Canadian planning travelMar 10
Tonight's critical listening session stars Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by the Eurythmics. It's hard to overstate the influence of this song. It's appeared in numerous film soundtracks as diverse as The Breakfast Club to Deadpool and Wolverine. #music #GenreBending 1/n
Show threadCanadian planning travelMar 10
One of the best-known covers of Sweet Dreams is by Marilyn Manson. I'm not sure why it fits with his aesthetic, but he interprets it in his unique style. I feel like I should like his music: heavy guitars, a solid beat, electronic-sounding elements... but I've never gotten into it. This is still a great version of a great song.
ETA: Trent Reznor is credited as a composer and Annie Lennox as a producer on this track. I wonder how involved they were.
Show threadCanadian planning travelMar 10
Ministry covered Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)! I was aware of Ministry much earlier than I was aware of Marilyn Manson. But whereas Manson's version came out in 1995, Ministry's is from 2011. Warning: turn down the volume, this version is aggressive.
Show threadCanadian planning travelMar 10
Another very popular band that covered Sweet Dreams: Weezer. It's from their Teal Album in 2019. They are very accomplished musicians, and their version is very faithful to the original. No complaints.
Show threadCanadian planning travelMar 10
This version of Sweet Dreams makes me smile: heavy metal with a keyboard. Iron Savior is a power metal band from Hamburg Germany who has been active since 1996 and released this cover in 2022. Volume way up!
Show threadCanadian planning travelMar 10
Real Life is an Australian synth-pop band from the early 80s, just like the Eurythmics. They recorded a cover of Sweet Dreams in 2009 and although it's quite similar, they certainly have their own flair.
ETA: The ending has a trippy fade effect.
Show threadCanadian planning travelMar 10
Electronic covers of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This):
Trinix, an electronic music duo from Lyon France.
Sound of Legend, another French electronic music project. The sound is quite distinctive.
Smack, a Czech rapper/DJ.
REZZ, a Canadian DJ from Niagara Falls, ON. Her version has a bit of a Halloween vibe. Of this group, it's my favourite.
Show threadCanadian planning travelMar 10
We're shifting gears! Natty Bong recorded a reggae version of Sweet Dreams. Stylistically, this seems appropriate.
Even more reggae sound? Echo Minott, from Kingston, Jamaica. You can feel it.
Show threadCanadian planning travelMar 10
Let's check out some jazzy versions of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).
Bossa Nova Covers, of course.
Giacomo Bondi, from Brazil, plays a smooth version on saxophone.
The Soul Rebels is a big brass band. It's very cool to hear the performance of a large group, because it brings body and depth (I just made up those terms). I imagine this is what it would sound like if Sweet Dreams had been written in the 1940s. It's super entertaining.
Show threadCanadian planning travelMar 10

Sweet Dreams in Soul: Betty Black, Mississippi MacDonald.
Country: The Fly Birds.

But here's something special: Hayseed Dixie started as a hillbilly tribute to AC/DC. That's the kind of #GenreBending that can easily turn into 2 or 3 hours of YouTube. https://youtu.be/6kvWHzManUA

As an aside, I think Thunderstruck by Steve 'n' Seagulls was one of the first videos that pulled me down the YouTube rabbit hole. Thanks, guys!

Sweet Dreams Are Made of This (Official Music Video) - Hayseed Dixie

YouTube
Show threadCanadian planning travelMar 10

Hurray for the Riff Raff is the brainchild of Alynda Segarra. They recorded an acoustic version of Sweet Dreams. It's dreamy.

Henry Mancini scored the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's. His version of Sweet Dreams is like a film score with a full orchestra. Very classy.

Michael Whalen is a multi-talented musician who taught at NYU and performed widely. This version is... something else.

Show threadCanadian planning travelMar 10

Let's check in with a few instrumental version of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).

Sander Melodies piano cover.
Marcus Frye: guitar with ukulele and maracas. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)
Escala: a string quartet. These girls rock!
Emil & Dariel: cellos. They cover a number of other really great songs, too. I love it!

Not exactly instrumental, but their voices are instruments: Scala, a Belgian girls choir.

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And now for something completely different.

A version of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Vindaloo Singh called "Indian Remix." I hope this isn't racist. I was embarrassed listening to it. It's thankfully short.

A song called Seven by Turbo Street Funk is actually a medly of Seven Nation Army and Sweet Dreams Are Made of This.

And if you thought that was unique, Pomplamoose also recorded a Sweet Dreams Seven Nation Army Mashup.

Mar 10 at 3:30amWeb
Show threadCanadian planning travelMar 10
That was a lot of fun. You can see the #GenreBending playlist for Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) on Qobuz: https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/59236965
Open Qobuz