Paul Anka
Rock Swings

THE REVIEW

Everything is swing.

Everything can be experienced in terms of swing because it is a lifestyle, an approach to things that is light, amused, carefree, and in some ways irresistible.
Pushing this idea to the extreme, even the brave Paul Anka (at a more than retirement age) released in 2005 this "Rock Swings", a cover album of ultra-famous rock songs that, to be honest, are as related as an umbrella on a sewing machine (as the philosopher sgalattiato would say) with swing (as proof of the theory announced above).
So what is the point of reinterpreting evergreen tracks from the History of Rock in a irreverent/lighthearted way (swing, indeed) if not for a clever bending to purely economic/commercial ends?
The operation was, in some ways, simple and clever at the same time:
1) Put a singer now forgotten in the limelight (Paul Anka, the 65-year-old legendary singer of "Diana" in the mid-60s and among others, author of Sinatra's "My Way"!!), looking for any pretext to resurface, or at least gasp some fresh air
2) Add the renewed passion people have for this old-fashioned genre, a nostalgic reminder of the good old days (thanks to various Bublès & the like)
3) A reputable record label (Verve) to back the project
4) Add some truly historical tracks from a repertoire as far from jazz and swing as possible (we are talking about Cure and Nirvana, above all!!)
5) Put an arranger who knows their stuff to perfectly suit songs otherwise impossible to rearrange
6) Mix it all, et voilà... the album is done!

What more can be said other than being dumbfounded and astonished at how this outfit of rhinestones and glitter from an old-style nightclub fits almost seamlessly to songs like It's my Life (by Bon Jovi) or Everybody Hurts (REM), Wonderwall (Oasis), Blackhole Sun (SoundGarden), Jump (Van Halen) or even Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana), reinterpreting these songs in a distorted and, in some ways, unrecognizable manner.

Of course, seeing this "semi scandal" brings a lump to the throat, and this "violating" of pieces of emotional memory (in fact, that’s exactly what these songs are!) simply cannot be justified. Moreover, if it’s done by an overly lifted old man with a conspicuous toupee (see the cover), it makes you even more irritated.

On one hand you can say: GOOD, this proves that some rock is well written and truly deserves more, perhaps a second life. On the other hand you might argue: IF a song is BORN in that way, with that arrangement, with that mood, it is fair to preserve it like that in the hearts of those who loved it.
Frankly, I lean towards the second hypothesis (also because, how the heck can you imagine words written by someone like Kurt Cobain being sung by someone in tailcoat and bowtie, performing it in a theater in front of a bunch of old, fur-draped, and bejeweled folks applauding?!).

Oh yes... everything can be swing, apparently (alas!).