Cool cover song of the week...

True confession time: as much as I consider my musical tastes to be eclectic now, growing up—especially in middle school and high school—I was almost strictly a top-40/pop type of guy. (It was the 80s, after all, so there's nothing wrong with that.)

It wasn't until I got to college that I started listening to so-called "alternative" music—The Smiths (and Morrissey), Roxy Music, Joy Division, etc. (I joked for a while that the moodier the music, the more I played it to irritate my classic rock- and heavy metal-loving roommates.) One of the songs that I remember being utterly mesmerized by was Roxy Music's More Than This.

Still am, actually.

I was amazed to find out that the song was actually recorded in 1982, and while it hit #6 on the UK charts, it didn't get any higher than #102 here in the U.S. Yet it's still a song that endures, and is probably more popular now than it was then.

I heard this version of the song by Norah Jones and jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter (from Hunter's 2001 album Songs from the Analog Playground) just the other day, and I was captivated by its dreaminess, its, well, Norah Jonesiness. Like many covers, I don't think it's as good as the original (nothing beats Bryan Ferry), but I like this version for what it is.

I'm reminded of the great scene in Lost in Translation (fantastic movie, BTW) where Bill Murray tackles this song:

Then, of course, there is the original.

Check out my previous Cool Cover Songs of the Week:

Borderline by The Counting Crows

How Deep Is Your Love by The Bird and The Bee

Life in a Northern Town by Sugarland, Little Big Town, and Jake Owen

I Don't Want to Talk About It by The Indigo Girls

Only You by Joshua Radin

Pure Imagination by Maroon 5

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by Blake Stratton

What a Fool Believes by Neri Per Caso

Poker Face by Daughtry

Back to Black by Ronnie Spector

I Will Survive by Cake

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by The Stereophonics

Rolling in the Deep by John Legend

Go Your Own Way by Lissie

Winner Takes it All by McFly

What a Wonderful World by Joey Ramone

Careless Whisper by Seether

I Walk the Line by Live

Dear Prudence by Siouxsie and The Banshees

Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm

Who Wants to Live Forever by Breaking Benjamin

Redemption Song by Chris Cornell and Audioslave

Love Me Tender by Chris Isaak and Brandi Carlile

All You Need is Love by The Flaming Lips

Lovesong by Adele

I Love It by Robin Thicke

Billie Jean by The Civil Wars

Across the Universe by The Scorpions

Can't Hold Us by Pentatonix

Wicked Game by James Vincent McMorrow

Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) by The Postal Service

Jolene by The White Stripes

Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) by Justin Timberlake