5/31: COVER: Open Secrets (Katie Cole)
This lovely rendition elevates the source material.
I find no absolution
In my rational point of view
Maybe some things are instinctive
But there’s one thing you could do
You could try to understand me —
I could try to understand you.
When I think of Rush covers, I don’t often think, “heartfelt acoustic takes of mid-catalogue deepcuts,” but hey, this year has been full of surprises, hasn’t it?
Katie Cole does an exquisite rendition of “Open Secrets,” one of my least favorite tracks on my least favorite album, She’s so good she actually made me reconsider my dislike of the original. (Nope, still dislike it. But she gave me pause for a hot minute, at least.)
Cole has a natural way with the lyrics, elevating the smarmy source material to something you might hear late night on a college radio station, sandwiched between Dashboard Confessionals and Liz Phair. It almost sounds authentic coming from her, in a way that it never did from the guys.
Give it a spin, and tell me what you think!
I've always had mixed feelings about this song. On one hand, I can relate to more of it than I like; on the other, to tell someone who's dealing with something difficult "you've got to let it go" is the antithesis of helpful.
It feels like a quite intimate peek into Neil's mind ... maybe so much so that the lyrics didn't get the benefit of one more pass, which could have made it a stronger song. I agree that Cole's cover is better than the original.