Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A Man After Midnight // Medieval Bops – Natacha Pires
Lockdown made us do it. Some of us started listening to medieval-style covers, and now it’s turned out to be a trend. One could believe the pandemic created the same fears as the plague, making us turn to medieval music. In truth the origin of this style widely accepted has ‘bardcore’ remains unknown.
Few pop hits are spared from the 500 years throwback conversion. One popular cover was made by the YouTube channel Medieval Bops of ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’, originally by ABBA. Contrary to the original, the medieval version is composed of fewer instruments and less mixing. The production levels match the Middle ages Era.
The tambourine replaces the bassline, taking centre stage, a double medieval recorder (which sounds similar to a flute) becomes the melody line, and the lute and harp take the strings section. These elements contrast with the modern synthesisers and electric instruments used in the original. Although less complex, the creators at Medieval Bops pulled off this unique and ‘strangely addictive’ cover, gathering over 250,000 views.