Nostalgia's a hard thing to rework. Tampering with a classic song that's associated with so many memories, especially ones that we're growing further and further from, is a dangerous game to play. Not only can you single-handedly offend fans from across the globe, you can also taint the song forever if you don't do it right. No pressure, I know. However, LOVER. (a project of Oliver Kirby) has said "screw that" and has taken a head-first dive into a classic from the woman who ran the pop game in the early 2000s - FERGIE. And, while the song may be 'Clumsy', this stunning and sensual rework is anything but.
In case you weren't alive in 2006, which is basically the only excuse you have to have not heard this song, 'Clumsy' is as bubblegum as Fergie got. It's so pop it's almost not pop anymore. This rework by LOVER. completely subverts the song from adorable, I Love Lucy-style infatuation to a vulnerable and brooding confession of deep love. He completely transforms the original song into a slow-burning affair that is still equally as infectious.
More to the point, the care and meticulous approach LOVER. and collaborator TAKA PERRY have taken to this pop gem means it completely avoids the trope of disrespecting the source material. In fact, it gives completely new layers to 'Clumsy' that might not have been revealed otherwise. With each listen, we get an impending sense of melancholic devotion. It's no longer "Oops! I'm in love!" It's more "Fuck, I'm in love..." which is a far more complex theme of humanity to grasp.
The idea that we ultimately can't control who we fall for is ultimately one of our greatest flaws as humans, but simultaneously one of our strongest charms. And LOVER. has made sure that 'Clumsy' remains just as charming in 2017 as it was in 2006.
Words by JACKSON LANGFORD
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