As a civilization, we lost something when the recording became the primary mode of music, as opposed to the song. In the old days, a song was written (presumably by Irving Berlin) and every artist put their own personal stank on it. But with the advent of the 45, the rise of writer-performers and confessional songwriting, and the current star system, nobody puts their stank on nothing no more. Sure, “Hallelujah†gets covered a shit ton, but where are the standards of today? Joe Jonas has an entry for the New Great American Songbook: Smash Mouth’s “All Star.†Cosplaying as your coke dealer, the middle JoBro did a rendition of “All Star†on The Tonight Show that would make Shrek cry. (And yes, “All Star†was first on the Mystery Men soundtrack, but we can all agree it is more closely associated with the green ogre man today.) All that glitters is indeed gold.
Watch Song Stylist Joe Jonas Take on Smash Mouth’s ‘All Star’
