A Song Has To Change To Stay Alive

I've been sitting on the Covers EP* by Lykke Li since it came out on 13th June, as it wasn't quite the right time to post about it. 

However, following Ernie's musings yesterday on the purchase of a Swedish Pop Music CD in a charity shop, and Swiss Adam's comment that he likes Lykke Li a lot (me too, Adam, me too), that time is now!

The Covers EP features Lykke's singular takes on songs by Ben E. King, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and The Everly Brothers. Into My Arms seems to be the one getting all the attention in promoland, but they're all hauntingly wonderful, as you might expect from Ms. Li.

Of course, Lykke's got plenty of form in this regard so, in case you haven't heard them previously, I've added five more cover versions that she's released into the world in the last decade and a half.

And, another prime example that every day is a learning day, I've only just discovered that Ring Of Fire by Johnny Cash was itself a cover version. I knew that Johnny's wife June Carter co-wrote the song with Merle Kilgore, but not that it was first recorded by June's younger sister, Anita Carter. You can listen to the original here.

1) Stand By Me (Cover of Ben E. King) (2025)

2) Into My Arms (Cover of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds) (2025)

3) Love Hurts (Cover of The Everly Brothers) (2025)

4) Ring Of Fire (Cover of 'Love's Ring Of Fire' by Anita Carter) (2024)

5) I WIll Survive (Cover of Gloria Gaynor) (2020)

6) Unchained Melody (Cover of The Righteous Brothers) (2017)

7) Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? (Cover of The Shirelles) (2009)

8) Knocked Up (Cover of Kings Of Leon) (2009)

* not literally, it's digital!

And to prove that Lykke Li is a formidable songwriter in her own right, I've reposted a link to the 48-minute Dubhed selection that I created in November 2021.