Spoon have dropped a smooth, jazzy take on “I Can’t Give Everything Away,” the closing track from David Bowie‘s final studio album, 2016’s Black Star. While the wistful original was propelled by an insistent beat and spiked with saxophones and Bowie’s yearning croon, Spoon’s take goes for a smoky, late night jam vibe.
Singer Britt Daniel leans into the chorus as a jaunty piano propels him through the song’s introspective lyrics. “Seeing more and feeling less/ Saying no but meaning yes/ This is all I ever meant/ That’s the message that I sent,” he sings before hitting the dreamy, posthumously heartbreaking chorus, “I can’t give everything/ I can’t give everything away/ I can’t give everything away.”
The song was released on Thursday (Jan. 6) as part of Amazon Music’s month-long [RE]DISCOVER campaign celebrating what would have been Bowie’s 75th birthday on Saturday (Jan. 8). “‘I Can’t Give Everything Away’ is a tune [Spoon guitarist/keyboard player] Alex [Fischel] and I have been playing since we learned it for an acoustic and piano show in Mexico City in 2016,” Daniel said in a statement. “It’s just a fantastic song, and as the last song on Bowie’s final album it doesn’t disappoint. We recorded this version live in December 2021.”
The [RE]DISCOVER series looks back at an artist’s body of work and in January Bowie’s music will be spotlighted in a curated playlist of his music that ropes in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame icon’s best known work, as well as influences, contemporaries and artists they inspired, with Spoon’s cover appearing on [RE]DUX 036: David Bowie. You can also hear the cover on the Stay Indie playlist or by asking Alexa to “play the Amazon Original from Spoon” in the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android and on Alexa-enabled devices.
Spoon’s 10th studio album, Lucifer on the Sofa, is due out on Feb. 11 on Matador.
Listen to Spoon’s cover and the original below.
