Welcome back to Left of The Dial! This week we’re looking into Billie Joe Armstrong’s pandemic project No Fun Mondays.
Like most artists who had big plans for 2020, Armstrong and his band Green Day were forced to postpone their touring schedule in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Needing a way to keep himself busy while isolated at home, Armstrong put together No Fun Mondays. The name is self-explanatory: every Monday for a few months, he would publish a new song cover and put together a matching music video to post on Green Day’s social media. He stopped at 14 covers, compiling them into a full album that was released in November 2020. Like the re-release of Stop Drop and Roll!!!, I got a pre-order vinyl copy of this record for my collection, which is a beautiful baby blue to contrast the warm color palette of the sleeve artwork.
I’ve reviewed covers before, but never a full album of covers, so let’s establish some ground rules before we begin. We’ll look into the original version of each song and compare them to Armstrong’s covers. Each song will be judged on how well it holds up in comparison to its original. The cover gets extra points if it can find ways to improve on the original. Let’s put this record on the turntable and get spinning!
Side A
Side A contains “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “War Stories,” “Manic Monday,” “Corpus Christi,” “That Thing You Do!,” “Amico,” and “You Can’t Put Your Arms Round a Memory.”
“I Think We’re Alone Now” was the first cover released for “No Fun Mondays,” debuting on March 23rd. The original was written by Ritchie Cordell and recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells in 1967. Armstrong’s version follows the Tommy James version closely in terms of structure, but he wasn’t afraid to make some altercations to the sound to bring it up to date. That’s not to say the original is bad by any means, it’s just to say that the stripped-down and jangly instrumentals make it obvious that the track was recorded in the ’60s, and that old-fashioned sound can be jarring if you’re not familiar with it.
Armstrong’s cover smooths out the rough spots from the Tommy James cover while still finding his own way to communicate the core theme of the song. The title makes the theme clear as crystal: it’s about forbidden love and the need to hide away from disapproving authority figures. Tommy James’ cover features quiet moments punctuated with crickets and a gentle drumbeat to keep the momentum going. As effective as that is, Armstrong takes these moments to the next level by eliminating the crickets and putting the focus on the drums, deepening them to mimic the sound of a heartbeat. It perfectly matches the line that precedes it: “the beating of our hearts is the only sound.” Put simply, Armstrong blew this cover out of the water, and he sets a good standard of quality for himself for the rest of the record.
Up next is “War Stories,” originally by The Starjets/Tango Brigade. It’s amusing hopping from a song that everyone knows to one that I couldn’t find on Spotify save for covers by better-known artists. You have to appreciate Armstrong’s willingness to pull these obscure songs out of the dark and give them the exposure they deserve. Anyways, “War Stories” is a song drenched in nostalgia for WWII comic books. Series like Sgt. Fury, Johnny Red, and Captain Hurricane are name-dropped in the lyrics, and it wouldn’t surprise me if this song was what introduced a generation of comic lovers to these stories.
Judging from how close the cover sounds to the original, I wouldn’t be surprised if Armstrong took some influence from The Starjets when he was developing his musical style. That being said, he doesn’t do much, if anything, to differentiate his version from the original, so it loses a few points for creativity. However, I do have to give it credit for its role in generating interest in the original track, and when the cover is the only option on streaming services, you have to take what you can get.
The next track is “Manic Monday,” originally written by Prince and performed by The Bangles. If you’re looking for something totally different from the original, then this one’s it. The Bangles’ version is driven by synths, which give it a soft and lighthearted atmosphere to match the lyrics, which captures the common hatred of going back to work on Mondays that lots of us share. Armstrong’s version, as you’ll probably predict, trades the synths for his signature crunchy guitars to achieve a totally different mood. Another way this cover stands out is that it features Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs on guitar and backup vocals.
So how do both these versions compare? Both have their own distinct sound, but they still get the feeling of a chaotic Monday morning across. Purely from a matter of taste, I’d have to pick the original by a small margin. However, one version that blows both out of the water is Prince’s demo on his 2019 “Originals” compilation. Still, check out all three of these versions, and then come back here so we can continue.
Let’s move on to my favorite of these covers, that being “Corpus Christi” from fellow East Bay punk band Avengers. From my perspective, the song is a skewering of the church and their never-ending demands toward their followers, about giving your all to an organization that doesn’t truly value your sacrifices and won’t give back like they say they will. Avengers’ version is cut-and-dry DIY punk rock with the tinny sound quality that comes standard with it. What Armstrong does in his version is clean that sound up and fill in the empty spots, much like what he did for “I Think We’re Alone Now.” While I have a soft spot for shoestring recordings like the Avengers’s original, there’s no denying that Armstrong’s cover improves upon it in almost every way, making his the definitive version.
The next song is “That Thing You Do!,” written by Adam Schlesinger for the film of the same name and performed by the fictional band The Wonders. The choice for Armstrong to cover this song was in the wake of a tragedy when Schlesinger passed away due to complications from COVID-19. The original track replicates early Beatles material in its composition and sound, which makes it a ton of fun to listen to. From the harmonies to the jangly guitar work, it’s pretty spot-on to the era. Armstrong stays true to the composition for his cover but gives it a modern update. While both versions are great, I prefer Schlesinger’s original for the throwback sound it achieves. Still, Armstrong’s version is a delightful tribute to Schlesinger, and I highly recommend that you give both versions a listen.
Up next is “Amico,” originally by Don Backy. This is the most obscure song so far, seeing as how I couldn’t find any information on it. I found Backy’s version on YouTube, but every comment on it indicated that they found it because of Armstrong’s cover, so make of that what you will. I couldn’t tell you what the song is about because it’s sung in Italian, but the composition and pace indicate to me that it’s fairly bog-standard pop from around the 1950s. It’s not bad, but I wouldn’t say it’s anything impressive either. Armstrong injected some much-needed energy into his version to make it a punk anthem, all while committing to the original language and singing in Italian. Aside from a few minor fumbles, he overcomes the language barrier with relative ease. It’s not too hard for me to say that Armstrong blows Backy’s version out of the water.
Finally, we conclude Side A with “You Can’t Put Your Arms Round a Memory,” originally by Johnny Thunders. Speaking from an outsider’s perspective, I’m appalled that this is what’s considered Thunders’ signature song. It’s a sweetly sentimental song for sure, but the arrangement tears it down. Thunders’ vocals don’t line up with the guitar, which gives me this off-kilter vibe that almost makes it unlistenable. Thankfully, Armstrong fixed this timing problem in his version, breathing new life into the song. I like to believe that this is how the song was supposed to be and that something was keeping Thunders from reaching it in his version. Thank goodness this side can have a good conclusion. Let’s turn the record over!
Side B
Side B contains “Kids in America,” “Not That Way Anymore,” “That’s Rock and Roll,” “Gimme Some Truth,” “Whole Wide World,” Police on My Back,” and “A New England.”
Since we concluded Side A with a massively-improved cover, why not do the same to open Side B? “Kids in America” was originally by Kim Wilde, and though she re-recorded the song several times throughout her career, we’re sticking with the 1981 original for comparison. Wilde’s version (and by extension other well-known covers) is driven by synths, which gives it a distinct new wave sound. However, said synths could use some work. The opening sounds tense and creepy, which doesn’t match the tone of the rest of the song. The synths blend a little better as the song progresses, but it still doesn’t fit comfortably with the instrumentals. If anything, Wilde’s version feels ahead of its time; it’s aching to be a pop-punk tune in a time where that genre hadn’t been solidified yet, so it’s stuck being something it’s not.
This is where Armstrong comes in to save the day. He teamed up with Chris Dugan (longtime audio engineer for Green Day), Bill Schneider (from Pinhead Gunpowder), and Jason White to give the song the pop-punk treatment it needed. The synths were eliminated in favor of a chugging guitar line, which works wonders to match the youthful energy of the lyrics. Armstrong’s heart-on-sleeve vocals also make for a great match as opposed to Wilde’s reserved style. Overall, it’s a massive improvement to the original.
The next song is “Not That Way Anymore,” originally by Stiv Bators. I feel as though the comparison between versions of this song is pretty similar to that of “War Stories,” in that not much is changed between versions. Bator’s version is classic 80’s punk rock with a pop twist, and Armstrong keeps it that way in his cover. Again, the lack of creativity is a little disappointing, but perhaps this and “War Stories” are cases where it doesn’t need to be changed. Sometimes that might be the best way to go about doing a cover, because why fix something that isn’t broken?
Up next is “That’s Rock n’ Roll,” originally by Eric Carmen. Carmen’s version is unabashedly 70’s rock, and it works well doing just that. Armstrong gives the sound a bit more edge for his version, giving the vocals the energy you’d associate with a punk club performance. He also makes a subtle lyric change to add some further personalization to his cover. The original has a line that goes “I spent my money buyin’ new guitars,” which Armstrong shifts to “buyin’ blue guitars,” an obvious nod to his famous Fernandez Stratocaster dubbed “Blue” for its powder-blue body. I find it absolutely adorable that he did this lyric change just to gush about the gem of his guitar collection. But enough fangirling from me, let’s move on.
The next cover is “Gimme Some Truth,” originally by John Lennon. Covering Lennon’s material isn’t new territory for Armstrong; he and the rest of Green Day covered “Working Class Hero” back in 2007 for Amnesty International’s “Instant Karma” campaign. “Gimme Some Truth” is a summary of Lennon’s distastes with society, from power-hungry politicians to hypocrites and chauvinists that allow corruption to keep growing. His version is undeniably his: stripped down to the bare essentials, which are his words and a simple instrumental behind him (which has guitar work contributed by George Harrison). Armstrong gave the song the punk treatment (no surprises there), but it works with Lennon’s writing style. The simple and repetitive style lends well to punk, and Armstrong is able to amplify the anger and frustration in Lennon’s words with his vocals. These two versions are like night and day, but they both effectively express the same message. Purely on matters of taste though, I’d have to choose Armstrong’s cover as my favorite.
“Whole Wide World” is the next song, originally by Wreckless Eric. Like “Corpus Christi,” “Whole Wide World”’s recording quality is a dead giveaway of its independent roots in the 70’s punk movement. It’s got that crappy-yet-endearing tin can sound that I love from this time. The song itself, though, is less endearing to me. Eric’s vocals are nasally and annoying, which is made worse by the recording quality, and the composition is too repetitive for me to enjoy. Armstrong’s version is an improvement, toning down the nasally vocal style and cleaning up the sound quality, though even he can’t fix the repetition issues. This is the one song to skip.
Up next is “Police on My Back,” originally by The Equals. Armstrong chose this track to cover as a statement against rising police brutality toward BIPOC in the United States. The Equals’ original is a funky song with a great bass line, which lends tense energy to match the lyrics, telling the tale of a man being relentlessly chased down by the cops after being wrongfully accused of a crime. Armstrong took a slightly different approach with the cover’s instrumentals. The bass is kept in the background, and he draws attention to the guitar line, which mimics the siren of a police car during poignant moments of the song. While Armstrong lends a lot of justice to his cover, the lyrical content resonates stronger in the original, especially since the song was written and performed by mostly black men. I still recommend Armstrong’s cover, but be sure to give The Equals’ version some love too!
Finally, we close out the record with “A New England,” originally by Billy Bragg. The original is a song I absolutely love for its moody sound and stripped-down style. It’s just Bragg and his guitar, which achieves an intimate feeling that’s hard to find elsewhere. It’s one of those songs that shows you can do a lot with so little. Armstrong’s version decides to go full out and gives the song the full band treatment. It’s a great performance no doubt, but it doesn’t quite give me the same feeling as the original. I’d compare the difference to when Nirvana added a new-wave version of “Polly” to their Incesticide compilation. It’s a tight cover, but it loses the intimacy that’s integral to the song’s story, which the original acoustic version nails with no problem.
Going back to “A New England,” Armstrong’s version is a refreshing take, but I would have preferred a smaller acoustic version. He can certainly pull it off, songs like “Good Riddance” and “Ordinary World” are proof enough. But hey, at least you can say he got creative with this cover, and the sentimental nature of the lyrics still make it a good closer for the record.
Overall, No Fun Mondays is a good bit of fun (oh, the irony!) that brought some much-needed comfort and structure when the pandemic began, and still slaps after the fact. In comparison to the original songs, the covers are mostly hits with a few misses. The top 3 covers that improve on the original the most are “Amico,” “You Can’t Put Your Arms Round a Memory,” and “Kids in America,” with honorable mentions going to “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Gimme Some Truth.” My personal favorites are “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Corpus Christi,” and “Kids in America.” The only song I wouldn’t recommend is “Whole Wide World.”
Rating: 8.5/10
Feature Photo designed by Becca Fauteux