:25.279 --> 00:27:28.440 show, become a future guest, chime in on future 00:27:28.440 --> 00:27:31.559 show topics, and so much more. That's all for 00:27:31.559 --> 00:27:34.619 this special edition of My Weekly Mixtape. Thanks 00:27:34.619 --> 00:27:37.319 again for listening and until next time. Enjoy 00:27:37.319 --> 00:27:37.759 the tunes.