How a Grunge Tune Reached My Heart, Sort Of
An unknown song cover of a band you don’t listen to could ignite old memories
Now and then, I find myself enveloped in the lonely embrace of those quiet, early-morning hours, hunkered down in front of my blazing monitor. I’m tired, but I can’t let this go. Not yet. A single tune has effortlessly led my curious soul into the endless Internet labyrinth.
The song in tonight’s crosshairs is a wicked, powerful combination of heart-wrenching lyrics and soulful chords. It has transformed me from a thinking, rational human into a 5-foot-9-inch lump of raw emotion.
The piece is Radiohead’s “Creep,” written by Thom Yorke and released in 1992.
But I’m not big on grunge or alternative rock. Never have been.
Ear-Pleasing Covers
I’d never heard “Creep” before 2023. But it spoke to me when I discovered a 2015 cover by one of my favorite acapella groups, Straight No Chaser, off their album The New Old Fashioned. The more I listen, the more I want to memorize it and sing the crap out of it.
The original grunge/alternative rock performance of “Creep” is about as far from my style as a penguin is from the North Pole. No, what gets me is the smattering of cover vocals that…
