Song #12 on the Popdose Top 100 Covers list is “Take Me To The River”, originally by Al Green and covered by the Talking Heads. Here’s the Rev. Al:
If you’ve seen The Commitments, you will recognize that this is what they were covering, not the Talking Heads version. Which makes sense given what that movie was about, but if you’re like me it’s the latter version that you’re more familiar with.
Slowing a song down is a common tactic for covering bands. Here in combination with the Talking Heads’ driving keyboards and David Byrne’s distinctive vocals, it really takes the tune in a different direction. Interestingly, the live version they did in the concert film Stop Making Sense had a faster tempo, closer to the original. Either way, great song, great cover.