We should all be thankful for the internet.
There are countless ways it has changed our lives. The one I tend to write most about on this site, it should be noted, is that just about anything you could think of is available. Any movie, art, book, song, game, fetish or conspiracy theory not only has a home, but a thriving community behind it. For better or worse, our collective humanity is available for download, provided you know where to look. So how does this apply to my coverage of covers, beyond simply proselytizing the proliferation of digital distribution?
Michael Jackson's passing was a momentous event, not just for myself but for anyone who heard his music. Due to the sad spiral of his life, many of us only became reacquainted with his music and prolific career after his passing. I wrote about some of my own experiences here. When his memorial was broadcast on TV a short time later, millions tuned in to mourn or just observe the spectacle. While there were a multitude of notable events, one in particular stood out to me - an event that, within minutes of it happening, I was able to track down both as an mp3 and a YouTube video.
John Mayer's instrumental cover of Jackson's 1983 single 'Human Nature' was no big reinvention of the pop staple. There was no crazy twist or novel concept. It was just a straight forward, earnest performance of a fantastic song. Jackson's song was surprisingly no-frills as it was, considering his elaborate and meticulous performances and arrangements. The beauty in Mayer's performance is his distillation of the song into a single instrument. Most of the cover is him, solo, on his electric guitar. His playing is subtle and nuanced, a display of restraint and artistry. The lack of insane, face-melting solos is at the heart of why the song is so great when distilled to its core. To cite the old adage, it's the notes he's not playing that make it great.
Jackson is someone whose art I've appreciated to a deeper extent as I've grown older, finding pop gold over and over throughout his extensive discography. Mayer is an artist I've surprised myself by really becoming a fan of as I've gotten older, after realizing his label stuck him in a convenient package right out of the gate. He was more than just the tween-to-college girl fish-in-a-barrel guitar slinger - he's an unrivaled guitarist and a unique voice in a sea of mediocrity. This cover reminds me to appreciate both of them for what they are and to look beyond my assumptions when evaluating a song. Listen to them both, they're stellar pop songs. They just happen to be flip sides to the same coin. Both can be found on your local internet.
