5. Children In Needs 1997 Cover of Lou Reeds Perfect Day
Firstly, Id like to make one thing clear, Im not out to crucify the cause of such charity fundraising events. I deeply respect the ethos and activism behind Children In Need but at the same time, if a travesty can be defined as distortion, this star-laden (David Bowie, Elton John, Brett Anderson) and not-so-star-laden (Bono) update of Lou Reeds 1972 original belied the melancholia and sinister nature of the ex-Velvet man's lyrics. Commonly interpreted as an ode to heroin, a reading that Reed never strenuously denied, its usage as the main theme for an effort that focused on the welfare, rehabilitation and safety of vulnerable and disillusioned children was a glaring oversight from the BBC. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15cfs8z9PFI Of course, I dont want to deny the opportunity for a different interpretation of the song. One which, in this case, would be an upbeat and optimistic appraisal of a perfect day where people look out for each other and all is right with the world. But, as I hard as I want to believe that, its just plain silly. Stripping the song of its desperation, irony and ennui grossly devalues its poetic exploration of substance addiction and the fact that each artist was paid a small sum (£250) to feature on the single, severely undermines the integrity of the charitys objectives. A pompous, short-sighted re-working of a classic. Even if Lou was complicit with this, for shame!
A 22 year old English Literature graduate from Birmingham. I am passionate about music, literature and football, in particular, my beloved Aston Villa. Lover of words and consumer of art, music is the very air that I breathe.
