Cecilia – Who are You?

The Vamps – one of the big boy bands of the moment were the most recent to record a new version of the song “Cecilia”.

It’s a great version but how does it compare to the original and what other versions of this song have there been?

The Vamps

I like the Vamps, their song “Somebody To You” convinced me I was having a mid life crisis but it was so catchy!

Their cover of “Cecilia” brings it bang up to date and does a great job of introducing an old song to the new generation. They have also recorded a version of Cecilia in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust and the video features a whole host of You Tube stars…

Simon & Garfunkel

The song “Cecilia” was originally recorded by the wonderful Simon & Garfunkel in 1970.

The songwriter, Paul Simon, states…

“Cecilia refers to St. Cecilia, patron saint of music in the Catholic tradition”

It has been suggested that the song…

“might refer to the frustration of fleeting inspiration in songwriting, the vagaries of musical fame or in a wider sense the absurdity of pop culture. The song is generally interpreted as a lament over a capricious lover who causes both anguish and jubilation to the singer.”

Surprisingly it did not chart in the UK so sit back, relax and enjoy the original…

Suggs

Just as The Vamps version introduced the younger generation to Simon & Garfunkel, Suggs the lead singer from Madness, introduced me to them with his cover version.

It’s quirky, he’s fun, it reached number four in the UK charts however it still doesn’t beat the original but I don’t think there are many cover versions of songs that do.

Joe Dassin

A French speaking American singer released a version of this in 1970 and it’s a little bit Eurovision.

Times Two

In 1988 possibly the worst crime against music was committed by Times Two. The song, the video, the dancing, the styling – nothing about this is good.

Gaelic Storm

Gaelic Storm  “Celtic Rockify” songs and they did a pretty good job on Cecilia. It definitely got my foot tapping.

Random YouTube

Finally, I went to You Tube, typed in “acoustic Cecilia cover” to see what I would get. This is what I got and I am mighty impressed…

What other songs with someone’s name in the title should we look into in more detail?

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