You'll Have Heard This One Before
Son of Foreigner's Mick Jones and socialite Ann Dexter-Jones, British-born New York-based Ronson is one of the big name producers of 2007. He has inexhaustible celebrity connections and honed his trade as a DJ playing sets for a whole host of America's elite from Puff Daddy to Donald Trump.
After the recent success of his production of Amy Winehouse's 'Back To Black' (which will soon go platinum) he returns with this Smiths reprise which has gained the highest ever UK chart position for a Smiths song (#2) and number 1 in the download charts.
This single is the second release from his covers album, 'Version', following his rework of Britney Spears' 'Toxic'. The album takes us on a trip through Ronson's favourite tracks, past and present, but many listeners will not recognise the tracks until the chorus rings out - this one being no exception.
'Stop Me' not only lends lyrics from Morrissey but also snippets from the formidable Motown team of Holland-Dozier-Holland. The inclusion of a chorus from The Supremes 'You Keep Me Hangin On' as the song tails off is somewhat crude but does compliment the 60's soul inspired production with layered brass and string arrangements, supported by Daniel Merriweather's vocals.
In an era which will be defined by its unoriginality whether that be in the music, film or TV industries, it nevertheless remains rare to find an 'original cover'. However, it's the fusion of the classic soul sound with the modern hip hop and dance beats which transforms the overall soundscape of the original enough for this interpretation to be granted credibility. I am sure the artists he has lent from will admire his knack of proving that their songs can exist in many forms but as far as songs go its nothing out of the ordinary.