James Blake Covered Aqua’s ‘Barbie Girl’, Because The World Is A Strange And Confusing Place
And hey: it's pretty good.
James Blake has the reputation of being something of a sadboi.
Over the man’s acclaimed career, he’s pioneered a brand of soul-searching synth that prioritises emotional expression over energy. His songs sink down into themselves, obsessing over past regrets and looking blindly into the future for something like hope.
Which is why it’s, uh, let’s say interesting, that the man has decided to cover Aqua’s nineties hit ‘Barbie Girl’ during a recent live show.
Blake is no stranger to left-of-centre covers — on this tour, he’s already turned his attention to ‘When The Party’s Over’, the breakthrough single from pop ingenue Billie Eilish.
But taking on Aqua is another level of surreality altogether. And wouldn’t you know it? The James Blake version of that beloved pop hit is pretty good.
Although the audience responds to Blake’s version of the song with whoops, applause and laughter, he takes it all pretty seriously. He sings the chorus with the full weight of a man who knows that the world is plastic, his voice cracking and vibrating with emotion. And underneath it all a piano, tracing that melody like hands uncovering something fragile from the dirt.
Watch the whole glorious thing below to see what I mean: