Battle: Modern Love

Well, Hello There!


Can you believe it’s October already? Where does the time go? I swear the older I get the faster the days go by. I sat down at my computer at noon today, and in a blink of an eye, it was 3:30pm! I’m not even sure I’m close to being caught up with my workload.  


I’ve had this song on my ‘battles to do’ list for a few months. I originally had 4 different covers lined up, thinking I would stretch it out into 2 rounds. BUT then I got to really listening to these covers and one of those rounds would be a definite shut out. Perhaps I’ll share the one that got cut from the battle in the results, but for now, I have 3 contenders.   Ooh… split second decision! I’ll still go with the 2 rounds. The winner of this round will be put up against contender # 3 next month.  


Okay, now that I’ve got that all sorted… 


That website we all rely on from time to time tells us this about today’s song:

"Modern Love" is a song written by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released as the opening track on his 1983 album Let's Dance and issued as the third single from the album later in the year. Co-produced by Bowie and Nile Rodgers of the American band Chic, the song is a rock song that contains elements of new wave music. It was recorded at the Power Station in Manhattan and was one of the first tracks recorded for the album. It was performed by Bowie on the Serious Moonlight Tour, where it often closed the shows. A music video for the song, directed by Jim Yukich and featuring a performance of the song during the tour, was released in 1983 and played frequently on MTV.

Since its release, "Modern Love" has received critical acclaim from music critics, who praised Bowie's songwriting, its production, and its power as an opening track. It is generally considered one of the best songs on Let's Dance, along with "China Girl" and the title track, and has since been called one of Bowie's greatest songs. The single release was a commercial success, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart and number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100. "Modern Love" has appeared on various compilation albums and was remastered for the 2018 box set Loving the Alien (1983–1988).



The first contender is Matchbox Twenty




Second Contender: Jimmy Weston




In the event that you are new here, or you have simply forgotten… Here’s a review of how a battle works:


  1. Listen to each of the contenders. Try not to be persuaded by the videos. I like to close my eyes and let the music transport me. 

  2. Pick the contender that you prefer the most

  3. Leave a comment with the name of the contender you have chosen. Feel free to expound upon your choice. 

  4. Visit the other bloggers that have battles taking place. Their battles are different from each other, so be sure to check them out.  *I think this is a recent list, if not, Cathy keeps a current list on her battle posts.  

    1. Stephen McCarthy (out of retirement!)

    2. Tossing It Out

    3. Mike’s Ramblings

    4. The Sound of One Hand Typing

    5. Curious As A Cathy




Alright now… Cast your votes in the comments!

Voting results will be posted on October 8!




Comments

  1. Jimmy Weston's version reminds me of a Bryan Adam's ballad, or at least has that "slow breathy" style. MB20 on the other hand follows their rock style. I'm quite partial to the pacing of the original which is a bit more up tempo. Matchbox Twenty gets my vote!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hear you about the passage of time and getting older. I think about it at some point every day. Please slow this thing down!

    I used a couple of versions of this song some time ago. You're right about the wide selection of covers. I still have a saved post waiting with several more versions of this song. I never even ran across the two you used. They are good ones.

    The Matchbox version is very true to the original so I figured I be going with the next version. Jimmy does a nice laid back version of the song, but it just doesn't do it for me.

    Give my vote to Matchbox Twenty.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out


    ReplyDelete
  3. Mary,

    No, I can't believe it's October. I'm with you the older I get the faster the days zing by. Matchbox Twenty kept true to the original but I really didn't care for the lead singer's voice. Jimmy Wesson made this old song more his. I was surprised how much I enjoyed the slower tempo. Really nice! And, I really enjoyed his voice. It has a warmer, heartfelt quality to the tone which even made the pace of his rendition all the more special. I'm casting my vote for JIMMY WESSON. Whenever you get a chance stop by to vote in my latest BOTB! Have a funtastic weekend, my dear!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jimmy Weston's voice annoyed me. I'll go with Matchbox 20.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mary, Mary, Quite Extraordinary! ~

    WAIT! WAIT!!

    Thanks for not starting without me!

    Well, Hello There, yerse'f!
    How you?

    Wow! I had forgotten all about this song. Even though I was there in '83 when it was getting played right, left, and down the middle.

    So, THIS is where the line "get me to the church on time" came from! I've used that line many a time, but I'd forgotten its origin. (Actually, my version - the line I used - went more like this: "Get me to the bar on time!")

    OK, this is surprising! Considering the fact that I think every band and musical artist who sprang to prominence post-1985 completely sucks, I have to admit that the few songs I've heard by Matchbox Twenty, I've really liked. Haven't heard a bad one yet. I guess I may have to look into them more. They sound more like retro-Rock to me than post-'85 crap. They even sound almost a bit 1950s, with that high energy and honking sax, which I dig. (I've always dug honking sax. I even tried it once but hurt muhse'f.)

    Don't know much about history
    Don't know much biology
    Don't know much about science book
    Don't know much about the French I took

    Don't know much geography
    Don't know much trigonometry
    Don't know much about algebra
    Don't know what a slide rule is for

    And I don't believe in modern love


    But I'll bote for MATCHBOX TWENTY

    Even though I slept well last night, Jimmy Weston nearly put me back to sleep. I sinshirley hope you don't wind up with a shutout here, MMQE! Got my fingers crossed for ya!

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

    ReplyDelete
  6. This song is so familiar and I thought for sure I would go with Matchbox 20. However, I really like the style and vocal tone of Jimmy Weston's version. He gets the vote!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jimmy Weston's version reminds me of Bryan Adams. It was too meh for me..I almost found it whiny. I didn't care much for Matchbox 20's version but i like it a lot more than Jimmy so they get my vote.

    ReplyDelete

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