“Heroes” is one of David Bowie’s most beloved tunes. There is something about that slinky guitar that worms its way into the hearts of musicians. Most covers leave it as is. Why mess with perfection? I was a little disappointed when I found out that “Heroes” was the Bowie song that he chose to cover. I thought he would go more obscure, like “Joe the Lion,” or “Andy Warhol.”
I was wrong. Peter Gabriel has done the unthinkable. He took “Heroes’” instantly recognizable riff, and pushed it aside. There is a mournful fade-in, followed by a string quartet. Gabriel doesn’t try to emulate Bowie’s delivery. He sings slowly, making sure every word sinks in. It should be sacrilege, but it isn’t. With Scratch My Back, Gabriel has revived the lost art of interpretation.
Each track on this record is fundamentally different from the original. Paul Simon’s “The Boy in the Bubble” is recast as a ballad. The acoustic guitar that weaves in and out of Radiohead’s “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” is gone. The music is reduced to its most fundamental properties. The focus is on Gabriel’s voice.
Newer songs are a dicey proposition for older artists. Listening to Gabriel sing The Arcade Fire, Bon Iver and Radiohead, it is clear that he knows and respects these songs. If Paul Anka covered “Après Moi,” it would be taken as ironic. It’s something that a producer obviously picked out. It is clear that Gabriel has thought each track through, and knows the original inside and out. He takes the blueprint and then puts his own spin on it. Who would have thought to take the riff out of “Heroes?”
The most interesting thing about Scratch My Back is the instrumentation. The orchestral arrangements could have easily overpowered these songs. The instruments are chosen carefully so that nothing is too busy. Yes, some of the recognizable traits are gone, but once Gabriel starts singing, everything falls into place. Jonny Greenwood is absent, but you are able to pick out where the guitar would go.
None of Peter Gabriel’s covers will replace the original track in your mind. If given a choice, I’d listen to The Arcade Fire do “My Body is a Cage.” However, Scratch my Back is the first truly interesting covers album I’ve heard in a long time. Peter Gabriel took these songs and put his own stamp on them while still respecting the original. As the singer/songwriter became prevalent, the art of interpretation became lost. Scratch My Back proves that it still exists. I wish there was more of it.