REVIEW- I Will Follow You Into the Dark (Cover by Jasmine Thompson)
This amazing cover is one of Jasmine's best songs and one of my favorite songs ever. Jasmine takes a spare acoustic song and transforms it into something rich, vibrant and deeply touching.
Originally performed by the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, I Will Follow is a catchy, folksy song with haunting lyrics about love, death, and the after-life. It's about a person reassuring her lover that, "when the time for sleep is now," he'll be with her, clasping hands tightly, following her "into the dark."
DCFC's original version has a spare and sparse feel, as it was sung with only an acoustic guitar accompaniment. The original version is brilliant, a moving song with enduring resonance. Jasmine's rendition, though, is on another level entirely.
In my opinion, Jasmine's cover is the definitive version of I Will Follow. And what makes the cover definitive and distinctive, is, of course, Jasmine's ineffably beautiful vocals. The way Jasmine sings I Will Follow is so touching (on the first listen, it actually brought me to tears), so soulful, so haunting yet tender...she bring the poetry of the lyrics to life, she brings a richness to the song lacking in the original.
The DCFC version is awesome as well. But, if DCFC sings the song in black & white, Jasmine sings her rendition in deep and vibrant colors.
Take the way Jasmine sings my favorite line in the song, "Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs." Very poetic line. She sings that line three times, each time with great passion, and each time she sings it in a slightly different way, in a certain progression. No other singer, not in the original, not in other covers, sing that line so strikingly, so creatively. It's only Jasmine who truly brings the poetry of that line to life.
The heart-aching tenderness of Jasmine's voice also embues the song with feelings/emotions that weren't fully developed in the original. For instance, while DCFC's spare original version really captures the feeling of loneliness as one faces death ("if there's no one besides you when your soul embarks"), what's less developed is the feeling of connection.
Jasmine, though, sings in such a heart-felt manner that the listener can't help but feel the togetherness of the moment as the two lovers are about to enter "the blackest of rooms." As her voice sounds so comforting and soothing, so do the lyrical reassurances that "there's nothing to cry about because we'll be holding each other soon."
It's not only Jasmine's voice that lends the song with emotional richness. Jasmine's singing is enhanced by the amazing guitar and piano backing. The wonderful effects can best be heard with headphones on, with the piano feeding the left ear, and the guitar feeding the right.
Jasmine's rendition is a masterpiece performance. She adds layers of richness to the original song, making it her own, without making the song too complicated or overloaded with effects. Beautiful.
Much thanks to Jasmine for giving us listeners an amazing gift for the heart and soul.