Patti Smith may be an influence on new-generation artists like Dua Lipa, who has interviewed her; and that influence may also be reciprocal. In two recent concerts, Smith has sung a cover of Lana Del Rey’s ‘Summertime Sadness’. And she did it for a reason.
It happened first in Brighton, and then in Dublin. Smith has said that ‘Summertime Sadness’ reminds her of the beautiful moments she experienced in her “crazy youth” with her husband, the late Fred “Sonic” Smith. In her 2015 autobiography ‘M Train’, Smith talks in depth about her marriage to her former MC5 guitarist.
As seen in the Dublin video, Smith performs the famous Lana Del Rey song with great emotion, making it completely her own. As Stereogum reports, concert-goers could tell Patti was singing the song with emotion.
In addition to ‘Summertime Sadness’, Smith is currently covering Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Man in the Long Black Coat’. There is no shortage of ‘Redondo Beach’, ‘Because the Night’ and ‘People Have the Power’ from his own repertoire.
On July 5, Smith performs in Spain, specifically at Les Nits in Barcelona. If the current setlist is maintained, Smith will sing ‘Summertime Sadness’ again this time for her Spanish audience.
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