Remembering Galaxie 500’s cover of Yoko Ono’s song ‘Listen, The Snow Is Falling’
Her relationship with John Lennon has wrongly overshadowed the life and times of Yoko Ono. Of course, being with perhaps the most famous man of the 20th century is always likely to gain an extra few unwanted column inches. Still, Ono has been particularly hounded throughout her life owing to the erroneous idea that she was a pivotal figure in the demise of The Beatles. Of course, historians have quickly put that theory to bed, but the long-held belief has meant much of Ono’s creative work has been forgotten.
Aside from her artistic expression, which extended far beyond the reach of pop, Ono was a capable creator in most significant facets of art. Film, sculpture, painting, sketching and music, Ono can be credited with being a powerful creator for each. And one of her best songs, ‘Listen, The Snow Is Falling’ was once given a new lease of life by the utterly brilliant Galaxie 500.
Galaxie 500 and Yoko Ono aren’t natural bedfellows. While the Japanese artist was a multi-talented creator, Galaxie 500 kept the majority of their focus trained on the making of alternative rock. Founded in 1987, the trio of Dean Wareham, Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang would only last four years but leave an indelible imprint on music, with their three releases being regarded as some of the finest from the era. However, with Ono’s pop song in hand, they provided a powerhouse performance.
‘Listen, The Snow Is Falling’ was originally written in 1968 under the title of ‘Snow Is Falling All The Time’ which was originally designated for the ‘Song for John’ medley during the Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions. The song was later released in 1971 in the US and the following year in the UK, with Ono saying of the track: “The first pop song — if you can say pop song — I ever wrote was ‘Listen, the Snow Is Falling.’ I did that before [Lennon and I] got together. Then, when we got together, I made it into a real pop song. When you see the original, you couldn’t pick out why it was a pop song.”
Perhaps it was the festive edge to the song, the fact that the always unconventional Yoko Ono was attempting a straightforward pop song or simply that the group loved the track. But, Galaxie 500 decided to pick up the track and cover it for their 1990 album This Is Our Music, with vocals provided by Naomi Yang. With it, the group perhaps gathers their defining cover, sharing a rendition of the lesser-known song that not only highlights the original’s brilliance but adds enough of their own flavour to ensure it remains in their canon forevermore.
Dragging riffs are met with laconic vocals, which ring out underpinned by the drudgey bass of the alt-rock legends. It’s easy to make any song sound like a Galaxie 500 track; such is the uniqueness of their sound. But turning this Christmas piece into a subverted pop song while still paying homage to the original is an uncanny skill.
