Canadian Cover Content #3

Right on the heels of the last post, I had to put up this next track that I found at the library a couple days ago. Because who knows when the next CCC feature will surface...


You may know Neko Case from her solo career or (like me) from her membership in the Canadian indie supergroup The New Pornographers. She's American, by the way, though she could be considered an honourary Canadian for being well entrenched in the Canadian music scene starting with her career beginnings in Vancouver, British Columbia.


You may also know Sook-Yin Lee possibly as the lead singer of 90's alternative band Bob's Your Uncle or more than likely as a former MuchMusic VJ turned CBC radio host of Definitely Not the Opera. She's Canadian, by the way, and she has also appeared in several films, most recently last year in a controversial lead role in John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus. So controversial, in fact, she almost got sacked by the CBC (read all about it here) if not for large public outcry and some celebrity rallying from the likes of Yoko Ono, Michael Stipe, and Francis Ford Coppola.

So I saw this compilation album at the library called Fields and Streams, and lo & behold there's this song by Neko Case written by Sook-Yin Lee. From the liner notes: "Hi my name is Neko. I live in Chicago but I spend lots of time in Canada where I've met lots of great songwriters like my friend Sook Yin Lee who's [sic] song 'Knock Loud' I really love and covered for this compilation. I recorded it in my kitchen."

Neko Case - Knock Loud [originally by Sook-Yin Lee]
Excellent cover. Check out the original on Sook-Yin's myspace page.

Rufus Wainwright - The Origin of Love [originally from Hedwig & The Angry Inch]
Now here's another Canadian Rufus Wainwright covering a tune from the film Hedwig & The Angry Inch, which was also directed by John Cameron Mitchell. Sook-Yin Lee also has cameo is this as well-- Aha! See the connection?

Some covers for Yoko, Stipe, and Coppola, the "Celebrity Defenders of Sook-Yin Lee":

Cornbred Red - Be My Yoko Ono [originally by The Barenaked Ladies]
The Barenaked Ladies' first album Gordon is still their best, yet here we are 15 years later and they're still around. They must be doing something right. One of those things is their Barenaked Planet initiative to address environmental concerns. I saw Steven Page & Ed Roberts talking about this on The Hour last month, a CBC newsmagazine show hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos, also a former MuchMusic VJ. If you're Canadian, you should be watching The Hour regularly. Fantastic content.

Paul Anka - Everybody Hurts [originally by REM]
Canadian pop icon Paul Anka covers a little REM. Did you know he's Jason Bateman's father-in-law? As in, Arrested Development's Jason Bateman? I didn't know that until about 5 seconds ago.

Harry Connick Jr. - Speak Softly Love [originally by Larry Kusic and Nino Rota]
No Canadian content here, but that's okay I only need 35% to meed CRTC standards. This is the love theme from The Godfather directed, of course, by Francis Ford Coppola. You'll know it when you hear it.

And because I can't resist:
Steppenwolf - Sookie Sookie [originally by Don Covay]
Steppenwolf, might I add, also Canadian.

Etta James - Sookie Sookie [originally by Don Covay]