It's probably best to leave "Hey Ya" to Outkast from here on out
Outkast are the best; there aren't too many people who would dare to tell you otherwise.
Similarly, there aren't too many people who don't like "Hey Ya". Even if you're like me, and you generally try to dig a little bit deeper than an artist's most popular song, "Hey Ya" still rocks. And maybe for that exact reason, we should probably not play around too much with it. In case you've forgotten, use this time to remind yourself how much damn fun this song is. The video is based on The Beatles' 1964 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, which is equal parts hilarious and brilliant.
Yup, it's pretty much the best song ever. A few years ago, an obscure folk artist by the name of Obadiah Parker released an acoustic, folky version of the song. It went viral. But it went viral because it's very different, not because it's very good. It isn't.
It isn't even half good, if you ask me. And now, Florida band Surfer Blood have done their own cover, alongside Amazon Music.
You can check it out right here.
I actually like Surfer Blood quite a bit. Maybe, someday, I'll write a post explaining why I like them.
But this is terrible.
Again, it's different, so it will probably get some hype. It's taking an ultra-familiar sound and tweaking it. But the fact remains: it's bad. The guitar in the chorus is a nice bit, but outside of that, it's moan-y, overdone and much too ambient.
So, now we're 0-2 on "Hey Ya" covers. Let's quit now.
