Father John Misty | Photo by Rocco Peditto | roccopeditto.virb.com
Father John Misty covered both Rihanna and Patti Smith last night because he’s Father John Misty
It’s been a strange week for covers. First, we got Drake covering Jackson Browne/Nico‘s “These Days”, which still feels like a weird dream. Then last night, at his show at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California, psilocybin loverboy Father John Misty covered both Rihanna‘s “Kiss It Better” and the Patti Smith/Bruce Springsteen co-penned “Because The Night.”
Rihanna released her video for “Kiss It Better” today as well, which makes sense since Father John is known for his zeitgeist-mocking humor (his covers of Ryan Adams covering Taylor Swift in the style of Lou Reed from last year were hilarious). However, his cover seems faithful to the original with his yearning vocals and big stadium-pop sound. Still weird to hear him singing over trap drum beats though.
He followed this up with a rocking version of the Patti Smith hit “Because The Night”, which was written with help from The Boss. He may be bored in the USA, but Father John Misty will continue to find ways to entertain himself and us.
FJM plays a sold out show later this month at The FIllmore to continue his tour for I Love You, Honeybear. If you don’t have tickets, don’t fret: He’ll be playing a solo acoustic set this summer at XPN Fest. Knowing him, there’s a solid chance he will be playing at least one cover or two.
Watch video of Father John covering both songs below and, while you’re at it, compare them to the original versions.