Hemming covered The Beach Boys’ “Don’t Worry Baby” for the summertime

Hemming | courtesy of the artist

For a surprise as the seasons change, Philadelphia singer-songwriter Hemming dropped a cover of The Beach Boys’ “Don’t Worry Baby” this week. Her Facebook post about the song provided a sparse, yet sufficient explanation; it simply reads, “I did a nice summertime cover.” 

While the original tune features The Beach Boys’ iconic layered, reverberating vocals, Hemming approaches the song differently. The original version’s subtle piano and loud percussion are replaced instead with loud guitar and no percussion. Hemming has a knack for finding the hidden sadness in uplifting songs — see her cover of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” as well — and her rendition of “Don’t Worry Baby” has a much more emotionally intense feel than the Beach Boys’ track. While the original song is about a teenage girlfriend reassuring her boyfriend before a drag race, Hemming makes the same words and feelings resonate from the standpoint of a post-college grad.

Listen below. Hemming’s most recent release is the Waiting / Wasting EP, and she’s promised more new music throughout the year.