April 20th marks Record Store Day 2024, with Paramore as the newly independent ambassador of the year. At the beginning of the year the pop-punk group covered the Talking Heads’ hit “Burning Down the House,” and yesterday frontman David Byrne returned the favor with a cover of Paramore’s “Hard Times.”
Byrne’s cover is decidedly his own, with xylophone, horns and backup vocals giving “Hard Times” that Talking Heads feel. The single, released on the seventh anniversary of Paramore’s original, is upbeat and fun.
“Paramore recorded an amazing version of ‘Burning Down The House’ for a Stop Making Sense covers album that A24 is doing in connection with the re-release of the film. That song is out now,” Byrne wrote. “The band told me that their song ‘Hard Times’ was inspired by Talking Heads, so I learned it and recorded my version of their great song with a horn section. This was fun!”
Listen to both covers below and check out more info on Record Store Day here!