Dave Grohl And Greg Kurstin Share Hanukkah Cover Of The Clash’s “Train In Vain”

Photo: Boston Lynn Schulz

Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin in keeping with their Hanukkah Sessions, have released new cover song and video for the 7th night of Hanukkah, this time in the from of The Clash’s song “Train In Vain.” The cover is a very faithful cover of the original, with Grohl pairing his voice to the same inflections and tone as Mick Jones. Grohl also attempts to capture all of the high notes and emotions behind the lyrics that you can hear in the voice of Jones. The instruments also stay true to the original, keeping the Harmonica and guitar and drum lines. The song is generally about a breakup and the lamenting of not understanding why it had to happen. It keeps a very upbeat tone and sound, as opposed to the lyrics about betrayal and not standing by. In the video, Grohl plays the drums while Kurstin plays the harmonica and piano.

Mick Jones was the lead singer of the London Punk rock band The Clash, and he was born to a Jewish immigrant mother. The Clash’s seminal album London Calling contained the song “Train in Vain.” With the position in music history that The Clash occupies, including them in the covers for the Hanukkah sessions fits with the other famous Jewish artists that Grohl and Kurstin decided to cover. They previously covered songs such as “Copacabana” by Barry Manilow, “Blitzkrieg Bop” by the Ramones, “Jump” by Van Halen as well as others to account for the nights of Hanukkah. Grohl and Kurstin will release one more song on the 8th night of Hanukkah.

Photo Credit: Boston Lynn Schulz

Joe Hageman: Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am an aspiring writer currently enrolled at New York University majoring in English and History. I have previous writing experience writing non fiction book summaries for Ki Book Club. I also served as a guest DJ on the University of Minnesota college radio station while in High School. I enjoy staying up to date on music industry related news and being on the cutting edge of what musical artists are making waves. My current favorite artists are Frank Ocean, Sufjan Stevens, and Yves Tumor. I have been writing at Mxdwn since October, 2021.
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