Juliana Hatfield – “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” (ELO Cover)
In the past few years, the veteran alt-rocker Juliana Hatfield has devoted entire cover albums to the work of Olivia Newton-John and the Police. Later this year, she’ll follow those two with Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO — which, as you’ve probably figured out, his her full-LP tribute to Jeff Lynne’s ecstatic ’70s prog-pop project Electric Light Orchestra. She’s tackling the other half of the Xanadu soundtrack! We’ve already posted Hatfield’s version of “Don’t Bring Me Down,” and now we’re getting another track.
Hatfield’s second single from the project is her take on the downbeat orchestral jam “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head,” a top-10 hit for ELO in 1974. Unlike the orignial, Hatfield’s version of the song doesn’t go nuts with the strings and horns. Instead, she’s done a relatively stripped-down guitar-pop version that leaves the bittersweet feeling intact.
Director David Doobinin, a frequent Juliana Hatfield collaborator, directed the video for her version of “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head.” In the clip, black-and-white images of Hatfield move around like cutouts. In a press release, Hatfield says, “David is really good at capturing my discomfort in front of cameras, and in the world. Making it all into interesting, moving imagery works great in the context of this song about longing to escape reality into some otherworldly realm.” Check out Hatfield’s video, as well as ELO’s original “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” clip, below.
Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO is out 11/17 on American Laundromat Records. Pre-order it here. Hatfield will also release a 7″ with covers of “I’m Alive” and “When I Was A Boy.” Check out our We’ve Got A File On You interview with Hatfield here.