(Kid Logic) The Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs has shared her take on the Rolling Stones classic "Under My Thumb", as the first taste of her forthcoming covers album, "The Deep End", which will arrive on April 7th. Kid Logic sent over these details:
For the album, Hoffs has teamed with legendary producer Peter Asher to record the artists that have been speaking to her in recent years: Billie Eilish, Joy Oladokun, Brandy Clark, Holly Humberstone, and Ed Sheeran, alongside her old favorites from Squeeze, Colin Blunstone, Yazoo and more.
The Deep End will be released the same week as her debut novel, This Bird Has Flown (April 4, Little, Brown), described by Hoffs as "the redemption of a one-hit-wonder. It's a story of sex, love, and rock and roll." The book has already been acquired by Universal Pictures, setting a feature adaptation with Liza Chasin and Bruna Papandrea producing.
Hear Susanna's radical reinvention of The Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb." "I love the Rolling Stones!" says Hoffs. "I've listened to that song on repeat since it came out in the mid-'60s. I had an epiphany when I really thought about what the song is about, and it ignited this idea to do my own spin on it-to change the gender and see how it felt. What if the roles are/were reversed and the boy is under her thumb? It was exhilarating to give it a new spin, to flip it on its head, or on its ass. It's a sassy, irreverent song, so it was extremely pleasurable to turn the tables." Hoffs is backed by Waddy Wachtel on guitar, Ledisi on background vocals, bassist Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel on drums, Jeff Alan Ross on vibes, with a string quartet arrangement by Steve Aho.
Thematically, Leslie Gore's 1963 hit "You Don't Own Me" is the flip side of "Under My Thumb," but given Hoffs' reinterpretation of the latter song, they're companion pieces as anthems of self-empowerment. "I just thought, It's an old song; we all know it, but why not take a stab at it? It was cathartic to sing it."
"You Don't Own Me" is the oldest song on the album. The newest is "Deep End," a 2022 ballad written and recorded by English singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone. "When Peter shared this song with me, I was utterly entranced. It was so moving, so beautiful, so rich and deep with emotion and so vivid in the imagery as well. It's such a special song that we ended up naming the album after it.
With the Bangles, on her acclaimed Under the Covers series with Matthew Sweet, and her distinguished solo career, Susanna Hoffs has established herself as one of the most adept and affecting interpretive singers of the last four decades. "I aim for the emotion to come straight to the surface when I sing-I just go for it," she offers. "I try to be as vulnerable and emotional as the song permits."
The Deep End Track Listing
Under My Thumb (The Rolling Stone)
Deep End (Holly Humberstone)
If You've Got a Problem (Joy Oladokun)
Afterglow (Ed Sheeran)
Time Moves On (Phantom Planet)
Say You Don't Mind (Denny Laine)
Black Coffee in Bed (Squeeze)
West Coast (Jason Schwartzman)
Would You Be So Kind (Dodie)
When the Party's Over (written by Finneas O'Connell for Billie Eilish)
Pawn Shop (Brandy Clark)
You Don't Own Me (Leslie Gore)
Only You (Yazoo)
Susanna Hoffs Shares New Version Of 'Eternal Flame'
Susanna Hoffs and Elvis Costello Celebrate Keith Richards' Birthday With 'Connection'
Susanna Hoffs Launches Lost Favorites Series
Susanna Hoffs Announces Covers Album With Rolling Stones Classic
Dave Koz & Friends at Sea Cruise, Part 3: All Ashore! The Cruise Reaches Norway and Iceland
Caught In The Act: Cheap Trick Rocks Chicagoland On July 4th
Dave Koz & Friends at Sea Cruise, Part 2: Dave, Dave, Dave!
Sites and Sounds: Montana Folk Festival Coming to Butte (And It's Free!)
Dave Koz & Friends at Sea Cruise, Part 1: Sax Man and Pals Set Sail in Europe
Big Time Rush Kick Off Big Time Rush In Real Life Worldwide Tour
Sombr Plots UK & Europe Headline Tour
Tedeschi Trucks Band Releasing 'Mad Dogs & Englishmen Revisited (LIVE AT LOCKN') with Leon Russell'
Fox Lake Launching New World Heat Tour This Fall
AC/DC In The Studio For 45th Anniversary Of 'Back In Black'
Singled Out: Chris Stamey (The DBs)'s 'Meet Me In Midtown'
Ozzy Osbourne Releasing New Memoir 'Last Rites'
Hatebreed's Wayne Lozinak Have Surgery To Remove Brain Tumor Next Month