Green Book (2018), The Best Cover Songs of 2018, part 2 & This Week's Statistics

Hello again, my friends! The film I'll be presenting today both has a gay theme, as well as being one of the most talked-about films of the moment. It's Green Book, directed by Peter Farrelly.

The film is doing very well at the box-office and has so far gathered dozens of awards and nominations, beginning with the predictive People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and passing through its recent three major wins at the Golden Globes (Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Best Screenplay, and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role / Mahershala Ali) on its way to certain major Oscar nominations.

My impression of the film; it's good entertainment, elevated by two fantastic performances, by Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. Or, as IndieWire's Eric Kohn puts it, "It's an obvious but enjoyable period piece - and a throwback to another era of Hollywood filmmaking resurrected in the 21st century with two of the best actors working today, who elevate this didactic form of storytelling above the market standard for schmaltz."

The Mahershala Ali character, real-life gay piano-playing genius Dr. Don Shirley, gets two direct references to his sexuality and they are both quite powerful. Jeremy Helligar, in his very interesting article in Queerty, titled "Mahershala Ali's gay, black outcast in Green Book feels a lot like me", describes these two scenes: "There's a scene about 91 minutes into Green Book that made me certain the 44-year-old, who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the 2016 film Moonlight, is destined to take home another naked little gold man on February 24.

It's a climactic moment that's guaranteed to be chosen as Ali's Oscar clip after he's inevitably nominated on January 22 for playing Don Shirley, a closeted black pianist touring in the Deep South during the early 1960s. In the scene, Shirley finally vents his gay, black frustration to his Italian-American driver, Tony Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), after spending most of the movie in the back seat, hiding behind cool detachment and precise enunciation.

'I suffer that slight alone,' he says, referring to the white audiences that applaud and then reject him, 'because I'm not accepted by my own people either. So if I'm not white enough, and if I'm not black enough, and if I'm not man enough, then tell me, Tony, what am I?'

Shirley's rage and frustration as a gay, black man who didn't fit in with whites or with blacks or in a straight society spoke to me because it echoes an inner conflict that has defined much of my life. I've felt his pain."

He then goes on to describe the second scene: "Green Book doesn't delve deeply into its black character's sexuality. Ali, though, conveys that struggle in ways the screenplay never does. His stilted, formal mannerisms betray his efforts to come across as neutrally as possible, both racially and sexually. When Tony shows up after officers detain Shirley for cavorting with a white man at a YMCA swimming pool, he's sitting naked on the floor next to his hook-up. The way he gazes directly at Tony before looking forward and bowing his head slightly conveys resignation more than embarrassment, with just a smidgen of defiance."

And he concludes: "For all of his attempts to pass - as acceptable to white people and to straight people - there's no self-loathing in Ali's interpretation of Shirley. He knows it's not him, it's them, and that might be what I related to most. Despite our differences, as I watched Ali as Shirley, navigating the life of a gay, black man in racist country, broken but never beaten, I felt like I was looking at me."

Because of the big audience and awards attention the film's creative team have found themselves in the spotlight, not always in a positive way: Green Bookco-writer Nick Vallelonga (son of the character that Mortensen portrayed in the movie) recently deleted his Twitter account after Twitter users uncovered his November 25, 2015 tweet backing up then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's false claim that "thousands and thousands" of New Jersey Muslim-Americans cheered the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Also, the film's director Peter Farrelly recently apologized for a 1998 Newsweek story mentioning how he used to flash his penis on film sets as a crude joke. Will these past "slips" affect the film's award chances? Definitely not as far as the acting categories are concerned. Mortensen and Ali will both be nominated for Oscars and it's very likely that one of them or both will go all the way to an Oscar win. They certainly deserve it.

This is the film's trailer:

This is Viggo Mortensen talking about the film:

This is Mahershala Ali talking about the film:

Now, let's continue with the list of the best cover songs of 2018, as well as to the originals:

40. Runaway covered by Charlotte Gainsbourg.

In February, Charlotte Gainsbourg, the first daughter of French pop, did her part to strengthen transatlantic ties. Appearing on French TV, she performed a brilliant cover Kanye West's Runaway. Gainsbourg sang in English and played the track as a slow, hypnotic dialogue seemingly between two troubled lovers. As she whispered out the words, "Never was much of a romantic/I could never take the intimacy/And I know I did damage/'Cause the look in your eyes is killing me," it was enough to put chills through the hearts and minds of listeners on both sides of the pond. So, "I think it's time for us to have a toast …" to a cover that captured the frenetic genius of Kanye's lyrics and showcased Gainsbourg's talents as a singer. - Curtis Zimmermann

This is the original by Kanye West ft. Pusha T:

39. You're Driving Me Crazy covered by Van Morrison and Joey DeFrancesco.

In 2017, Van Morrison released two albums of mostly jazzy covers and reworkings of his own back catalog, with a few new songs thrown in. In 2018, he released another two (the most recent one just this month). Not bad for a septuagenarian. But that begs the question, is this quality, or just quantity? Happily, they are, overall, interesting, entertaining, and enjoyable releases by a mature artist exploring the jazzier side of his music that was always present, but was overshadowed at times by folk, rock, and Celtic influences. You're Driving Me Crazy is the title track of Morrison's first of the year's releases, co-headlined by jazz organist and trumpeter Joey DeFrancesco and featuring his quartet. The album was banged out in two days, and that lends a sense of immediacy to every track. You're Driving Me Crazy was written by Walter Donaldson in 1930, was first covered by Lee Morse and later recorded by pretty much everyone. That includes cartoon character Betty Boop, in Silly Scandals. Morrison and the band are clearly having a blast with the song, and the notoriously moody singer even laughs during the solos. - Jordan Becker

This is the first recorded version by Lee Morse:

38. The Mess Inside covered by Amanda Palmer.

Amanda Palmer's take on The Mountain Goats' heart-wrenching The Mess Inside starts as simply as the original, with just her ukulele and restrained vocals. But as the song develops, strings, backing vocals, and handclaps join in, matching the power of the emotional lyrics. - Mike Misch

This is the original by The Mountain Goats:

37. Cruel Summer covered by Hailey Tuck.

Muggy, long days of summer spent missing a loved one almost makes you appreciate winter (almost). That's the mood that Bananarama's Cruel Summer conveys. Hailey Tuck adds some humidity with her delightfully slowed down version, featuring wispy background voices and a heartbeat in the piano's steadily increasing intensity. Her vocals convey achy emotion through subtle bends and occasional airiness, invoking a heavier summer anthem: Lana Del Rey's Summertime Sadness. - Elizabeth Erenberg

This is the original by Bananarama:

36. Dreaming covered by Say Sue Me.

I would argue that Dreaming is Blondie's best power-pop song, with great drumming and an exuberant pace. I would also argue that Say Sue Me take it somewhere greater in their cover. The South Korean combo slows it down, centers the sound around waves of guitar, and doesn't so much feature Sumi Choi's vocals as allow them to float through the gauze between you and her. Where Blondie's Dreaming jumps up and dances, Say Sue Me's comes up and takes hold of you. I know which I prefer. - Patrick Robbins

This is the original by Blondie:

35. Heartbreak Hotel covered by Tony Joe White.

Released barely a month before he died, this is archetypal Tony Joe White, substituting Presley's swagger for a knowing late night/early morning shimmy through the backwaters and badlands. This ain't bluster, this is blues, distilled through a hundred glasses of illicit hooch, sourced from swampland stills. Listening to it, you can just sense he may not be long for this world. Presley merely sang the song, with a young man's arrogance; White exudes it, with all the world-weariness of experience. - Seuras Og

Listen to it here.

This is the original by Elvis Presley:

34. Rake covered by Anana Kaye & Irakli Gabriel.

In addition to picking some of the more obvious alt-country figures to populate the stunning 32-track tribute album they curated, the organizers of a Townes Van Zandt festival in Italy reached deeper for some of the names. One of those surprise gems came from Georgian singer Anana Kaye and her musical partner Irakli Gabriel. Kaye's witchy vocals channel Kate Bush or Siouxsie Sioux, while guitarist Gabriel builds a layered soundscape for her to belt over. Together, they turn a relatively deep cut into a moody masterpiece. - Ray Padgett

Listen to it here.

This is the original by Townes Van Zandt:

33. Hot Knife covered by Mountain Man.

The Mountain Man trio always features beautiful harmonies, and Apple's Hot Knife makes great source material. This a cappella version has less dichotomy than the original, de-emphasizing the push and pull between the different lyrics. It results in a less-challenging, sweeter sound. At under three minutes, it's a short and sweet bit of fun. - Mike Misch

This is the original by Fiona Apple:

32. Answer Me, My Love covered by Swamp Dogg ft. Justin Vernon.

This isn't the first time Swamp Dogg has paired with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, and the effect inevitably shows worlds colliding. To counter Swamp Dogg's rich and earthy voice, Vernon adds the Messina, a multifaceted synthesizer effect allowing for instant and thorough instrument-vocal harmonization. Hearing the boot steps of high tech throughout a soul song with dramatic horns is startling - and effective. Going by the yardstick of sonic rudiments alone, there's no competing with Nat King Cole; his voice in the original is pure zephyr. Swamp Dogg's match of solid old-world talent to modern-day technique makes it fresh. - Merry Mercurial

This is Nat King Cole's version:

31. Frozen covered by Robin Kester & Moon Moon Moon.

Singer Robin Kester and musician Moon Moon Moon (aka Mark Lohmann) strip away all the dance from the Ray of Light hit, turning into the slowest of burns. The barely-there electronic production serves mostly as an excuse to let Kester loose, and her knockout power-ballad vocals give the song a poignancy its original version lacked. – Ray Padgett

This is the original by Madonna:

Thanks to Covermesongs.com for this list.

Finally, these are our statistics; the number of visits this week rose by 2.5%. The last story did very well, comfortably topping the week. Last weekend's story did OK and so did our "usual suspects" (George Maharis, Dave Clark, Peter Straker, Tevin Campbell, etc.)

As far as countries are concerned, the United States, Australia, Singapore, and Japan see their all-time rates rise, while France experiences minor losses. The rest of the major players keep their percentages stable.

Here are this week's Top 10 countries:

1. the United States

2. the United Kingdom

3. Germany

4. Russia

5. Australia

6. Canada

7. Greece

8. France

9. Singapore

10. Japan

Here are the other countries that graced us with their presence since our last statistics (alphabetically): Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Congo, Réunion, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Happy to have you all!

And here's the all-time Top 10:

1. the United States = 32.7%

2. France = 17.2%

3. the United Kingdom = 11.4%

4. Greece = 8.1%

5. Russia = 2.7%

6. Germany = 1.9%

7. Canada = 1.9%

8. Italy = 0.92%

9. Australia = 0.88%

10. Cyprus = 0.83%

That's all for today, folks. Till the next one!