Sometimes when people try to cover John Lennon, they fall flat on their faces. Look no further than a group of well-meaning celebrities led by Gal Gadot who… well, fell very flat on their faces when tackling “Imagine” during the early onset of the pandemic. But let’s take this conversation as far from that aberration as possible, because the point I’m getting at here is that Florence And The Machine is very worthy of covering John Lennon. Florence Welch has the range, the depth, the intention, and the context of the British mindset that makes her able to pull it off.
This was the case on Florence And The Machine’s recent acoustic cover version of Lennon’s “Jealous Guy,” where Welch and company did justice to the solo classic by The Beatles great. As part of a SiriusXM in-studio appearance, Welch’s breathy delivery was commanding to say the least, as she was backed by a piano, acoustic guitar, and a gorgeous harp. With her eyes closed, Welch was locked in for the entirety of the performance.
“Jealous Guy,” first appeared on Lennon’s 1971 album, Imagine, which was his second solo album away from The Beatles. The track has, in fact, been covered in the past by Roxy Music, Donny Hathaway, and Belinda Carlile. Now we can add this stunner of a rendition from Florence And The Machine to the list.
Watch Florence And The Machine cover John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” above.
