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Sydney Carreno's avatar

I think the amount of covers there are of Dreams is a testament to how great of a song it is (though none beat out the original for me). A couple covers that I prefer over the originals would be Johnny Cash’s cover of Hurt and Jeff Buckley’s cover of I Know It’s Over. To me, they both brought in emotion that was lacking in the original performances. It maybe the theatre kid in me, but I’ve always been fascinated by how different interpretations of the same thing can be.

I’m also amazed that romance authors (or any artists) can still create things that are so full of hope and joy, but I’m definitely grateful that you do.

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Alicia Thompson's avatar

Oh yeah, there is no "Dreams" like the Cranberries, although I do love the song in any form. The two covers you listed are both iconic!

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Liesl's avatar

Wow, I had completely forgotten that Dakota Johnson was in Need for Speed, a movie I watched entirely because of my love for Aaron Paul that bloomed during Breaking Bad. In fact, there are multiple notable actors in this film that I've largely scrubbed from my mind! It's funny how some movies can leave absolutely no impression on you after watching it.

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Alicia Thompson's avatar

lol it's so true; i have definitely seen movies "for the first time" several times

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Andrew Knott's avatar

Haha, I don't know why but every time I listen to Northern Attitude I'm like, "I've lived in Florida almost my entire life but this song is about me."

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Alicia Thompson's avatar

lol maybe we WERE raised on little light (metaphorically)

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Andrew Knott's avatar

Oh wow you’re right!

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Sa'iyda Shabazz's avatar

covers are such a fun part of music! i have a playlist of covers that is over 200 songs (because i have the original and the cover(s) for comparison purposes) and it's so interesting to see how differently people interpret the same song. of course, there are some covers that are apples and oranges, like "i will always love you." in my mind, they're two separate songs that happen to have the same lyrics. i also found the idea of a performance of a song being good, and not the actual song. can't say i agree; some songs are just really well written, and you can tell that from a craft perspective, because they will stand up to a bad performance!

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Alicia Thompson's avatar

I love that playlist idea! And I agree, "I Will Always Love You" is the PERFECT example of a cover that really reimagined the original in a whole new way.

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Sa'iyda Shabazz's avatar

here's the link if you want to check it out: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4oIUqlxHkmE62z9rTRNvDn?si=f06e5482d0244474

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Karis Rogerson's avatar

I've been struggling with writing romances in the midst of this month. But I think my brain just buzzed to life at the thought of — I can fill my books with things that bring me joy. Silly things, big things, beautiful things, cute things...I feel excited again!

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Alicia Thompson's avatar

ahhhh I'm so glad!!!

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Kerry Winfrey's avatar

I’m really, really happy that you’re about to embark on your Fifty Shades journey…the movies that turned me into a Dakota fan! I am not kidding when I say that I wish I could see them again for the first time. Just the most delightful, messy nonsense! And yet…she shines.

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Alicia Thompson's avatar

I remember watching the first one and being like, idk, it's enjoyable? She does shine!!! I'm excited to get into the second and third movies, which I've never seen.

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Gina Banks's avatar

I love a good cover and how a different artist can breathe new life into a song. It reminds me of how sometimes reimaginings and remakes tease out different elements of the original. I'm very excited to see what you do with Before Sunrise. That trilogy lives rent-free in my brain, and it's been fascinating to see how it resonates as those characters age along with us. Watching Before Sunrise as a teenager altered my brain chemistry in a way that made me hunger for that type of connection, but now (a decade into marriage and with two kids) I think I understand Before Midnight in a way I didn't when it came out. How you have to keep consciously coming back to each other. Choosing each other every day.

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Alicia Thompson's avatar

One of the brilliance of those movies, I think, IS the way that they hit you differently at different ages. I thought Before Sunrise was so romantic when I was younger, and I still do, but I can also see some of the cracks, the ways they don't always communicate, and you can see that carry through their relationship in the next two movies. I think it's a really brilliant trilogy and I am NOT in any way trying to claim I'm doing a reimagining even or anything close to that! Just trying to go for some of those same vibes of two people spending an intense, short period of time together and falling for each other.

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Julie Tieu's avatar

Two cover songs I love: Use Somebody covered by Hayley Williams and So Into You, covered by Donald Glover

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Alicia Thompson's avatar

you KNOW you're playing to your judge with that first one and the Donald Glover cover is also fire!

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Cath's avatar

You're 100% right, a piece can be GOOD and it can be ENJOYABLE and only sometimes is it both. (Also, A+ Wedding Singer reference)

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Alicia Thompson's avatar

thank you for seeing me <3

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Tracy Owens's avatar

I felt your joy in the place that was Cold World! I'm rereading "Love Lettering," and I feel her same joy at signs and lettering

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Alicia Thompson's avatar

yes, I loved that book!

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Bo Frazer's avatar

It's not what you are most famous for, but you ARE A MUSICIAN. We're all on that ladder somewhere. Also it takes one to know one :-)

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Alicia Thompson's avatar

aw, well that's very validating, thank you

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