DESIRE IS THE HUNGER IS THE FIRE I BREATHE: "They dance the way they [engage in intimate relations]" said a voice from behind me. I was a college freshman at a party. I turned to see who was talking to me. A suave senior smiled knowingly. He nodded in the direction of an uncommonly beautiful woman dancing in a fairly chaste manner near us.
"That's what I mean. Beauty, but no passion." His voice trailed away, his meaning clear.
He motioned toward a lissome lass, dancing with a sinewy sensuality. "She, on the other hand, has everything a man could possibly desire."
Which brings me at long last to Patti Smith and 10,000 Maniacs and their versions of "Because the Night." I happened to hear both of them yesterday. Let's just say that I have a marked preference for Smith's version.
Smith's song has a bold power that seems to make manifest the fervor of lust. I love the way that she explodes at the bridge. Her version hit #13 on the pop charts in 1978.
Somewhat inexplicably, 10,000 Maniacs decided to cover the song 15 years later. Their performance is virtually note for note identical to the original with a few minor changes to the lyrics. But the fire is gone. Had Natalie Merchant performed that song on American Idol, I suspect that the judges would have had harsh words for her utter misreading of the central theme of the song. Even more inexplicably, the 10,000 Maniacs cover was a slightly bigger hit, reaching #11 on the pop charts.
Decide for yourself: here is Smith's version; here is Merchant's tepid reading.
And, well, because the night belongs to Springsteen fans, here is his version (he co-wrote the song with Smith).
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