This spot-on re-creation of the Beatles classic “All You Need Is Love” by New Jersey’s The Weeklings will have you smiling and longing for simpler times.
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The Weeklings, comprised of Jersey stalwarts Glen Burtnik, Bob Burger, John Merjave and Joe Bellia, thrive on Beatles-inspired power-pop originals, with tight, cohesive vocal harmonies and superb musicianship. You can also hear them nail the more obscure Beatles cuts and power-pop covers to the tee. The foursome began several years ago as a sometime project, squeezed in between each member’s other’s gigs, until the band took off in popularity. Their latest album, entitled 3, is a collection of 11 songs, including a cover of The Easybeats classic “Friday On My Mind,” featuring Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits.
The always-busy Burtnik is most noted for writing “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough” with Patty Smyth, as well as a long critically–acclaimed solo career. He’s also a member of Styx and The Orchestra. The Weeklings also spend time performing with Springsteen drummer Max Weinberg at venues across the country.
For their “All You Need Is Love” tribute, The Weeklings added a horn and string ensemble, who deftly weave in and out of the track. Rather than fading out, the Weeklings take their cue from the original version’s famous “She Loves You” outro adlib, ending full stop with a perfectly harmonized “yeah, yeah YEAHHHH.”
“All You Need Is Love” follows their excellent cover of the Wonders “That Thing You Do” which they released days after songwriter Adam Schlesinger passed from the effects of Coronavirus. You can view that video here.
