Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones team up for Everly Brothers covers album
Following the crazy success of Green Day’s last three albums, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has opted to take a chill pill with an unlikely friend, Ms. Norah Jones. No, it gets better. As Stereogum reports, the two came together in New York City recently to record their own version of the Everly Brothers’ 1958 record, Songs Our Daddy Taught Us, which they’ve now dubbed, Foreverly.
In a lengthy interview, Armstrong explained how the collaboration came to fruition:
"It all started with Stevie Wonder. We sang together with Stevie Wonder and his band and a whole bunch of people, that’s how Norah and I first met. Then … well, I got into the Everly Brothers’ record a couple years ago and I thought it was just beautiful. I was listening to it every morning for a while off and on. I thought it would be cool to remake the record because I thought it was sort of an obscure thing and more people should know about it, but I really wanted to do it with a woman singing because I thought it would take on a different meaning — maybe broaden the meaning a little bit — as compared to hearing the songs being sung by the two brothers. And so my wife said, ‘Why don’t you get Norah Jones to do it?’ and I was like, ‘Well, I kinda know her.’ Well, I mean, we had Stevie Wonder in common. And so I called her and she said yes. So it was kinda like a … well, I keep saying it was kinda like a blind date."
The album was recorded in nine days and over two free-spirited sessions alongside a hired drummer and bassist. As Jones insisted, “there’s no agenda.”
“There wasn’t like a looming plan while we were recording, which is why I wanted to do it,” Jones added. “I like to do stuff like this because I don’t have to go nuts and break my neck and tour all over the place for it. Even though I do like to tour… and it would be fun to play some shows for sure.”
Foreverly hits stores just in time for Christmas and Hannukah on November 25th via Reprise Records. Read the full interview between the two here and preview their work below with a listen of “Long Time Gone”.
Bj is so god damn random but i'm here for this, cuz I really love that he has this kinda freedom. Bitch does what he wants, when the **** he wants and his label is like ok cool. When will your fave
Plus new music is new music
He and Jared need to share their ****ing secret with the rest of us cause it's just unreal
Q&A: Billie Joe Armstrong & Norah Jones Unveil Duets LP + Hear “Long Time Gone”
What is weirder than thinking about Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong casually chilling out with indie-jazz super chanteuse Norah Jones? How about if the two of them get together and record an album of Everly Brothers covers? In an instance of something so weird it actually makes perfect sense, the two musicians recently convened in NYC to bang out their own version of the Everly Brothers’ album Songs Our Daddy Taught Us. The original album, released in 1958, was itself a kind of covers record: a collection of traditional country songs that were previously made famous by the likes of Gene Autry and Tex Ritter. Hearing Armstrong and Jones take on these songs is something of a quiet revelation. While a country standard might not exactly seem out of place in Jones’s oeuvre, hearing her harmonize with Armstrong — a vocalist who doesn’t always get the chance to show off the subtle range of his voice — is both surprising and pretty wonderful. Foreverly not only gives listeners the chance to hear a couple of very established artists creatively letting their hair down — purely for the fun of it — but it also brings to light some beautiful old songs that might otherwise never come to the attention of a contemporary audience.
I had to the chance to talk to both artists about the origins of the project and the experience of recording together. You can check out their version of “Long Time Gone” below.
Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones Tease Duets LP
In one of the less likely collaborations in recent music history, Norah Jones and Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong have teamed up to record Foreverly, a track-for-track tribute to the Everly Brothers' 1958 album, Songs Our Daddy Taught Us.
The album features reinterpreted versions of traditional songs like "Down in the Willow Garden" and the the often-covered "Barbara Allen" next to country classics like Karl Davis' "Kentucky." In a press release, Armstrong (a longtime Everly Brothers fan) says the project originated after he discovered Songs Our Daddy Taught Us a couple
"I thought of Norah because she can sing anything, from rock to jazz to blues," he says, "and I knew her harmonies would be amazing."
Jones was enthusastic about the project, too, given her deep appreciation for the Everly Brothers and country music in general. The duo recorded the album in nine days at Manhattan studio the Magic Shop, working with engineer Chris Dugan. Armstrong and Jones split vocal duties (along with guitar and piano), and were accompanied by fiddle player Charlie Burnham, bassist Tim Luntzel, drummer Dan Rieser and pedal-steel guitarist Johnny Lam.
TRACKLISTING
1.Roving Gambler
2.Long Time Gone
3.Lightning Express
4.That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine
5.Down In The Willow Garden
6.Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet
7.Oh So Many Years
8.Barbara Allen
9.Rockin' Alone (In An Old Rockin' Chair)
10.I'm Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail
11.Kentucky
12.Put My Little Shoes Away
Track Review: Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones, “Long Time Gone”
At first glance, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones don’t make the most logical pairing. But then again, Jones has recorded with the likes of Faith No More/Mr. Bungle frontman Mike Patton, so it wouldn’t be the first time the singer-songwriter has found an unconventional musical partner. That being said, Armstrong and Jones are simply marvelous together. On “Long Time Gone,” the first track to be released from Foreverly, an album inspired by The Everly Brothers’ Songs Our Daddy Taught Us, the duo adopts the fraternal performers’ close harmony style and ‘50s-era country arrangements. The production is crisper and benefits from modern technology, but aside from that, Jones and Armstrong keep to a simple, classic sound, which they pull off without a hitch. Armstrong in particular is the standout here, showing off his range with a glorious vocal performance that his work with Green Day rarely even hinted at. A song as good as “Long Time Gone” is hard to ruin, but the right take — like this one — can certainly revive it.
I just heard about this and I'm so excited. I wasn't expecting it. I'm a big fan of both. Both 'Long Time Gone' and 'Foreverly' sound awesome.
What is funny about this article is that it says "Following the crazy success of Green Day’s last three albums", when we all know the past three albums were a failure
I'm a stan, but when I have to say the truth, I just say it.
