Hear Ryan Adams’ Haunting Cover of Radiohead’s ‘Karma Police’
Ryan Adams delivered a haunting, solo acoustic version of Radiohead‘s “Karma Police” during a Saturday spot on BBC Radio 2. The singer-songwriter stayed true to the epic OK Computer ballad, even creatively crooning the eerie, descending vocal melody from the song’s bridge.
As Pitchfork reports, Adams said the performance was inspired by a “pretty awful person”: President Donald Trump.
“I woke up this morning and I was jetlagged, and I had a full day of press,” he told the BBC. “But I wanted to do a couple of covers. And I know plenty, but I wanted to do something new that I hadn’t done before. So I went, what are two or three songs I could try to learn before I have to go to my first thing. And this was one. I don’t know if I’ve learned it in a great, new and interesting way, but I also thought it’s fitting, because there’s a pretty awful person who just got elected in the United States. So I don’t know why, but that song popped into my head this morning.”
Adams also performed a solo version of “Doomsday,” the anthemic folk-rock single from his upcoming 16th LP, Prisoner, out February 17th. The songwriter recently announced the album’s limited-edition “End of the World” box set containing 17 previously unreleased B-sides, seven-inch vinyl for each of the 12 songs and a 2-D action play set with assorted action figures.
On Monday, Adams released a video for power-ballad “Do You Still Love Me?.” The clip blends onstage footage with shots of Adams and his production team in the studio.