Born January 15, 1981, in Bangor, Maine, Howie Day was one of the stars who rose to indie fame thanks to very early services like Napster and LimeWire. Along with groups like O.A.R. and Dispatch, Day, the acoustic guitar-playing songwriter, was popular among college students around the turn of the century.
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And one of the reasons he was so popular was that, along with his own tracks like “Collide,” he was a sonic chameleon, able to perform covers as well or sometimes even better than the originals. Using looper pedals and his good taste, Day became well known for them on the online platforms. Here below, we wanted to dive into three examples of why.
[RELATED: Dispatch Reflects on “The General,” Napster, and Current Mentality]
“Watchtower/Halloween”
In some ways, bands like Dispatch and O.A.R. and performers like Howie Day are the sonic offspring of Dave Matthews. So, it’s only appropriate that Day channels Matthews here. Perhaps Day’s best known cover is of the DMB song “#41,” but he also accomplishes a great deal on this medley of DMB’s song “Halloween” and Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” which was made famous by Jimi Hendrix and is played often live by Matthews and company. Here, Day blends the two tracks thanks to their similar chord structure. This song was likely downloaded millions of times around 2001 and for good reason. He sings,
Why this lonely
Why this lonely
Why this lonely love
Why this lonely
Why this lonely
Why this lonely love
“Africa”
From the band Toto’s 1983 LP Toto IV, this song is known for its big, bright sound and ability to be sung in unison with a great big crowd. But on his cover of it, Day shows it can soar and fly off the voice of a single person and be done on the back of a single, jangly acoustic guitar. Dynamics and fervor carry the cover and Day’s voice even breaks up the microphone, indicating his pent-up energy that explodes on the number. He sings,
Hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She’s comin’ in, 12:30 flight
Her moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hopin’ to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say
“Hurry, boy, it’s waiting there for you”
“One”
Originally written and released by the Irish-born rock band U2 on their 1992 LP Achtung Baby, this song is about the power of love. In one way, it fills the human spirit. It’s all of the best in the world. But in another, it can be something someone wields against another. That’s precisely what this song gets at. Do we use it to carry each other up or to make another person crawl? And on this cover, Day imbues such passion in his voice and growl to his delivery that it has become a fan favorite. He does so much with simple acoustic guitar. A band like U2 is all effects and over-the-top glory, but Day shows you can do so much with such simplicity. He sings,
You say love is a temple, love a higher law
Love is a temple, love the higher law
You ask me to enter but then you make me crawl
And I can’t be holdin’ on to what you got
When all you got is hurt
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Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images
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