Still from Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” video
YouTube
Covering a classic song is a great way of ingratiating yourself with local fans while on tour. It’s something Dua Lipa has been doing in Australia this month as her Radical Optimism tour makes its way across the country. What better way to say to an audience that you understand them and their culture than by performing your take on, say, an AC/DC song?
“Highway To Hell” isn’t the only Australian favorite that Dua has performed in Melbourne this week, as she plays six shows at the Rod Laver Arena. She sang Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” during one of the shows and “Torn,” made famous by Natalie Imbruglia, on another. Weirdly, this isn’t even the only cover of “Torn” to drop this week.
Weakened Friends, a Portland, Maine indie rock trio, sit about as far on the opposite side of the musical spectrum as you can get from a glossy and slick pop performance. Their shows are small but passionate gatherings for fans to sing along with Sonia Sturino and her grunge revivalist bandmates. The group’s music is melodramatic and super catchy, which makes their decision to cover “Torn” on stage a natural fit. There is a jangly uplift to the song that makes it perfect for coffee shops or roadtrip listening, but the lyrics get pretty dark. Loss of faith, cold lifeless bodies, shame? “Torn” is as angsty as it gets, and that’s before you get to “Lying naked on the floor.”
The band’s take on the 1997 song is such a fan favorite that they recorded a studio version of the song, which they released this week. Naturally, they added a little dirt to the Natalie Imbruglia version and made it a little more of a face-melter. “Scare your mom with the first chorus drop, and mostly just cathartically scream along to it,” the band told fans when they shared the track.
Of course, *music nerd voice* “Torn” is not actually a Natalie Imbruglia song. Those that know the lore insist on telling you that it was actually first written by L.A.-based band Ednaswap two years before Imbruglia had a Hot 100 hit with her version. It’s clearly just a very coverable song, though. Both Miya Folick and Olivia Rodrigo have both shared their takes on the song in recent years, Rodrigo even got Imbruglia to join her on stage for her version. Perhaps it should be a rite of passage for punk bands and pop girlies alike. An unlikely bridge between the DIY venue and the corporate arena.
