Parquet Courts – “Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World” (Ramones Cover)
New York postpunk wonders Parquet Courts made their name, in part, with a song about walking through Ridgewood, Queens while reading magazines. And now they have put their stamp on the greatest rock band that the borough of Queens has ever given us.
Earlier this year, Parquet Courts released their typically strong, Danger Mouse-produced album Wide Awake! They’ve been out on the promotional circuit, doing unlikely things like a performance on Ellen. And during a recent live session for BBC 6 Music, they’ve played a live-in-studio cover of “Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World,” a deep cut from the Ramones basically-perfect self-titled 1976 debut.
Like so many other Ramones songs, “Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World” is a fast hammerhead riffer with some surprisingly sweet melodies, especially when that chorus hits. Parquet Courts hit all those melodies with precision, and whichever Parquet Court sings the song even does a bit of a Joey Ramone impression. But they also play the song on cheap synths, which somehow makes it sound even more frenzied and chaotic. Check out their version, as well as the original, below.
Wide Awake! is out now on Rough Trade.