#BattleOfTheBands : Learning To Fly



Welcome to November! I thought I’d have a chance to kick back and relax a minute now that #RocktoberMusicFest has completed, but there is no rest for the weary!  Hopefully next year a few more of you will decide to join in the fun. In the meantime, we’ve got our first battle of the bands for the month to take care of.


While I was going through playlists picking out songs for #RocktoberMusicFest, I stumbled upon a cover for Tom Petty’s “Learning To Fly”.  I got digging even further and found two more covers that I really liked.  I think they each bring something of their own ‘flavor’ to the song.

Today’s battle is three covers of the same song. When voting, it is VITAL that you state which artist/group you are voting for.

Let’s get this battle going!

A little background about today’s song:

Learning to Fly was written in 1991 by Tom Petty and his good friend, Jeff Lynne (ELO, Traveling Wilburys). It was the first single for the album “Great Wide Open”.  The single became Petty’s most successful single on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.

As a reminder for you seasoned readers and to help out those of you who may be new here

Here is how a battle works:

Step One - Listen to each of the contenders. TRY not to be persuaded by the videos (unless specifically requested - in the case of today’s battle, listening is more important than watching) 

StepTwo - Pick  the contender that you prefer the most

Step Three - Comment  with your selection. Today’s contenders are Bonnie Tyler, The Weepies, and Lady Antebellum. These are the only contenders that will receive votes today in this battle. I know some of you get excited about the graphics when you see a name or song you recognize - but please, for the love of all things good,  ONLY VOTE FOR BONNIE TYLER, THE WEEPIES, or LADY ANTEBELLUM.

Step Four - Visit Stephen’s blog to check out his battle and for a list of other bloggers that have have battles going on. We each have different battles, so please be sure to visit everyone. I'll provide a link below the videos to Stephen's blog for your convenience.



Contender #1 - Bonnie Tyler



Contender #2 - The Weepies



Contender #3 - Lady Antebellum




YOU DON’T NEED TO BE FAMILIAR WITH AN ARTIST OR A SONG TO KNOW WHICH ONE YOU PREFER. You only need to listen to the videos and choose which one sounds better to you.  There are no right or wrong votes, unless you vote for someone not listed as a contender or don’t vote at all.

Battle Results will be posted on Thursday, November 8, so be sure to get your votes in early!


For those of you who may be interested in joining in our fun - The battles take place twice a month. Once on the 1st, and again on the 15th. Some participants have chosen to participate only once a month - and that’s okay - we’re just happy to have you join us! Your battle can consist of covers of the same song, different songs with the same title, or even a themed type battle. We just want you to join in the fun!  Catch the link to Stephen’s blog to join in - all you need to do is drop him a comment on his blog stating you’d like to participate and he’ll add you to the roster of participants.

I’d like to encourage you to visit the other bloggers participating in the battle of the bands blog hop as well.  We’ve all put a lot of time and effort into putting together these battles and they are a lot of fun. Each blogger has a different battle taking place. You can find a current list of participants on Stephen’s blog (don't forget you can also request to join the battle of the bands blog hop by simply commenting on his blog that you'd like to join us). 










Comments

  1. Going in I expected to be voting for Lady Antebellum, but their version never really grabbed hold of me. It was okay, but nothing to inspire me to buy an album.

    The Weepies had a weak start, but as the song went on I started getting into it. I was tempted to vote for this version. But----

    I didn't think I'd be picking Bonnie Tyler, however I think she captured the spirit of the song the best and it rocked.

    Give Bonnie my vote.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Thanks Lee!

      It's odd how some artists just tend to grow on you once you open up and listen. I've got your vote counted.

      ~Mary

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  2. I've always loved Bonnie Tyler's voice and thought she'd be a shoo-in, but then....Lady Antebellum's slower arrangement and equally great vocals were even more attractive. Please give my vote to Lady Antebellum. The Weepies were too "folkie" for my taste.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. You got it!

      I think they all bring a little something different to the song that makes them each a bit different. It will be interesting to see how everyone votes.

      ~Mary

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  3. I'm going with Bonnie Tyler's cover of the song. I didn't connect well with either of the other two covers.

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    1. That happens sometimes. I've got your vote recorded. Thanks for dropping by!

      ~Mary

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  4. As I was listening to these, I kinda wanted to go Indie with the Weepies on the whole shee-bang...but I gotta tell ya, Lady Antebellum grew on me and I'm gonna go with them.

    Good job finding this many covers of "Learning to Fly!" I love Tom Petty's version (of course). Great battle!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Cherdo!

      And just like that - we've got a tie score. Who will win? Tune in next week :)

      ~Mary

      Delete
  5. MARY, MARY, QUITE EXTRAORDINARY ~

    Well, first, I'm coming at this as a pretty major Tom Petty fan, so...

    And then, there's this:

    I always liked Bonnie Tyler's hit 'It's A Heartache', so I figured I'd likely be voting for her but... I've discovered that a little of her raspy voice goes a long way for me. (2:02 was even a little more than I wanted to hear of it.)

    The Weepies were, indeed, too weepy (i.e., thin sounding).

    Lady Antebellum (why is the lead singer no lady?) could have knocked this outta the ballpark. I liked the overall sound of the instrumentation and the (un-lady-like) lead singer. And the slow tempo was good... for awhile. If only they had suddenly turned up the heat and the tempo and turned this into a real rocker after about 2 or 2 1/2 minutes, it would have been great and might have even given Tom Petty's original a run for its money.

    But, alas, Lady Antebellum went with that slow ballad pace all the way for the full 4:30, all... the... way... until... the... last... dog... was... hanged.

    Oh, well. It was a great start but ultimately (IMO) a great opportunity wasted. But I'll still give... my... luke... warm... vote... to... Lady... Ante... bellum.

    STMcC Presents 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS'
    ~ D-FensDogG

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    1. Hey there Mr Stephen

      I don't fault you for being a Major Tom fan I was drawn to that song as well when it came out.

      Wait. I musta read that wrong. You're a Major Tom Petty fan. Well, that's a bit different now, isn't it? I'm a pretty big fan of his as well.

      Bonnie Tyler's It's a Heartache is also a favorite, so that's no big surprise to me that you would like that as well. At first I felt the same way as you when listening to her Petty cover. But after a few listens, I was really feeling it, so I decided to keep her as a contestant.

      The Weepies have that Indie vibe going for them, which is something a little different, but they didn't too bad of a job in my opinion.

      And Lady Antebellum has had me confused for some time about their name and male vocals - although for the longest time all I ever knew them for was the overplayed "Need You Now" song - which was more of a duet than anything. Now it just feels as though someone blurred the gender lines.

      I suppose a lukewarm vote is better than an ice cold vote and it is most definitely better than no vote at all.

      Sure do appreciate you stopping by with your opinions. Thanks for not declaring a 'hands down winner' as that just misleads the sheeple. I've got a little 'treat' in mind for when I share the results next week.

      I've got an idea brewing for my Nov 15 battle, but it's just kind of sitting there, nothing to get overly excited about just yet. The idea for today's battle hit me about the same time you had your epiphany on Sunday.

      ~M

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    2. >>... I suppose a lukewarm vote is better than an ice cold vote and it is most definitely better than no vote at all.

      There's nuttin' worse than an "I'm not familiar with these songs or artists" abstention.

      >>... Thanks for not declaring a 'hands down winner' as that just misleads the sheeple.

      Yeah, mustn't do that. And it's so easy to do, too.

      >>... I've got a little 'treat' in mind for when I share the results next week.

      Is it candy corn? I like candy corn! It's good for eatin' - for about 10 minutes - and then it becomes good for flinging at people's heads.

      >>... I've got an idea brewing for my Nov 15 battle

      I may consider returning for that one.

      >>... The idea for today's battle hit me about the same time you had your epiphany on Sunday.

      The Holy Spirit is at full power at Noon on Sundays. It's Sunday Noon kind o' thang.

      STMcC Presents 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS'
      ~ D-FensDogG

      Delete
    3. >>... I've got an idea brewing for my Nov 15 battle

      I may consider returning for that one.


      Dang it. I should have written it down. Because I've now forgotten what it was. Sure hope I can remember before the 15th! This getting old kind of sucks sometimes.

      ~M

      Delete
  6. Hi Mary,
    October went by so fast and I so wanted to join in more on your RocktoberMusicFest but unfortunately the month was a little too overwhelming for me, time-wise. I went back and caught a few of your RMF picks and loved them. I hope to get some time to go back and listen to more. And I hope to be more involved at next years RMF because I really like the concept.

    As for your battle, your song choice is awesome. I'm a big Tom Petty fan and Learning to Fly is such a good song. After listening to all three covers, I knocked Lady Antebellum out of the running because I didn't like their slow tempo with this song. So I went back and re-listened to your first two. While I like them both, I liked Bonnie Tyler's version better. I prefer her vocals over that of the Weepies, although that's an interesting band name.

    Hope to slow down and catch up with you more this month...
    Have a great week,

    Michele at Angels Bark

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    1. Hey Michele

      I think for the inaugural year, the RMF was fairly decent. I think I need to promote the idea a little bit earlier in the year so more people will be prepared. I still like the idea of no-commitment (although, it was a big commitment being the host) I've had so many things going on this last week, that I am physically drained. My body is fighting hard not to get sick from the stress.

      Hope that you are healing quickly.
      Talk Soon. Catch you on Monday.

      ~Nary

      Delete
  7. Bonnie Tyler did this song the best out of everyone. Just my opinion, will be interesting to see the results.

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    1. Thanks, Candy!

      I think the outcome will be quite interesting as well. It's been like a tennis match so far.

      ~Mary

      Delete
  8. Ever a fan of Lady Antebellum, there's an allure to Bonnie Tyler's voice that makes me want to pull up a chair and stay awhile. I like her version best.

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    1. Hey there diedre...

      Thanks so much for stopping in. I've got you accounted for. Sure do appreciate it!

      ~Mary

      Delete
  9. I have to go for Bonnie Tyler. I love her raspy voice!

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    1. Thanks, Michele!

      I can't wait to share the results of the battle on Thursday. This has proven to be a good battle.

      ~Mary

      Delete
  10. I like this song so not a fan of Bonnie’s rendition and definitely not of weepy so, I can’t believe I am writing this but I. Going for Lady Antebellum

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    1. Hi there Birgit!

      Thanks for stopping by with your vote. I've got you down for Lady Antebellum.

      ~Mary

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  11. Bonnie gets my vote! Wonderful battle

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    1. Thanks, Mike!

      hope all is well in your world.

      ~Mary

      Delete
  12. Goodness, this is so difficult for me. Can I choose two instead? But if I had to only choose one then I would narrow it down like this - am a great Lady Antebellum fan BUT I would choose Bonnie Tyler anytime of the day! I got to give credit to Bonnie's vocal prowess. So yeah ~ Bonnie Tyler it is!

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    1. Hi Sheena!

      Sometimes making the choice can be tough. Thank you for voting today :)

      ~Mary

      Delete
  13. Oooo, this is actually a tough one! But Lady Antebellum all the way!

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    1. Hi Carmen!

      I find the tough ones turn out to be really good battles. Thanks for stopping by with your vote. I'll post results on Thursday.

      ~Mary

      Delete

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