David Bowie Cover of the Week: “I’m Deranged” by HAATO.

HAATO describes her style of music as influenced by Witch House, Industrial and Dark Wave. I have to admit, I wasn’t previously aware that two of the three were musical genres before discovering her cover of “I’m Deranged.” But after hearing the cover and watching the video, I think I get the idea!

1. Outside is one of my favorite Bowie albums, but I was surprised to read in many of the Bowie retrospectives that came out after his death that the album received a decidedly mixed reception among fans. If that’s the case for the album as a whole, I have to imagine that “I’m Deranged” might have been a disappointment for someone looking forward to the next “Let’s Dance” or a sequel to the Labyrinth soundtrack. (Although Nicholas Pegg points out that it “borrow[s] phrases from ‘Real Cool World,’” which in itself is not one of Bowie’s greatest hits, but is certainly an upbeat pop song). In any case, it’s the opposite of a feel-good song.

HAATO takes it to an even darker place. I try to put myself in the mindset of having never heard Bowie’s original— if somehow that was true, I would have never guessed this was a Bowie song just from hearing HAATO. Her version is quite different from Bowie’s. For reasons I can’t entirely articulate, it seems to stand apart both from the original’s confines on 1. Outside, and its role of foreshadowing the style on Earthling. HAATO’s version stands apart and stands alone. It’s atmospheric and ominous and, while the production quality is strong, it also carries with it a raw and unpolished feel. I mean that in a good way— despite HAATO’s scary makeup and the eerie subject matter and texture of the song itself, this product strikes me as a labor of love. The production doesn’t overwhelm HAATO’s emotionality, which is tricky to project in a piece of music that doesn’t involve a lot of raised voices. Also, it just doesn’t seem like a quick and easy attempt to cash in on a popular Bowie song, which goes back to the thought that some who hear this might have no idea that it is a Bowie song.

Add to all this, I very much like that this is a genuine video, not just a song against a static image or a camera set up to capture HAATO’s singing in front of a microphone. This one might not be made for mass appeal, but it is well done.

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HAATO is present on social media but I can’t find too much by way of biographical information. Her Facebook page says she’s a “strange electronic artist creature thing” and a “big fan of spooky shit.” I believe her!

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As usual, other good Bowie covers were posted over the past week. One that stands out is Chris Crush’s “Space Oddity,” which you can link to HERE. This cover contrasts with HAATO’s in many ways— it is of a very familiar, frequently covered song, is arranged in the style of Bowie, and has minimalistic visuals (though it is still a video). That said, I think it sounds terrific! I featured Crush’s cover of “China Girl” back on August 26th (click HERE to see that) and I’m glad to see more from him.