Sometimes, a cover version of a song establishes its own legacy distinct from the original track; Jeff Buckley’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” comes to mind as such a song. Caroline Polachek has made one of those for herself in recent years, too. She started covering “Breathless” by The Corrs at shows in 2018, and towards the end of last year, she finally shared a studio version of her cover. Now she has brought her rendition back to its live roots by performing it on The Late Late Show last night.
The performance takes place in a dark and dramatically lit room, Polachek surrounded by smoke. Staying true to her studio cover, the performance departs from the original Corrs song, taking on a more modern and electronic aesthetic. Ahead of the pre-taped performance, Polachek noted, “Was v nervous for this, but oof it’s fun to be at it again..! Yes i will be in full princess mode thank you for asking.”
https://twitter.com/carolineplz/status/1367471018374234113
The studio version of Polachek’s “Breathless” cover appears on Standing At The Gate: Remix Collection, which is set for release on April 16. The album includes contributions from folks like Toro Y Moi, A.G. Cook, Chino Moreno of Deftones, and others.
Watch Polachek perform “Breathless” above.
