Tom: This is one of the bravest covers I’ve ever heard: but if anyone can pull it off, it’s the band that managed a decent shot at covering Don’t Stop Me Now.
Tim: Yep, I’m listening.
Tom: Important context: this was in 2005, when Mr Brightside was only about a year or so old, and before it had truly settled into the pantheon of Songs Everyone Knows. Plus, this was just the B-side of a single, back when singles had B-sides. So while this isn’t quite as bold a move as it seems, it’s still going to be an interesting listen for anyone who knows every note of the original.
Tim: Yeah – it sounds…weird. I don’t to say ‘wrong’, because I guess it isn’t, but definitely weird, although that’s likely just due to over-familiarity with the original.
Tom: The only thing that I think falls down here are the vocals. Not because they’re bad — but because they’re McFly, and those voices and accents are suited more for their regular style. “It was only a kiss” just doesn’t sound right: it’s not a patch on the melodramatic original, it’s just sounds a bit like someone’s recounting a night out to their mates down the pub.
Tim: Hmm. I think the could perhaps work if the original hadn’t been heard and hadn’t been such a big hit, because it can work like this, even with that feeling to it. It’s just, like you said, it’s not a patch on the melodrama that the Killers give it.
Tim: Here’s a video that will appeal to ukulele fans and ornithologists alike. And that’s not a sentence I ever imagined myself writing.
Tom: Man, even I can’t come up with a ukulele-ornithology pun.
Tim: And what a lovely track that is. Gentle, reassuring, calming, friendly and above all happy. I’m not sure, in fact, if it’s possible to do a downbeat track that’s backed by a ukulele – they seem to have an in-built jauntiness factor that’s somewhat infectious, and in this instance it seems to have infected my very soul. MY SOUL, I tell you. And I like that in a song, because now I can think back to that “do. do. do do doo do do do. etc.” and be happy all day.
Tom: The word you’re looking for is “twee” – and if it were relentless, it’d be too much. That birdsong-whistling, for example, nearly pushed it over the edge – but then the guitars and drums kick back in, and it’s a proper McFly song again. That last chorus is gorgeous.
Tim: Nice video as well – them all in suits spinning umbrellas in an old concert hall, lack of any real special effects or anything, bringing out a slightly old-fashioned vibe that does nothing whatsoever to take away from the jauntiness of the song.
Tom: Since when was “the bonus track on a Best Of” meant to be this good?
Tim: I don’t know, but both this and the recent Girls Aloud track seem to be setting the bar quite high. It’s lovely all round, really.
Tom: Last time we talked about them, McFly had gone all Taio Cruz. Well, now they’ve… they’ve gone all JLS.
Tom: Damn it, McFly, I know you wanted to go in a new direction, but did it have to be such a terribly generic one?
I can’t fault the song, really – it’s lovely, and if it were any other band I’d probably like it, but I can’t help feeling that McFly have done so much better in the past. If it wasn’t for Tom McFly’s distinctive voice* then this could be the Wanted, or hell, even the Backstreet Boys.
*Yes, I know their names. Deal with it.
Tim: Could it, though? Well, probably, but it doesn’t seem any more generic than All About You or Five Colours In Her Hair, say. It’s not quite as good as most of their others – you’re right that it’s a nice tune, but there’s nothing hugely memorable about it, and it’s not going to be a massive Stargirl crowd pleaser – but I don’t think overly generic’s a particularly fair criticism.
Tom: Also, what’s with the Olly Murs hat, Tom McFly? It does make you look like a bit of a prat.
It’s the British Millennial generation’s version of Bob Dylan going electric.
Tom: Oh blimey. McFly have suddenly gone all Taio Cruz on us. I really disliked this on first listen, but now it’s growing on me. And that video’s a bit more grown-up than the image they used to project. Are they really making a full movie? That’s either Growing the Beard or Jumping the Shark and I’m really not sure which.
What we basically have here is the British Millennial generation’s version of Bob Dylan going electric. I reckon this is a carefully calculated single release: the rest of the album will be more traditional stuff for the long-term fans, but this is meant to attract the kids who’ve gotten used to Lady Gaga and 3OH!3 in the last couple of years.
Tim: Well, apparently they have ‘innovative plans‘ that look all intense, so I wouldn’t count on it being a one-off, especially considering that the next single is actually written with Taio Cruz. That said, I don’t think it’s such a bad thing. If growing up involves making a film with Harry doing the dirty with a vampire, then I say bring it on. It’s only 30 minutes long, rather than a full film, and good or bad I think it’ll be worth watching.
Personally I think their best track was Do Ya (which had the zombie video a couple of years back), and I prefer that style, but this is more up to date and you can tell that they haven’t done it just to be modern, but because they like the stuff. They haven’t sold out or changed dramatically – I like this one, as much as I liked some of their older output – just adapted, and done that fairly well. The main thing is that this passes the biggest test of all, in that you can tell it’s McFly. A different McFly, sure, but still McFly.
Tom: I can’t believe I’m about to have this argument, but: there is no way in hell that Do Ya is McFly’s best single. That’s blatantly Star Girl – and 5 Colours In Her Hair wasn’t exactly shabby either. What song did they choose to duet with the Jonas Brothers on? Not Do Ya, that’s for sure.
Tim: Oh, I’m not saying the others are bad. Star Girl is good, but only really because of the woo-oooh-ooh-ooh. Yes, that’s great, and it’s brilliant to listen to because you can join in and get excited with it (especially if you’re duetting at Wembley in front of a ginormous crowd), but the rest of it just seems to be filler just leading up to the bit that everyone likes to sings along to. 5 Colours, Obviously and All About You were all decent enough as well, but there’s something about Do Ya that I really like. It starts big and never really calms down until the end.
Tom: You know, at this point I’m just going to nod and agree, because I think arguing my point any further would destroy whatever shreds of credibility I have left. Also, let’s be honest, the reason it sounds like McFly is mainly because of whatever Tom’s accent is. (Seriously, I can’t work out what it is, and I’ve got a bloody linguistics degree.)
Tim: The first two notes get me excited because I think I’m about to hear Bad Romance.
Tom: It is very close, isn’t it? It’s like Chipmunk’s Look for Me – everyone goes ‘ooh, it’s I Gotta Feeling‘, and then the woah-woahs start.
Tim: One other thing about McFly is that any time I hear someone say ‘it’s all about you’ I really really want someone to invent something where you can just push a button and a relevant bit of music would start playing and interrupt the conversation.
