Version 2.0

Intro: So far in this series I’ve looked at songs that can be put in the camp of interpretations. There was just a different vision of the song   This is the first time I will look at a song in which the version was more successful and considered better than the original (even by the song writer himself). This is a case of the version taking on a life and trajectory of its own. The Scene: It’s 1967/1968, and America’s military presence in Vietnam escalates, with military personnel reaching a total of 475,000. Protesting became more intense and rioting and looting becomes widespread across American cities, cumulating in the National Guard being called in to restore law and order in Detroit. The Beatles continue to revolutionize popular music with their “Sargent Pepper’s lonely Hearts Club Band”. Israel acquires vast swathes of territory after the six day war.   The Original: All Along the Watchtower was written and recorded by legendary singer song write...

The Scene: It’s 1995, the year in which we saw Richey James Edwards heartbreakingly surreal disappearance from the Manic Street Preachers, Tupac have   a No. 1 album whilst in prison, The Beetles and   Queen release “new” material and Bjork   telling everyone about the joys of being quiet. But did you know that the Oasis song “Wonderwall” hit No.1 and No.2 in the British charts at the same time? The original:                            Wonderwall by Oasis was the anthem of my youth, and there is no way in hell that overplay could scratch its raw honesty and ubiquity. My mate Keith played and sang a great version of it, we sang it on the way to parties, we sang it at parties, on the bus on the way home from parties, at our school graduation, at weddings, we chanted along with it, at the pub. It came on the radio like the unexpected visit of a good friend. From it’s simple opening gui...