Paul Anka - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Forget Mike Flowers' irony - listen to Paul Anka's version of SLTT. It works so well it's uncanny:

Select from the grey list at the top.

― Jez (Jez), Friday, 30 September 2005 11:35 (twenty years ago)

The only two songs off the album that really work are "It's My Life" and "It's A Sin", for opposite reasons. Everything else doesn't seem to quite do it.

― edward o (edwardo), Friday, 30 September 2005 11:45 (twenty years ago)

Also, Forget not Mike Powers' irony, Paul Anka's "Wonderwall" almost works, but.... doesn't.

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 30 September 2005 11:56 (twenty years ago)

I enjoyed the album. I like it that Anka's completely bypassed the irony/camp trapdoor which swallowed poor old Mike Flowers and just gone for straight re-interpretations. Not all of it works, but far preferable to the tedious Cullum, that's for sure; and it's almost, but not quite, enough to eradicate Anka being the only important one on that stage, slicing like a fucking hammer, the guys getting shirts, etc.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 30 September 2005 12:40 (twenty years ago)

"Eyes Without A Face" works for me as well, in the same way as "It's A Sin." The latter reinterpretation is really quite, quite brilliant.

― brittle-lemon (brittle-lemon), Friday, 30 September 2005 12:44 (twenty years ago)

The best thing i can say about his version of Smells Like Teen Spirit is that it took me a moment to realise what i was listening to.

― Lee F# (fsharp), Friday, 30 September 2005 12:49 (twenty years ago)

I think Anka's "Jump" is probably the greatest thing ever.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 30 September 2005 13:49 (twenty years ago)

I heard it on KALX the other day, and felt that it was too gimmicky to work. Eh.

― richard wood johnson, Friday, 30 September 2005 15:22 (twenty years ago)

I like this "view from the other side" posted on Amazon.com - a refereshing contrast to the many howls of outrage from the Soundgarden fans*

Anka must have made a bet with someone, that he could take the worst Rock, Punk and Grunge pieces of garbage and make them sound good by giving them big band arrangements. He lost that bet. He scores some hits with Lionel Richie's "Hello" and Clapton's "Tears In Heaven," but some songs like Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" are so bad to begin with that no arrangement can save them. There are some good songs on this CD, but most should never have been touched. It's like Pat Boone's CD of heavy metal songs a few years ago. WShat was Anka thinking when he chose these songs?

*there are lots of +ve comments on Amazon too to be fair

― zebedee (zebedee), Friday, 30 September 2005 15:48 (twenty years ago)

It is better than Tori Amos' version?

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Friday, 30 September 2005 15:56 (twenty years ago)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000005KOE/104-1093176-9019949?v=glance

― rocker, Saturday, 1 October 2005 09:02 (twenty years ago)

he should've done "smells like nirvana" instead!

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Saturday, 1 October 2005 09:32 (twenty years ago)

I thought it was funny -particularly the "yeah". Pointed up how vaccuous Kurdt's lyrics (almost always) were. I wished he'd done "Waiting Room" (or some other Fugazi song.

― steve ketchup, Saturday, 1 October 2005 14:37 (twenty years ago)

I think Anka's "Jump" is probably the greatest thing ever.

Totally and utterly OTM, Huk-L. I've just seen Anka singing this on the TV, and cannot agree enough. That song is such a lounge classic in disguise, I can't believe no-one noticed it before.

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 1 October 2005 20:02 (twenty years ago)

twelve years pass...

is there a thread on the 2007 follow up? His version of Ordinary World is kinda epic imo

― El Tomboto, Monday, 27 November 2017 00:40 (eight years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.