My second Beatles cover of the week comes courtesy of the I Am Sam soundtrack. I never saw that film but apparently the whole thing was scored with Beatles songs performed by other artists, including Ben Folds, Rufus Wainwright, The Wallflowers, Sarah McLachlan and plenty more.
I Am Sam, of course, is also the film in which Sean Penn made the mistake of going “full retard,” something no actor should do according to Robert Downey Jr.’s character in Tropic Thunder. God, that was a funny movie.
Michael Penn and Aimee Mann have got to be the coolest married couple recording music today. Elvis Costello is cool, but Diana Krall is rather lame. JLo and Marc Anthony? Please. Ryan Adams and Mandy Moore, just referenced yesterday? Interesting, but a little too new and I don’t know her music well enough to judge. Who else?
Mann and Penn are cut from the same cloth… singer-songwriters with distinctive voices and songwriting styles who have had a hard time navigating the commercial recording industry. Neither is anywhere near as famous as they should be, but their music is probably better off for it.
As for this lovely Let it Be tune, I think it’s a perfect match for this particular duo.
Spending someone’s
Hard earned pay
You and me Sunday driving
Not arriving
On our way back home
We’re on our way home
We’re on our way home
We’re going home
Two of us sending postcards
Writing letters
On my wall
You and me burning matches
Lifting latches
On our way back home
We’re on our way home
We’re on our way home
We’re going home
You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead
Two of us wearing raincoats
Standing so low
In the sun
You and me chasing paper
Getting nowhere
On our way back home
We’re on our way home
We’re on our way home
We’re going home
You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead
Two of us wearing raincoats
Standing solo
In the sun
You and me chasing paper
Getting nowhere
On our way back home
We’re on our way home
We’re on our way home
We’re going home
Meet Me In Montauk 
Perhaps both their music – and their marriage – is better off because of it. The day after his Michael’s brother, mr. Full Retard himself, files yet again for divorce from Robin Wright, you have to wonder what’s up with that. The Oscar cause hurt feelings? Of course, this Penn and Mann could be on the verge of separation themselves, and we certainly wouldn’t know it.
So… my other nominees:
Paul Simon and Edie Brickell (they’ve actually lasted longer than I thought they would)
Carly Simon and James Taylor (they didn’t; still, what a cool couple when they did)
Faith Hill and Tim McGraw (gotta love a woman who scolds a fan for shouting after her husband)
Johnny Cash and Rosalyn Cash
Those are the only ones I can think of at the moment, but I’ll be back… 🙂
Oh, and I don’t think Costello would appreciate you saying his wife is lame. Just saying. As far as I’m concerned, she gained major cool cred when she married the man.
Sorry for the creative grammar in that first paragraph. Clearly, it is too early to write a coherent sentence.
Good choices, though only McGraw and Hill fall into my “recording music today” category. Maybe Robin was pissed he thanked that Japanese chick and not her.
I think you guys hit all the major cool combos between the two of you.
Very nice cover by two fine artists.
I happen to like Diana Krall’s music, but what do I know?? Anyway, I can’t think of anyone to add except maybe Sonny and Cher singing “I’ve got you babe” always loved them doing that. And then I had to go and kill him. So Michael Penn is Sean’s brother? I never heard of him. And I’m sorry to hear about Sean and Robin, she did look great in State of Play, and he’s still on my good side since his performance in Milk.
Mom, you know Michael Penn. He sings “No Myth” (“What if I was Romeo in black jeans; What if I was Heathcliff, it’s no myth…”) I like your Sonny and Cher nomination 🙂 and I wish you could have spared him.