You know those songs that you’re always happy to hear? If you hear it on the radio, you’ll always turn it up, and if you hear it in the grocery store, you’ll always sing along? One of those songs for me is “Different Drum,” made most famous by the Stoney Poneys, featuring Linda Ronstadt:
Linda Ronstadt, 1967
Linda Ronstadt & The Stone Poneys – “Different Drum” (1967)
It’s a great pop song, and based on a love trope that I wish popped up more often: the “kiss-off-because-I-want-to-date-around.” It’s originally by Michael Nesmith, who went on to join The Monkees, and when Ronstadt covered it, she didn’t change much in the way of lyrics. Hence we have her telling her jilted paramour, “I ain’t sayin’ you ain’t pretty,” and that she’s not ready for “any person, place, or thing to try and pull the reins in on [her].” This meshed well with the feminist politics a brewin’ at the time, and still resonates with a lot of contemporary feminist and queer sensibilities.
As often seems to happen with Ronstadt, her version has become the definitive, and all covers since then are measured against it. Part of what makes hers so compelling is her bright, clear, and direct delivery– she’s got a voice you could hang a hat on, and she uses it to great effect on this song. One of the few covers that I’ve found that measure up is Susanna Hoffs and Matthew Sweet’s 2006 rendering. Hoffs, best known for her work in The Bangles, is capable of a similar direct delivery (if she lacks Ronstadt’s fullness, she makes up for it with a smoky undertone), and Sweet’s harmonies add a nice plaintive quality (to pretty much everything he touches, actually).
Sometimes a cover doesn’t need to be life-changing if it can hit the nail on the head, and I think this one comes pretty close.
Tags: covers, linda ronstadt, matthew sweet, susanna hoffs, the bangles
