Theory: How Ryan Adams Saved "Wonderwall"

This morning's workout had a much mellower feel, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. It occurred to me what had happened shortly after my partner lost interest in curls and just sat down on the bench staring off into space. It was the Ryan Adams cd he was playing. A great cd, don't get me wrong, and of superior taste to our usual "ESPN Sports Jams" or "OU812". Still, it was lacking in the single-minded fury (drums?) that make for a solid workout cd.

But it brings me to a theory I started dwelling on last summer. The Ryan Adams cover of the iconic Oasis song "Wonderwall" is full of haunting power, but even more so following the original. In this case, had Oasis never performed the song with their distinctive brand of nasal, heavily-accented lyrics, then Adams' performance would hardly stand out in its ponderous weightlessness. It is precisely because everyone with a radio had heard that song played to death (a short lifespan, that one) that the cover sends shivers down your spine.

The original features noisy, overlarge instrumentation and lyrics pronounced like the triflings of a power ballad. In a way, this worked to put Oasis on the map. But to return to that song, to render the simplicity of its lyrics in haunting quietness, suggests all the emptiness between the desperate words which previously had spilled out over top of one another like monkeys from the barrel. Likewise, all of the closing held notes from the refrain, pitched up in the original, are muted and pitched down in the cover. Again, the effect is to shift the tone from brazen to doubtful and introspective. If you haven't heard this one, check it out. Just not during your Tae Bo with Billy Banks.