Listen to This Sad Cover of The Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.”

It’s easy to think that some people would listen to this and wonder why in the hell it was ever done. Because they could sounds like the best reason and to be certain, those that don’t like it can head off down the road and not think about it any longer since it is a pretty sad cover of YMCA, but it’s not the worst really. It’s pretty easy to give credit where it’s due since The Melodicka Bros. from Italy actually did a pretty good job on this since despite sounding like something right out of the angst-ridden 90s, this version was well done and could have belonged to a thriller, horror, or movie about a downtrodden group of young men that simply need a place to stay, a respite from an otherwise violent and harmful life that had beaten them around a bit and left them without a place to go. This is the kind of music that could prompt a story or two honestly and people might not be mad about it. But the downtrodden feel of the song is something that some folks might take a little bit of issue with since YMCA is one of the most well-known songs and definitely one of those that made The Village People who they are. But if we’re being honest, it’s a song that a person can only hear so many times before they want to smash their head against the wall in order to make it stop.

Different versions of popular songs can create different feelings and this isn’t the first time such a thing has been done, nor will it be the last since to be perfectly honest there are a lot of people out there with a lot of different ideas of how things should go. Trying to give them all their fair share of importance isn’t always possible but finding gems like this is still kind of fun since it gives a different perspective than what many people have lived with for so long. It brings to mind the performance of Disturbed’s song Down With the Sickness in Dawn of the Dead, as a lounge act that gets rid of the hard beats and has more of a smooth, easy-listening feel to it while keeping the lyrics intact. Some people didn’t particularly care for that version but it didn’t matter since it was still the type of thing that others were able to get a kick out of since it was different and it didn’t adhere to the norms that society had placed on it. This is about the same since YMCA is meant to be a positive, uplifting tune and it’s inspired quite a few people over the years since The Village People have been a well-respected group for some time.

But yeah, the 90s feel that’s given to the song in this version is definitely filled with angst, possibly with depression, and even a dash of anxiety thrown in there to make it feel like something else. There’s not a lot of negativity to it since the song is treated with a great deal of respect and even kept word for word. In fact, if anyone really has an issue with this version it’s likely that they aren’t the type that enjoys changes to things that they believe shouldn’t be changed. It would be a bit ironic if such folks were the types that loved reboots and remakes only to get cranky when their musical favorites were messed with. YMCA has been a tune that has managed to stay popular over the course of four decades and more, and it’s still considered to be a great party song since there are usually at least a few people that will have the guts to get up and dance to it. The song is one of those that people can’t help but admit is catchy since it can be mocked or it can be respected and still carry the same concept for a lot of people. As songs go it’s pretty simple and not all that difficult to remember the lyrics, but coming up with a different sound for it is impressive enough since the core of the song needed to stay the same it would appear.

This kind of makes a person wonder what other songs would sound like if they were given a sad representation, whether they would sound better, or if they would change too much for the liking of the audience. Somehow, YMCA doesn’t sound too bad like this, but it’s easy to think that a lot of fans of The Village People might want to hear the original version instead of this one, if only because of the difference in tone. It was a good presentation at least, and it definitely gave a different perspective.