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Sophie B. Hawkins, 1992: original version from Tongues and Tails
Damn, to say I love this song would be a gross understatement! “Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover” by Sophie B. Hawkins is one of my favorites from the 90s, which is funny since I remember hearing it (and liking it) while I was in elementary school but I wouldn’t truly appreciate its genius until I was in college. As a kid, I thought it was just a love song written by a woman who really wanted to be with someone, presumably a man. I also felt discomfort at the word ”lover” being used, and funnily, I still don’t really like the word. It sounds so serious, so awkward, so… adult, and not my affectionate term of choice. Quite frankly, I don’t know how people can use the word “lover” and take themselves seriously without bursting into laughter? Anyway, I rediscovered this song way later and that’s when I started to peel away the layers of the song as I listened.  Not only was the subject matter more relatable, it was actually an entirely different meaning and essentially an entirely different listening experience. There’s the basic theme of desire (“Damn, I wish I was your lover”); well, not just any desire, I’m talking Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire”-like desire that’s the only kind worth having, in my opinion (“I’ll rock you til the daylight comes, make sure you’re smiling and warm”).  Then there’s wanting to love a particular someone (“For me there is no other, you’re the only shoe that fits”), feel the happiness (“Walk through Heaven’s door, I’m sure”) and maybe even a little obsession (“Walked for days with no one near, and I returned as chained and bound to you”). These themes were still there, but I picked up on another type of desire– I had NO idea Hawkins was bisexual! Nor did I know she had fallen in love with a straight female friend who was rumored to cry on her shoulder about domestic violence in her heterosexual relationship (“This monkey can’t stand to see you black and blue”), that she wanted to save her (“I had a dream I was your hero”), treat her right (“We don’t need no doctor to feel much better” ), and maybe cajole her into taking an extended vacation to Lesbian Town (“Free your mind and you won’t feel ashamed”).
I love the intensity of this song.  The fireworks, the urgency, the brief hesitation (“Feelin’ like a school boy, too shy and too young”), but throwing caution to the wind and succumbing to the pursuit of passion and this woman (“Open up, I wanna come inside, gonna fill you up, gonna make you cry”).  Whoa, I guess that’s what she meant by “I lay by the ocean making love to her with visions clear” but when you’re ten years old you don’t realize everything in life (and/or music) is usually about sex, love, love disguised as sex, sex disguised as love, or the lack of any of the aforementioned. Oh, and apparently bisexuality as well. The intensity of her lyrics and delivery are only made more inflammatory by the incendiary music that carries Hawkins’ message in a pulsating, throbbing, electric kind of way. My favorite lyric in the song, “Give you something sweet each time / Come inside my jungle book / What, is it just too good,” is made even more awesome by virtue of the fact that the song really does have a jungle feel to it. I don’t blame Hawkins for gyrating on-stage, her animalistic and raw singing, and the fact that she crawls around on-stage in the music video, I think the music elicits this kind of uninhibited behavior. Whether it’s the jagged guitar, moody synth, tribal drumming, or Hawkins’ visceral performance, it all creates a fantastic song that culminates in a mess of beats, big band style music, background singers, and an incredibly lush sound. I’m not even sure if this song could ultimately be about unrequited love because Sophie B. Hawkins makes an offer that is “Damn…” hard to refuse. Trust me.
Sophie B. Hawkins – “Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover”
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Melissa Etheridge (feat. Sophie), 1995: from Vh1 Duets
Damn, let the LGBT musical lovefest begin! Duets are exciting when they are comprised of two equally dynamic performers who each bring something amazing to the collaboration. Such is this performance at Melissa Etheridge’s Vh1 special, Duets, where she brought out a slew of relevant female favorites of hers, one such being Sophie B. Hawkins. I love how Etheridge squeals in excitement to Hawkins “Man, I love this song!†as the intro kicks in because nothing stokes me more than when awesome musicians sound off on how much they love another awesome musician’s music. Then, to see both of these women basically get off to this song on-stage for a powerhouse duet is even cooler. Remarkable to me as well is watching two chicks who are into chicks practically fellate their microphones. This rendition has a much jazzier feel, with scratchy guitar and some funky piano/keyboard licks. I swear I hear a massive horn and brass section, but can’t seem to locate any of these musicians on-stage in this clip. But it’s the vocalists who make this version truly sizzle because you can hear how much they’re really into the song. I expect enthusiasm from Hawkins since this is her own creation, but enjoy watching Etheridge’s jubilation in recreating someone else’s magic. I mean, why bother covering a song unless you dig it that much that you really, really wish it were your own? I particularly love the way Hawkins’ sweet vocals contrast beautifully with Etheridge’s husky tones. This would totally have brought the house down at some Lilith Fair mash-up where all the festival’s musicians hopped up on stage and belted out ”Damn” in unison and completely gorgeous harmony.  I bet the Indigo Girls are kicking themselves and saying to each other, “Damn, why didn’t we cover this song first!â€
Melissa Etheridge: website | myspace
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Eels (live): B-Sides & Rarities
Damn, I love this cover! Eels front man Mark Everett has such a devil-may-care voice usually, but it’s still chock full of emotion and hints at a lot more bubbling right below his surface.   Known to be a total jackass and trouble-maker and spending years crafting songs about loneliness and unrequited love, it seems only natural Everett would develop an affinity for this amazing song and want to create his own little unique cover. I love the slower pace, bongo-like drumming, and melancholic guitar. In fact, if guitar sounds could aptly represent human emotion, that subtle strumming during each verse would best describe dejection and utter sadness, especially how the notes quickly drop from high to low.  They almost sound like his mood. Oh, but his voice is great. I love how during the verses it’s almost the soft foreplay that allows him to really heat things up as he transitions to the chorus. I also get a kick out of how he kept the original lyrics. It’s funny when he sings “If I was your girlfriend, believe me / I’d turn on the Rolling Stones, we could groove along and feel much better” to one presumably lucky girl. Too bad he wasn’t serenading me because who doesn’t want to make out to the Stones!?**  Hawkins actually sings “girl” in lieu of Eels’ use of “girlfriend” in the original but either way, Everett clearly chose to not make this cover gender-appropriate. It’s equally silly when he sings my absolutely favorite lyric “Give you something sweet each time you come inside my jungle book / What, is it just that good” because I’m not sure that’s even physically possible for a girl, dude. But honestly, who cares.  It’s still pretty damn hot.
The Eels – “Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover” (Sophie B. Hawkins)
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Ben Marwood, acoustic cover:
Damn, singer-songwriter types and their unrelenting need to perform acoustic covers! I stumbled upon this version from British musician Ben Marwood and found it to be the best acoustic cover I have yet to hear. But that’s not saying much considering I didn’t really find many others. To be honest, he’s not really selling me on how bad he wants to be the lover of the object of his affection. This cover is so vanilla, granola, boy-next-door throwing pebbles at my window. Don’t take no for an answer, Ben! Don’t ask my permission, never mind what I said, just break into my house, barge into my room, and interrupt what I’m doing with your sense of urgency and all-consuming desire. That’s the only way to sell a song like this that’s got intensity oozing at its seams. This is a one-note cover and it’s this lack of any kind of real expression that makes his cover pale in comparison to the compelling nature of the original. It seems like he’s just performing a cover for a cover’s sake, not because he necessarily identifies with the song or because any of Hawkins’ sentiments are actually mirrored in his soul.  At least with the Eels cover, Mark Everett was able to come across overcome by the situation even during the moments where his whiny vocal drawl is delivered in its most removed fashion. I’ve actually heard annoying Subway commercials urging you to buy five…five dollar…five dollar foot-longs with much more soul and feeling. While Marwood successfully hits all of Hawkins’ notes and what-not, this one just didn’t make me feel anything at all.
Ben Marwood – “Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover” (Sophie B. Hawkins)
Ben Marwood: website | myspace
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Black Kids, 2008: from I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You (single)
Damn, this cover is just so terribly wrong on so many accounts! No offense to Black Kids, but does The Cure’s frontman Robert Smith know that you so shamelessly pilfered his vocal stylings and subjected them to weird synth pop meets indietronica? I had heard that this cover was on the “I’m Not Gonna Teach…” single and was admittedly really eager to hear their rendition.  And now? My curiosity killed the last few minutes of my life that I’ll never get back.  Lead singer Reggie Youngblood’s voice doesn’t really seem to make any sense and it sounds displaced. He hits strange notes that don’t coincide with the original or even hold up well on their own. Quite frankly, I’m not even sure if he knows he’s supposed to be singing Hawkins’ “Damn…” at all? His voice alone isn’t bad at all, but maybe he needs to cover more guitar-driven, Futureheads-style songs, and not this tacky danceable indie crap.  I can’t even find anything I like about this one, except that this is an excellent example of songs that work better in theory, just not in reality. Damn, Black Kids! Why you gotta waste Sophie B. Hawkins’ flavor?
Black Kids – “Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover” (Sophie B. Hawkins)
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** In case a cute indie boy is reading this, I prefer “Beast of Burden,” but really, any Rolling Stones song works 
damn right, my cover sucked.
x
OMG, is this really Ben? I don’t really think it “sucked,” per se. It just needed more intensity in my very humble opinion… do you do other covers?
Ben’s not so much a cover man for his mini-album as great listen…I would say that I helped release it
Info at:
http://www.josaka.com/news/99/61/Ben-Marwood—This-Is-Not-What-You-Had-Planned.html