Ramsey Lewis / Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence

So I get this is a bit of a cheat, picking two songs instead of just one, but let’s not be dogmatic about this whole enterprise, shall we. Today’s songs are actually the same song, obviously, just done in vastly different styles. And I prefer both of these versions of “Dear Prudence” over the Beatles’ original. I don’t even think this is a hot take, or heretical to the music cognoscenti. The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence” is fine and good and always there if you want it. But Ramsey Lewis and Siouxsie take that starting point and each transform “Dear Prudence” into something sublime.

Let’s start with Ramsey Lewis’ jazz piano cover, which teeters up to the edge of muzak, but never crosses over into cheese. Stripped of all the vocals, Lewis’ piano does the singing, as it were, and you can just luxuriate in the melody. Lewis doesn’t even take it too far off the rails in some improv jazz odyssey. His version isn’t deconstructed and sewn back together, it’s a pretty straightforward cover, but with enough flourishes to make it his own. Lewis’ cover is kinda like extended family that comes over for just Thanksgiving day. It’s nice to have them around and be in your life, but they don’t overstay their welcome, and neither does Lewis.

If you’re of a certain age, you are probably more familiar with Siouxsie and the Banshees’ version of “Dear Prudence,” which made a bit of a splash here in the U.S. in the early 80s. This new wave-y, slightly goth-y, dream-like take has more of an isolated vibe, with its dour synths and copious amounts of eyeliner. It’s Siouxsie’s vocals that take center stage here. Her deep voice is like molten iron being poured into ingots. It’s cold and powerful and demands your respect. But her voice is also mesmerizing and takes Dear Prudence to a place far beyond the Fab Four.

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Class of ‘90 rulez.