British alternative rockers Muse (comprising of composer/guitarist/pianist/vocalist Matthew Bellamy, drummer/percussionist Dominic Howard, and bassist Chris Wolstenholme) were on the French television program Taratata about a week ago. Their performance included a cover they have been doing a lot lately called Popcorn.
Popcorn is a synth-pop song by Gershon Kingsley (from 1969!) and probably one you're aware of, since in 2005 Crazy Frog (yes, that annoying amphibian you love to hate) released his own version. However, this song first became popular in 1972 when an instrumental cover band called Hot Butter recorded their own version.
Now this is where things get a little twisted.
Hot Butter did a cover of a song by sixties British instrumental group, The Tornados, called Telstar. Telstar was the first song by a British group to make it number one in the US (and by my powers of reasoning and logic I would have thought The Beatles carried that title). Anyway, the rhythm guitarist of The Tornados included one George Bellamy. And yes, if you have read this carefully so far, he is Matt Bellamy’s father.
George Bellamy second from the right.
Matt Bellamy in the middle.
Check out the resemblance!
If you listen to Telstar, and then Knights of Cydonia, you can hear that in some places the songs sound similar. Matt said he was listening to his father’s band during the making of the album Black Holes & Revelations which ‘Knights’ features on. So, (again by the powers of reasoning and logic) one can assume that Telstar influenced the making of Knights of Cydonia. And I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, because The Tornados rocketed to number one in the States with Telstar, and Muse got themselves an extremely successful song with Knights of Cydonia. What’s wrong with that?
Ah... Don't you love it when everything comes round in full circle?
Popcorn, anyone?
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Here are the different versions of Popcorn for comparison purposes. Which one do you prefer?
The two versions of Telstar.
Knights of Cydonia
Finally, I leave with this wonderful and downright hilarious a capella version of Knights of Cydonia.
x m
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