Covers that are better than the original

      
I defy you to tell me that this isn’t beautiful:

They's so fresh and fine/ I loves you Porgy

          This is so incredibly lush with that piano line and the orchestration that it makes me ill. From what I can understand with my limited knowledge of Porgy and Bess, the opera from which this originates, the first section of this particular version is extracted from what the strawberry vendor sings in an opening scene that takes place in a market. The rest is Gershwin’s beautiful “I loves you Porgy”. But this version is infinitely more romantic than the original setting. I want to say that it was originally Billie Holiday who did a more pared down, ballad-like rendition of the tune, but I’m not sure. The aria, as written for the opera is actually uptempo and is affective in a pleading way. But I think Nina Simone’s several renditions are simply the ultimate.

          That dark, smooth timbre she gets when she sings that first “Don’t let him take me” continues to change my life everyday. That combined with some of her quirky spliced sounds in the intro, makes the whole color scheme quite admirable. This is something I am striving always to do more of in opera, to enhance the color contrasts of every section of every piece. Brava Nina.

          You might even say, as I am inclined to: It rips my heart out of my ass.