Ryan Adams isn’t wasting time with his Smiths-indebted covers album of Taylor Swift‘s 1989.
Not long after revealing the existence of the improbable covers album to the world (including Swift, who enthusiastically approves of it), the unpredictable rocker is sharing some of what he’s recorded. Today, we get snippets of his moody, reflective covers of “Out of the Woods” and “All You Had to Do Was Stay.”
Taylor Swift’s Career Timeline
Describing his version of Swift’s Bleachers collab as “a waltz” and “maybe the best sad song I ever did,” Adams shared two separate audio snippets from “Out of the Woods.” Listen to his mournful take on the electronic-tinged pop track below.
Hey @taylorswift13 What a song. Wow. pic.twitter.com/MRVhhGTdKl
— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) August 7, 2015
Out of the Woods. Done. Epic Coda has 4 guitars!! Now on to “All You Had To Do Is Stay” #1989 @taylorswift13 SO FUN pic.twitter.com/E5hNaXmSF7
— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) August 7, 2015
As for “All You Had to Do Was Stay,” he gives it an ’80s alt-rock vibe — think The Church’s “Under the Milky Way” — that he likens to the 1983 film Eddie and the Cruisers.
“All You Had To Do Was Stay” as heard on the Eddie & the Cruisers Part 3: Reverb Police soundtrack #1989 pic.twitter.com/TTYOnC9qT1
— Ryan Adams (@TheRyanAdams) August 7, 2015
But perhaps best of all, Ryan Adams offers a hilarious reimagining of Sonic Youth’s iconic Goo cover featuring Taylor Swift & Olivia Benson, her cat (artwork by ScissorSaurus). Even if you didn’t think Taylor rapping on “Shake It Off” was cool, there’s no doubt this drawing rules.