MuddiBrooke new single "You Don't Own Me" out this Friday

If you’ve followed our page for a while, you’ll already know about Derby based trio MuddiBrooke. Although they’ve only been playing together for a few years Brooke (vocals & guitar), Anna (bass) and Mary (drums) have many years of experience between them of playing live and supporting the likes of The Beautiful South, Scouting For Girls, Luka Bloom and Dr and The Medics. Since forming MuddiBrooke in early 2020 they have released four singles and their debut EP Lunacy which we reviewed in October 2021:

https://www.livewiremusic.org/home/muddibrookelunacyreview06102021?rq=MuddiBrooke

Well, MuddiBrooke are back with a new single, which is out this Friday (3 June 2022) and this time…. it’s a cover of the classic You Don’t Own Me. Written by John Madara and David White, and made famous by Lesley Gore in 1963 (who you may also remember for Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows and It’s My Party.) The late, great Dusty Springfield also released a version of the song on her debut album a year later in 1964. This one has some pedigree ! Since then, it’s been inspiring artists through the years and there have been notable covers by The Blow Monkeys, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Demis Roussos and Voidoid.

Well, now it’s the turn of MuddiBrooke to bring their own style to this classic. Despite dating back to the early 1960’s it’s kind of a perfect fit for MuddiBrooke. The lyrics are about a woman fighting back against a controlling man with lines such as “Don't tell me what to do, Don't tell me what to say, When I go out with you, Don't put me on display ‘cause…”

But it’s also about equality with the line “I don't tell you what to say, I don't tell you what to do, So just let me be myself, That's all I ask of you” And it’s also about expressing yourself and your own individuality “I'm young and I love to be young, I'm free and I love to be free, To live my life the way I want, To say and do whatever I please”

The funny thing is, the original never really sounded right to me, and Brooke reflects on the same thing in the press release notes. Recorded back in 1963, in many ways the track, and its lyrics and themes stand out from its peers and is pioneering with its message of rights and individuality, but as was the case in 1963, the lyrics are delivered in a beautiful feminine vocal style over a pop background and the power of the song is somehow lost for me…. As Brooke puts it, Lesley is too “polite and pretty”. Don’t get me wrong, that’s no criticism, it’s what made Lesley Gore’s version so iconic, but it somehow feels like it’s missing something. I’ve thought before how must Lesley have felt singing it in that way? Maybe she thought nothing of it because that was her style, or the style of the day, but I’ve always wondered if she felt the lyrics as we do now?

Indeed, in many ways, all the versions I mentioned above although different, are the same…. In that none of them really do the track justice.

MuddiBrooke produce some outstanding grunge rock music and aren’t afraid to tackle some meaty issues in their songs, such as mental health and abusive relationships as in their outstanding single Devil. It almost feels right for them to take a go at this one and see if they can do something different, and you get a feel right away of what they’re going to do to it, with the single artwork, with the broken chair, overturned table and flowers everywhere and the title “You Don’t Own Me” daubed on the wall with splattered paint everywhere. This looks good !

Right from the start you know this is going to be different, as the feedback buzzes as the guitar is plugged in, and then the heavy riffs take over and the track explodes into full on grunge mode.

The difference in this version is the power and the emotion, which bring the lyrics to life. It sounds angry where it needs to, fighting back against control and oppression the lyrics almost spat out aggressively, but then the tone shifts, and you can almost feel the joy as Brooke screams out about being young and wanting to be free to live life to the max.

The guitars are raw and distorted and the bass and drums pound out of the speakers at you.

Although very different, it also plays homage to the feel of the original in a way too. For me, it reminds of The Misfits album “Project 1950” an album by the horror punk legends full of early rock tracks such as Diana, This Magic Moment, Dream Lover and Runaway. Although heavy and full of noise and distortion, they show that all music has the same roots. This feels the same for me.

I absolutely love it, and for me, this feels how the song should be played, full of power, raw energy and emotion. Is it perfect? No, but it’s pretty damn bloody good !

I think it’s a brave thing to take a classic and do something very different with it. But for me…. MuddiBrooke have pulled this off brilliantly. Some may be purists and say, don’t mess with it, it’s not meant to be loud and raw, but for me, this track finally has the meaning it was meant to have all those years ago. Mind you, I don’t suppose this version would have gone down well in 1963 !!!!!

A fantastic 9.5 from LiveWire.