Bad Copy

It’s time for another issue of Cover to Cover.

This time around I will be talking about the song “Boys of Summer.” I’ve had this one in my queue for a bit so I figured that now that it is winter it is a good time to talk about a summer song. LOL!

The Original:

The original version was recorded by Don Henley. The lyrics were written by him and the music was written by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell. The song was released in October 1984 as the first single from Henley’s Building the Perfect Beast album. The album was released in November of that year by Geffen Records. The song hit #1 on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was originally meant to be recorded for the Heartbreakers 1985 album Southern Accents but was tossed because Tom didn’t think it fit the album so Mike played it for Don.

The Cover:

The song was covered by Nashville, Tennessee based band Daddy Issues in 2017 for their album Deep Dream. That album was released in May of that year by Infinity Cat Recordings.

The Verdict:

This one was not a difficult decision and I feel like, in a way, isn’t really fair. You see, I am not a fan of The Eagles. Like, really not a fan. Almost to the point where I despise the band. I can’t think of even one song that I like of theirs. So by extension, I’m not really a fan of Don Henley either. Call it guilty-by-association if you want but I really don’t like any of his music either. I just don’t care for any of the solo artists that came from that band with the possible exception of Joe Walsh.

I was not looking forward to listening to the original version of this song.

The music itself is not horrible. It has a typical vibe of the era. It’s just the guy’s singing that ruins it for me. I don’t like his voice. I wouldn’t say it is nails on a chalkboard bad. I just don’t like it because it reminds me of the Eagles. If you are a fan of the Eagles and Don Henley, I apologize that if you feel like I am ripping on him too much. I just really don’t like it.

As for the cover version, even from the first sounds of the guitars coming in, I like this one better. The singer’s voice is much more pleasant to listen to. I enjoy the arrangement of this song more as well. It’s got this almost post grunge/riot grrrl vibe to it. It is, at least to me, definitely a less 80s rock sounding song.

So, simply put, I like the cover leaps and bounds more than the original. What about you?