NEW YORK – David Byrne’s recently released cover of Paramore’s “Hard Times,” recorded in response to Paramore’s cover of the Talking Heads classic “Burning Down the House,” reinvigorated enthusiasm among other cross-genre fanbases for a potential Paul Simon cover of a Disturbed song.
“Paul has said he liked our cover, but I always felt some doubt because he never expressed any interest in performing our music. Plus, one time I saw him walking around New York and when I tried to say hello his security guard shoved me and told me to stay back,” said Disturbed drummer Mike Wengren who originally had the idea for the band to cover the haunting, ethereal Simon & Garfunkel track. “It’s like when a neighbor brings you a casserole and you get the dish back empty. Like, it’s fine, but there’s kind of supposed to be something in there when it comes back to you. But you always feel so awkward asking.”
Paul Simon expressed a willingness to entertain the idea of a Disturbed cover.
“I’m not opposed to the idea of a cover,” said Simon while out to lunch with Lorne Michaels. “For a long time I thought it wouldn’t really fit my sound, but as I get a little older I’ve really started to relate to the lyrics of ‘Down With the Sickness,’ especially the part where they say ‘why can’t you just fuck off and die? Never stick your hand in my face again bitch, fuck you, I don’t need this shit, you stupid sadistic fucking whore…’ And I think they would sound groovy with some Travis picking and backup vocals by Ladysmith Black Mambazo.”
Music historian Emilie Koeritz says a Simon take on Disturbed’s music could indicate a new era of intergenre creation.
“Covers have always existed in a controversial liminal space, both ideologically and legally,” Koeritz said. “If Paul Simon closes the loop on Disturbed’s work then maybe we could finally get The Who covering a Limp Bizkit song that people have spent decades clamoring for. We want to see these cover swaps happen before more artists pass away, the world would be a better place if Marvin Gaye were around today to cover a Taproot song, or if Kurt Cobain was still with us so Nirvana could cover Evanescence.”
At press time, alarming reports of Kid Rock fans pestering Elton John to cover “Bawitdaba” were unfortunately surfacing.