Thea Gilmore's 6 Favourite Cover Versions + Signed Test Pressing Giveaway

Barney Townsend

5 hours ago5 min read

Today, singer-songwriter Thea Gilmore releases her new covers album These Quiet Friends, bringing together songs that have served as "quiet anchors through her life". In a glowing five-star review by The Mail On Sunday, the record is described as a “fabulous album that already feels like an old friend itself."

To celebrate, Thea gave us an insight into six cover versions she considers the peak of the craft and we are proud to have a signed test pressing of the album, to give away to one lucky winner.

Known for her own raw, emotive songwriting, Thea Gilmore is also a remarkable interpreter of others’ work. With These Quiet Friends, she reimagines songs by Blur, Miley Cyrus, Guns N Roses, Echo & The Bunnymen and many more with her unmistakable voice; the common denominator being that these songs have offered strength, comfort, and joy exactly when they were needed.

“These songs have been like mates to me” Gilmore says. “They’ve marked important moments and provided warmth, strength, or even just fun. I hope I’ve done them justice.” The video for Thea's version of Echo & The Bunnymen's 'The Killing Moon' is out now.

Having heard Thea's own expertly interpreted versions of classic tracks, we asked Thea for the six covers by other artists that inspired her journey.

Every Grain Of Sand - Emmylou Harris (1995)

Originally by Bob Dylan

Thea Gilmore: This is one of those rare cover versions that is better than the original. I believe Bob Dylan even called Emmylou himself and told her so.

Released on her incredible 1995 album Wrecking Ball. produced by Daniel Lanois, her version of this song is an absolute beacon of brilliance and the best of showcases for that aching, lonely, heart-wrenching voice. After hearing it, you’ll struggle to listen to Dylan’s version again without a tiny part of you wishing it was this one.

Nothing Else Matters - Phoebe Bridgers (2021)

Originally by Metallica

TG: I spent a fair few of my teenage years listening to Metallica and this song was released when I believe I was twelve, so I kind of grew up with it and loved it. When I heard Phoebe Bridgers’ version, I was blown away. It does exactly what a good cover version should do: completely reinvents the song to the point where it doesn’t even feel like the same one. She absolutely inhabits it and grows from the inside until she’s smashing out the boundaries of the lyrics and turning it inside out. Absolute brilliance.

Hurt - Johnny Cash (2002)

Originally by Nine Inch Nails

TG: I remember when this song came out. Everyone was raving over it and I avoided it like the plague because I loved Johnny Cash and thought the idea behind it felt weird... or maybe a bit gimmicky, I guess. Then I accidentally heard it in a bar. I didn’t know what I was listening to at first because it felt so complete and so different to the original. Then I sought out the video and the rest is history. Cash absolutely owned this song from the second he sang it. Absolute kudos to Rick Rubin for pursuing it and having the vision that ultimately persuaded Johnny to sing it. I know this sits at the top of most "best cover versions" lists... and so it should. It’s genius.

Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday (1939)

Originally by Abel Meeropol

TG: I’m not sure if this can, strictly speaking, be called a ‘cover’ as there was no official recorded original, but I’m including it anyway. It was originally a poem written by Abel Meeropol, son of Russian Jewish immigrants. He was an English teacher who had long been disturbed by the systemic racism in the US. He wrote the poem after seeing a photo of a lynching of two young black men in 1930. The poem was subsequently published in a couple of journals before Meeropol set it to music. He would perform the song at rallies and protests around New York which was where it came to the attention of Billie Holiday. She was initially wary of performing it for fear of being a target at her shows but eventually it became one of her most requested songs and she would close out the show with it. Recording it was even riskier, and her usual label Columbia refused so she put it out with an independent jazz label instead.

The song became a deeply powerful rallying protest anthem and a thorn in the side of the US government at the time, who wanted to shut down the questions on segregation and racism. The wild, untamed nature of Holiday’s voice along the brutal, almost matter of fact lyrics... it’s not just one of the best covers, it’s literally one of the best and most important pieces of work of the 20th century.

Hazy Shade of Winter - The Bangles (1987)

Originally by Simon & Garfunkel

RM: This is a version I come back to every year around the winter solstice. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Simon & Garfunkel version, but in my opinion, The Bangles really nailed it. They even managed to make their voices sound wintry... I’m not even sure how that’s possible, but they did! I was part of the cohort that had The Bangles' ‘Eternal Flame’ stuck in my head since I was ten, so their voices have this familiarity to me that feels kind of like home and I don’t think they’ve ever suited a song more than this one. It’s an absolute must on a winter playlist!

Such Great Heights - Iron And Wine (2003)

Originally by The Postal Service

I never saw (2004 film) Garden State, so I hadn’t heard Iron and Wine’s version of this but I had been pretty much in love with them from around 2005 since hearing Woman King. Sam Beam’s voice is an absolute thing of beauty.

The stripping down of the song from The Postal Service original - all electronica and fuzz - into Iron and Wine’s simple acoustic version is stunning. The voice is front and centre and it really showcases what an incredible song it is. Anything Ben Gibbard touches as a writer (or anything else tbf) is golden and this song is no exception.