Morrissey – “Wedding Bell Blues” (The 5th Dimension Cover) (Feat. Billie Joe Armstrong)
Morrissey announced last December that he’d be releasing a covers album this spring. I mean, what else was he supposed to do with his free time after cancelling all those shows?
California Son is expected at the end of May, and features songs popularized by paragons of the ’60s and ’70s including Joni Mitchell, Dionne Warwick, and Bob Dylan. We’ve already heard his cover of Roy Orbison’s “It’s Over” with Laura Pergolizzi, more commonly known as LP, as well as a cover of Jobriath’s “Morning Star” with Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste. Today, the future Broadway star is releasing another cover of “Wedding Bell Blues,” this time with Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, a guy with his own ties to Broadway.
The 5th Dimension’s “Wedding Bell Blues” was #1 on the charts in 1969. It’s an upbeat, peppy love song, and actually was a cover of a song written by Bronx-born Laura Nyro when she was 18. The 5th Dimension regularly recorded songs written by Nyro, but implemented their own stylistics. They turned it out with a show tune-like vibe, rather than the croon you might expect when examining the lyrics. You’ll have to listen for yourself to interpret the charming treatment Morrissey and Armstrong give this classic.
Check out Morrissey and Armstrong’s take on “Wedding Bell Blues” below.
California Son is out 5/24 via BMG.