David Bryne's Radio Playlist

Today David Bryne released a playlist of covers by Cat Power, Lambchop, Nirvana, Sigrid, Patti Smith, Sonic Youth, Caetano Veloso, Yo La Tengo and others, performing songs by David Bowie, The Carpenters, The Cure, Bob Dylan, Outkast, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, etc.

Byrne describes the performers as "unexpected artists who step outside their usual genre for material and then personalize it." The schmatlzy Vietnam era Hal David/Burt Bacharach song "What the World Needs Now", for example, might initially seem an odd fit for Cat Power.

"Often, their interpretation gives the song a new meaning, "Byrne continues, "...and sometimes the cover is the version we associate with the song, even though the song may have been recorded and released previously by the artist who wrote it."

Bryne's own experience with unlikely covers include live versions of "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)" by Crystal Waters and Whitney Houston's "I Want To Dance With Somebody". His Talking Heads version of Al Green's "Take Me To The River" outperformed the original and helped contribute to it's eventual legacy.

Listen to the playlist here:

http://davidbyrne.com/radio/david-byrne-presents-under-the-covers