Below is the cover of "Real Love" that Adam Sandler contributed to the Funny People soundtrack. No one, I hope, will be surprised to find that it's a lesser song than the original. That's obvious enough. At the same time, it doesn't by any means cheapen John's work; Sandler isn't goofing off here. His version is serious and has something of an emotive kick. That sweet and affecting voice arouses sympathy with ease, and the lyric itself is just so touching. Furthermore, he makes small changes to the song, which is sometimes better than passively aping the original. He trades in the guitar solo for a whistling section and adds a bridge with new lines. All told, it works reasonably well. Even if a Beatles original and a Beatles cover are typically worlds apart, new interpretations like Sandler's don't have to be without merit.
Update: See here.
(If the video is removed, go here.)
1 comment:
The bridge was actually a part of John's earliest versions of the song, which can be heard in the many bootlegged demos and on the soundtrack of the "Imagine" documentary. Mr. Sandler simply took the liberty of re-adding the bridge that was deleted in the later version.
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