Tegan, While preparing for our upcoming tour, I went down a rabbit hole watching videos of us on YouTube. It started with a simple search for performances of us covering other people’s songs. The first one that popped up surprised me because I have no recollection of it. The absence of memory allowed me to experience it entirely as a viewer. There
The Bad Ones + Not Tonight mashup is one of my favourite videos on youtube. During a time of so much anxiety and uncertainty, you guys released comforting material for a lot of us! My favourite cover you've ever done is Pale Shelter. When I discovered it, it was like finding gold. I'm not exactly an 80's kid (born 1989) but I grew up listening to a lot of 80's music because of my family so the cover brings me a lot of joy! Anyways, thanks for sharing ❤️
I’ve been wanting to tell you this for over a year now. I watched the Time After Time cover at least 50 times and, no offense to Cyndi Lauper, you sang it better. It’s your voices. They’re auditory umami.
I would love to hear you two sing Bad Ones acoustically. Again, your voices are wonderful in that video. I can only imagine it live.
It’s amazing how crowded our brains get with all of our life experiences. Like you, I use Substack to capture some of them. You and Tegan could have a whole shelf dedicated to memoirs from different times of your life. Are you working on another set of memoirs? I’d buy them. 😊
I used to spend hours and hours every day watching videos of you on YouTube but now I am so reliant on Spotify. Thank you for the reminder of the gems that are only on YouTube, I love your song with Fences, it was so nice to listen to it again, it's so comforting every time I hear it. I also love your cover of Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart. Going to have to do a YouTube deep dive of my own, it's been too long!
HUGE fan of your Tiny Desk performance. Lost count of how many times I listened to it. It pairs well with other TD performances like Tank and the Bangas and Chvches.
the stitches/shawn mendes cover is something else. as an elder fan entering middle age (ahhh), my mind is now almost totally a sieve (i picture details passing through my brain like sand through a fist). scrolling and swiping have replaced reading and remembering but in spite of that there are so many t&s memories that won't leave. an electric acoustic show in 2001 (from my vantage point in the front row, you had excellent hair cuts). youtube banter binges instead of college essays. sainthood sound-tracking a road trip to nyc. the moment the con came on the radio in 2010 and everything changed. all of it (you) a constant, as i (we) change. time after time indeed.
Pale Shelter is epic and I also love the version of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun you did with Jack Johnson when you toured with him. Top Speed with Emm Gryner is incredible, Why Even Try with Theophilus London makes me so happy... You have such a cool and diverse catalogue, it's so much fun to be a fan and be a part of this community!
Would you believe I’ve seen all of these videos recently, in most cases if there’s a video of the two of you singing that’s half way decent to absolutely incredible, Chances are I’ve seen it. I love watching you two do live performances! It’s always magic (if recorded properly).
I really love the acoustics you two released over lockdown! Would be fantastic to see some more, maybe when you are less busy?
There’s a magical feeling when I watch you both perform, it’s not as simple for me as escaping from my reality or relating to the song, but also the way the two of you seem to be able to translate my emotions into music, even though we’ve met once on zoom. It’s the way the lyrics not just connect with me but hit some part inside me I didn’t know was there. There’ll always be a special place in my heart for Tegan and Sara the band and for each of you individually.
Hope that wasn’t too cheasy, because it was meant to be heartfelt.
Thanks for the post Sara.
It must be strange to have parts of your life that you don’t remember but are filmed for the world to see.
Ah youtube. We are old friends. It's the only place I could ever find a recorded version of their When You Were Mine cover. There's just something about their voices singing certain songs that trigger an obsessive childlike need in me to hear it again and again and again. Even regular songs hit different in some of the posted recordings (@ A Take Away Show Feel It in My Bones). And idk if I should be ashamed or proud but their cover of Dancing in the Dark is how I actually learned the words to the song lol. I have the hardest time making out what Bruce is saying.
On the topic of Not Tonight mashups the video of Not Tonight/I’m on Fire from the bing lounge is one of my favorites. Also the making of the cover of Stitches is always a delight. I keep thinking of more good ones but I think I’m going to go watch the Make You Mine This Season video with baby Georgia now.
Just Like A Pill was epic, well the both performances and the speech was tbh. 😂 Also your cover of Lovely Rita was so good, your version of Stitches is better than the original. The same goes for Pale Shelter, so fucking good! Are there any other artists you would like to cover?, Paramore/Hayley Williams maybe? Would you ever cover a Sinead O’ Connor song as a tribute e.g. Mandika! I would literally give a limb to have you release an album covering your favourite artists! 💜💜
Time After Time
Just Like a Pill from the billboard women thing in 2013 is one of my fav covers y’all did. 💊 respecagnize
The Bad Ones + Not Tonight mashup is one of my favourite videos on youtube. During a time of so much anxiety and uncertainty, you guys released comforting material for a lot of us! My favourite cover you've ever done is Pale Shelter. When I discovered it, it was like finding gold. I'm not exactly an 80's kid (born 1989) but I grew up listening to a lot of 80's music because of my family so the cover brings me a lot of joy! Anyways, thanks for sharing ❤️
Ok but we need this Bad Ones version released to listen on repeat. Please.
I spent most of Spring 2020 in the rabbit hole that is T&S Youtube.
I’ve been wanting to tell you this for over a year now. I watched the Time After Time cover at least 50 times and, no offense to Cyndi Lauper, you sang it better. It’s your voices. They’re auditory umami.
I would love to hear you two sing Bad Ones acoustically. Again, your voices are wonderful in that video. I can only imagine it live.
It’s amazing how crowded our brains get with all of our life experiences. Like you, I use Substack to capture some of them. You and Tegan could have a whole shelf dedicated to memoirs from different times of your life. Are you working on another set of memoirs? I’d buy them. 😊
I used to spend hours and hours every day watching videos of you on YouTube but now I am so reliant on Spotify. Thank you for the reminder of the gems that are only on YouTube, I love your song with Fences, it was so nice to listen to it again, it's so comforting every time I hear it. I also love your cover of Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart. Going to have to do a YouTube deep dive of my own, it's been too long!
Your cover of Just like a pill + the speech before were also 🔥🔥🔥
The Just Like A Pill cover is also in my list of favorite Tegan and Sara covers. In regards to collaborations I have a soft spot for:
• Ingrid Michaelson - Whole Lot of Heart
• The Reason - We're So Beyond This
• Against Me! - Borne On The FM Waves Of The Heart
My favourite covers by Tegan and Sara:
- Dancing in the Dark (triple J like a version)
- Time After Time (Billboard)
- Just Like A Pill (Billboard)
- I Ran (So Far Away) (impromptu cover during a concert)
and this isn't a cover, but Sara Quin & Doveman version of Body Work will always be a favourite of mine.
I've loved every single cover you've ever done, but my all-time faves are probably Pale Shelter ⚡ and also Turnpike Ghost 🔥🔥🔥
HUGE fan of your Tiny Desk performance. Lost count of how many times I listened to it. It pairs well with other TD performances like Tank and the Bangas and Chvches.
the stitches/shawn mendes cover is something else. as an elder fan entering middle age (ahhh), my mind is now almost totally a sieve (i picture details passing through my brain like sand through a fist). scrolling and swiping have replaced reading and remembering but in spite of that there are so many t&s memories that won't leave. an electric acoustic show in 2001 (from my vantage point in the front row, you had excellent hair cuts). youtube banter binges instead of college essays. sainthood sound-tracking a road trip to nyc. the moment the con came on the radio in 2010 and everything changed. all of it (you) a constant, as i (we) change. time after time indeed.
Pale Shelter is epic and I also love the version of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun you did with Jack Johnson when you toured with him. Top Speed with Emm Gryner is incredible, Why Even Try with Theophilus London makes me so happy... You have such a cool and diverse catalogue, it's so much fun to be a fan and be a part of this community!
Hey Sara,
Thanks for the post. Please read when you can.
Would you believe I’ve seen all of these videos recently, in most cases if there’s a video of the two of you singing that’s half way decent to absolutely incredible, Chances are I’ve seen it. I love watching you two do live performances! It’s always magic (if recorded properly).
I really love the acoustics you two released over lockdown! Would be fantastic to see some more, maybe when you are less busy?
There’s a magical feeling when I watch you both perform, it’s not as simple for me as escaping from my reality or relating to the song, but also the way the two of you seem to be able to translate my emotions into music, even though we’ve met once on zoom. It’s the way the lyrics not just connect with me but hit some part inside me I didn’t know was there. There’ll always be a special place in my heart for Tegan and Sara the band and for each of you individually.
Hope that wasn’t too cheasy, because it was meant to be heartfelt.
Thanks for the post Sara.
It must be strange to have parts of your life that you don’t remember but are filmed for the world to see.
Phoenix, he/they/it, 16, Australia
Ah youtube. We are old friends. It's the only place I could ever find a recorded version of their When You Were Mine cover. There's just something about their voices singing certain songs that trigger an obsessive childlike need in me to hear it again and again and again. Even regular songs hit different in some of the posted recordings (@ A Take Away Show Feel It in My Bones). And idk if I should be ashamed or proud but their cover of Dancing in the Dark is how I actually learned the words to the song lol. I have the hardest time making out what Bruce is saying.
On the topic of Not Tonight mashups the video of Not Tonight/I’m on Fire from the bing lounge is one of my favorites. Also the making of the cover of Stitches is always a delight. I keep thinking of more good ones but I think I’m going to go watch the Make You Mine This Season video with baby Georgia now.
Just Like A Pill was epic, well the both performances and the speech was tbh. 😂 Also your cover of Lovely Rita was so good, your version of Stitches is better than the original. The same goes for Pale Shelter, so fucking good! Are there any other artists you would like to cover?, Paramore/Hayley Williams maybe? Would you ever cover a Sinead O’ Connor song as a tribute e.g. Mandika! I would literally give a limb to have you release an album covering your favourite artists! 💜💜