Ryan Adams recently launched a bid for the crown of World’s Biggest Taylor Swift Fan by pledging to cover every single song on the pop star’s monster 1989 album, and as further proof that he ain’t pulling a Swiftie, here’s his official full rendition of Bad Blood.
The noted purveyor of heartfelt alt country rock tunes has transformed the chart-smashing pop gem into, what else, a heartfelt alt country rock tune.
His tender, heartbreaking version of T-Swizzle’s probable (definite) Katy Perry diss track premiered on the Beats 1 Radio show with Zane Lowe overnight, near-unrecognisable with a mid-tempo makeover and a smattering of lush strings.
Basically, it’s an emotional ambush. We never would have guessed that Tay Tay’s most spiteful pop anthem could be transmogrified into such a heartbroken lament to lost friendship, and would hit us right square in the feels.
It’s a far cry from internet sensation Anthony Vincent’s Disturbed-style rendition of the same song, that’s for darn tootin’.
Well played Adams, well played.
After initially making T-Swift’s head explode by announcing the 1989 covers project, the crooner has since released a few other song snippets and juicy details about the rest of the tunes off his forthcoming tribute disc.
His “spooky” version of Shake It Off, for instance, is apparently arranged like Bruce Springsteen’s I’m On Fire and “sounds like it could have been in True Detective in a driving scene or smthng”, while he’s likened his version of Out of the Woods to The Smiths’ That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore, and reckons it’s “maybe the best sad song I ever did.”
As the countdown til the album’s release on Monday, 21st September begins, Tay Tay has gushed about her own excitement some more: “Ryan’s music helped shape my songwriting,” she posted on Twitter. “This is surreal and dreamlike.”
As Consequence Of Sound reports, the pop Queen will also be appearing with Adams for an interview on Beats 1 Radio on Monday, which will no doubt yield some interesting results.
While you wait for that to happen, you can stream Adams’ version of Bad Blood in the player, and check out some of the snippets of his other forthcoming Swift covers, below.
https://instagram.com/p/7vFJj0zDA9/
Pre-order #1989 beginning tonight at 9 pm PDT
Get Bad Blood instantly on @AppleMusic
CD +vinyl coming soon
13hrs… pic.twitter.com/q2SgGPwJPs— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) September 17, 2015
https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/644535114203025408
Out of the Woods. Done. Epic Coda has 4 guitars!!
Now on to "All You Had To Do Is Stay"
#1989 @taylorswift13
SO FUN pic.twitter.com/E5hNaXmSF7— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) August 7, 2015
Hey @taylorswift13
What a song. Wow. pic.twitter.com/MRVhhGTdKl— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) August 7, 2015
Out of the woods…. Omg this is pretty and like – maybe the best sad song I ever did.
In the best way.
#1989 pic.twitter.com/kP15jGP3fG— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) August 7, 2015
Out of the Woods
Piano / Estes Pump Organ / 12 string acoustic
Big coda- like "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore"
#1989 pic.twitter.com/TGN5DG7EXc— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) August 7, 2015
"All You Had To Do Was Stay"
as heard on the Eddie & the Cruisers Part 3: Reverb Police soundtrack
#1989 pic.twitter.com/TTYOnC9qT1— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) August 7, 2015
Shake It Off arranged like I'm on Fire
#1989 pic.twitter.com/VL1qdnjcrB— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) August 7, 2015
Shake it off. Just finished.
Spooky
It sounds like it could have been in True Detective in a driving scene or smthng. pic.twitter.com/VwsrrZttQm— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) August 7, 2015
https://twitter.com/TheRyanAdams/status/629220154811924481
https://instagram.com/p/6DqFkGzDA9/