David Bowie Cover of the Week: Beka Baker and Michael Dwyer cover “Joe the Lion”
“Cover of the Week” is my weekly post featuring a new (or at least newly posted) cover of a Bowie song. I tend to favor artists who are not necessarily household names, and I prefer it when they cover less typical Bowie songs. That seems to have been the entire premise of a concert by Beka Baker, with Michael Dwyer, last week in Melbourne, Australia, called “Back Catalogue Bowie”—a show I dearly would have liked to see (though that would have been tough, since I live on the other side of the planet). So far, YouTube seems to have captured one of Baker and Dwyer’s performances from the concert, which I’ve selected as this week’s “Cover of the Week.”
From my experience reviewing Bowie covers on a weekly basis, “Heroes” seems like it’s the most frequently covered Bowie song. It’s a great song, but I’ve heard so many covers of it that I’ve developed a prejudice against selecting it for this feature. However, the ”Heroes” album contains many other songs that are ripe for covers, and “Joe the Lion” is one of them. Bowie’s voice is at its strongest on this song (and the entire album), and the music is excellent. But unlike songs like “Heroes,” “Let’s Dance,” or “Fame,” all of which are better known, the lyrics of “Joe the Lion” leave the casual listener wondering what the song is actually about.
Many Bowie fans know that the song was at least partially inspired by performance artist Chris Burden, who famously nailed himself to a car (as the song cryptically recounts). More generally, the song might be about the tortured life of an artist, or even ”the” artist in the abstract. But the song provides no “we can be heroes” catchphrase or title that easily summarizes its theme (it’s not a song about a lion).
On top of that, Bowie’s original version has a frantic quality that, to my ears, foreshadows Scary Monsters. All of which makes Baker’s decision to cover the song at all—let alone present it as a milder, acoustic version—quietly audacious. What she manages to do is highlight the strength of the music itself. I like her voice for sure, but what I really admire is her arrangement. If anything, Bowie’s original seems to invite a harder-edged, faster cover, maybe from a punk or industrial band. Forget Scary Monsters—between its subject matter and sharp edges, Bowie’s “Joe the Lion” foreshadows 1. Outside.
Baker takes the song in the opposite direction. And Dwyer’s gentle treatment on guitar could not contrast more with Robert Fripp’s chaotic frenzy. And if you think about it, how could you out-frenzy Fripp? You can’t, so better to do something different.
This video clip is a little deceptive. The lighting isn’t the best, and the sound quality could be a tad better. But the performance is a subtle triumph that left me wanting to see more from Baker and Dwyer. Hey, guys, if you find this post, I don’t suppose you’d be interested in recreating your show in Albany, New York?
