Deerhoof – “What Have You Done For Me Lately” (Janet Jackson Cover)
Deerhoof’s La Isla Bonita was largely inspired by Janet Jackson and Madonna, so much so that single “Paradise Girls” evolved from a demo of the band covering Jackson’s “What Have You Done For Me Lately.” Today the noise-pop veterans have shared that demo to help connect the dots between their inspiration and the finished product. Percussion overlord Gregg Saunier offered this quote to The Fader:
We’ve been in Europe now for two weeks and the question I’m getting asked more than any other is whether the title La Isla Bonita was not just a joke, and our claims of influence a fanciful publicity concoction. It’s a good indication of how lost we can get in the process of making a record, and the gulf that can grow between journalists’ and even our own fans’ understanding of the music we make, and our own, that we assumed that our musical debt to Janet Jackson and Madonna was obvious on this album.
Deerhoof’s off-kilter take on the song features Saunier on vocals. Hear it below.