Patrick El-Haj is a man of many parts. A few months ago he was here with a video of an unclassifiable song genre-wise, ‘Stockholm i juli (Epic Euphoria)’, which he described as “a fuck at the edge of the world.”
I said at the time that his style seems to lie somewhere between chamber pop/rock, modern prog rock and Gregorian chants in rap form.
His latest effort is different again, being both a cover and not a cover of Spanish heartthrob Julio Iglesias’ ‘Hey!’; meaning a musical cover but not a lyrical one as the words have nothing in common with the original Iglesias Spanish lyrics.
In those lyrics Iglesias lambasted his ex lover for lying that he couldn’t live without her, though in what you might call a laid back way. He doesn’t seem too bothered about it to be honest.
I thought Patrick might make it somewhat tenser and threatening, bringing out the hombre in the song like he was Javier Bardem but instead he ditches the original lyrics altogether in favour of watering down the bravado and claiming that the passage of time has taught him that he still loves her and that love could still blossom again.
Aw, bless.
But it’s the sea change in stylisation that you’ll really notice.
Julio’s effort is typically romantically Spanish with lots of acoustic guitar and a huge orchestral backing.
Patrick’s interpretation is more of a feel good song, which will always be the case when it is built around an accordion that sounds like it’s being played somewhere down the Left Bank by a bloke wearing a horizontally striped shirt, with a black beret, a Gitanes lolling on his lip and onions draped around his neck.
It’s replete with melancholy (something the Swedes do infinitely better than the Spanish) but the contemplative nature of the song and the harmony seem to have given advance listeners a shot of dopamine as well as to encourage the odd tear or two.
In fact I hear that one of Sweden’s top radio stations – Sveriges Radio P4 Dans – the equivalent of our Radio 3 – has considered it for a weekly programme that concerns an archetypal Swedish genre called ‘dansband’, which is a variety, in his own words, of “ABBA meets country ballroom, music for slow dancing, smiling, and perhaps shedding a quiet tear after midnight and mainly for older but wonderfully passionate listeners.”
Something like a waltz on the BBC’s Saturday night standard ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
And this song definitely carries that spirit — even if the lyrics are unlike anything they would be used to.
As I’ve often said, you’ll find all sorts in NMC. We don’t do rote. Already today we’ve had another Swedish artist who is well known for her ability to sing in a way that encourages the cows to come in from the fields, who once appeared on a TV talent show with a singing dog and who now writes cutting, emotional songs about a range of issues.
And then there’s Patrick, who is just…different again.
(Continues after the Spotify link)
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