Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver had the sort of meteoric rise from the under belly of indie-folk to mainstream popularity that makes it nearly impossible to keep fans on both sides. In one respect or another, fans of his (or former fans) have an opinion about him and that can produce hilarious results.
The catalyst for all the hype comes from his most popular song, “Skinny Love“ which, if you believe the folk lore, was forged by chopping wood in a remote Midwestern cabin using his guitar and hurt feelings.
Personal opinions aside, the song is heart-achingly beautiful and I can’t think of a better suited artist to tackle it than the young and talented Birdy.
On her recent visit to Morning Becomes Eclectic, the U.K. songwriter spun through a handful of cover songs as well as some new ones but the cover of “Skinny Love“, to me, was the standout. Somehow she manages to squeeze even more emotion out of the delicate melody and depressingly honest lyrics.
Picking a Birdy song as one of our favorite in studio covers is kind of like bringing a MLB All-Star to your company softball game, she is of course the owner of another favorite cover of ours, Phoenix’s “1901” and she categorically accepts that doing remakes of songs is something she actively pursues.
However she gets there, we like that she’s doing it, and maybe she can convert some of those soured Bon Iver fans back to that magical place in the woods.
Birdy — “Skinny Love” Live on Morning Becomes Eclectic