The Wily Filipino

Your New Favorite Song.

Somewhat in response to Liza's quite sad post, I'm temporarily scuttling the all-Japanese downloads plan to include yet another cover version of Spandau Ballet's "True."

I always loved Tony Hadley's histrionics, actually. In many ways it's the perfect karaoke song (for 30-somethings like me) because a) I was there, and b) it requires actual performance on the part of the singer, because of the way he holds the mic, and the way he closes his eyes, and the little break in Hadley's voice after "And I want the truth to be said!" goes up an octave after the bridge -- and then the dramatic pause, which means the performer has to, um, pause dramatically as well. Steve Buscemi got it totally right in The Wedding Singer. (The only downside: what to do during Steve Norman's cheesy sax break.)

Anyway, here's Filipina R&B singer Arnee Hidalgo, from her 2003 album Cold Summer Nights, which you US-based folks can get at Kabayan Central. This was a version when "acoustic" was all the rage in the Philippines (it still is): practically just vocals and guitar, kind of when "unplugged" was really unplugged. She changes the lyrics a couple of times, but that's all right; it's still a sweet cover, with the Cheesy Sax Break now turned into a slightly shorter Cheesy Guitar Break. In an ideal world her version should have been some sort of summer cuddle-anthem and done more for the original than P.M. Dawn's "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss."

Hear it (7.74 mb, 192 kbps mp3).

(Speaking of '80s covers, there's a fantastic cover of "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" -- coincidentally, another Wedding Singer song -- done by The Last Town Chorus, which really makes me want to hear their album.)

Posted by the wily filipino at January 23, 2005 06:54 PM