Hi, we’re Gang of Youths and we just covered
Travis’ song ‘Why Does It Always Rain On Me?’
for Like A Version.
♪ I can’t sleep tonight
It’s just a really timeless, beautiful song
that we were able to kind of
do it quickly and efficiently and beautifully
in a way that we thought was the right standard.
And also
they’re a band that’s about as ‘uncool’ as us
and I thought that was really sweet to do it
and we knew that it would irritate
bespectacled music nerds everywhere
so that’s kind of part of it as well.
♪ Why Does It Always Rain On Me?
I first saw this song on rage when I was a kid.
Something about it’s kind of
soaring melody and it’s super depresssing melancholic lyrics
sort of spoke to me, and I loved the sense of
everything sucking all the time, non-stop.
Which is something that I think everyone can relate to
so I just think it’s beautiful.
I have a deep sense of homesickness when I hear it actually.
Really? Homesickness?
Yeah I do.
I mean I think it’s the simplicity of the song
The arrangement just lets the vocal just soar.
The fact that it has got a string element on the original is
obviously a draw for me.
But yeah, fun to write some string parts
and I have the great players who came to perform it.
♪ Why does it always rain on me?
I just love Fran’s phrasing, in the chorus the lines that he sings
”Even when the sun is shining, I can’t avoid the lightning”
It’s the rythmic element of the way he sings it
that I’ve always found so beautiful.
♪ Even when the sun is shining, I can’t avoid the lightning
We’re getting old, so we’re starting to look for music
from the ‘90s that makes us feel that
adult contemporary, Bridget Jones era, London vibe.
When it came to doing this cover
obviously the actual, the original is all laid out there already
and we’re actually using quite similiar instrumentations, so.
It was just adding to that beauty, a few new elements.
We love layering stuff up in Gang of Youths
so it’s getting the ebb and flow of the piece.
Ultimately letting Dave do his thing.
You can’t mess around too much with a song as
I guess as iconic and simple as that without kind of
you know, spoiling the soup a little bit, so.
Yeah, ‘course.
Yeah, we just wanted to retain the elements that are really
beautiful, but strip it back without it
make it without a drum kit, sort of this like I guess
AM Radio, adult contemporary vibe.
I was like, how we could make this sound like
Dido would have done it?
♪ And with a face like a dad and a laughable stand
I think it was in 2015 when we were just little babies
we did ‘All My Friends’ by LCD Soundsystem.
And that is probably still one of my favourite things
we’ve ever done, one of our favourite covers.
But then the last one we did was the biggie
I always love covering songs that have huge emotional weight
and nostalgia, that appeal to lots of people but still sit in
kind of like a more esoteric, indie sort of setting.
I mean that’s basically how Gang of Youths has
fooled it’s way into the cultural consciousness by ripping off
all this other stuff, and just being
average at it.
I’m always terrified walking into this room, it’s like trauma
coming in here ‘cos the pressure is enormous for me
‘cos I’m a nasty perfectionist
when it comes to absolutely everything.
So being self-critical, it’s hard for me
but when you nail it
I personally love what we did for ‘Blood’.
I don’t know if we nailed it nescessarily, but I loved what we did.
It’s hugely satisfying.
Like A Versions of our songs have been better than the originals.
Odette did ‘Magnolia’.
And I was telling her, I met her for the first time last night.
It’s so much better than the original ‘Magnolia’ that it makes me
wanna quit music because that woman’s unbelievably talented
and these other dudes, Nothing But Thieves
who supported us on our first headline show in London in 2014
did ‘What Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out?’ and
it’s significantly better.
Yeah, we can’t talk about that.
- Can’t do that. - Better than us.
It’s way better.
There’s too much iconic stuff that happens
♪ Even when the sun is shining, I can’t avoid the lightning
- I guess if people haven’t heard Travis, then it’s a whole - Go listen to Travis
modern audience who probably haven’t.
Yeah.
Go listen to Travis.
Yeah and also let go of your cynicism
and stop trying to be so cool.
No one thinks you’re cool.
Just be you.