Since its original release by Van Morrison and his band Them in 1964, ‘Gloria’ has found its way from an unappreciated B-side to a modern-day pseudo-rock standard, covered by legends from Jimi Hendrix to Jim Morrison.
What it was that caused this three-chord song to inspire over 80 versions is answered by the appeal of garage rock itself. Unlike more traditional blues influenced standards like ‘Hey Joe’ or Chuck Berry’s ‘Johnny B.Goode’, the early 1960s pre-punk era that was garage rock saw simple styles and raw energetic performances prevail, with bands like the Troggs finding similar highly coverable success in 1966 with ‘Wild Thing’, originally written by Chip Taylor. Swinging with the sex fuelled (and often sexism fuelled) themes of 60s rock and roll, ‘Gloria’ was destined to be a hit.
5) Simple Minds – ‘Gloria’
This genre bending cover of ‘Gloria’ sits as the first track on Simple Mind’s 2001 album New Minds. It makes the list almost exclusively for taking the song out of the garage rock box that it so often remains in and instead creates an unwelcomingly catchy, electronically stimulated reproduction.
4) The Belles – Melvin
In one attempt to subvert the traditionally male-dominated narrative of ‘Gloria’, lesser known 60s girl group, the Belles, transform the lyrics “G-L-O-R-I-A” into “M-E-L-V-I-N”. In this retelling, “he (Melvin) comes walking up to MY house”. The Belles make the list for bringing girls into garage rock in this not-so-subtle subversion of the typically 60s male gaze.
3) The Doors – Gloria
The Doors strip the already simple chord progression of ‘Gloria’ back even further for their cover. Synths are of course in play and Jim Morrison’s deep snarling voice is on brand for both song and band, as he ad libs his way through the verses. It is hard not to recoil slightly as hindsight allows a more critical angle to be leant to the heavily sexualised lyrics of so many of the 1960’s male singers. Nevertheless, the band’s punchy, staccato performance encapsulates the essence of garage rock whilst adding the synth-y psychedelic twist that earned them the position of one the most influential bands of the 60s.
2) 13th Floor Elevators – ‘Gloria – Live’
Not a formally recorded cover, this live version by the 13th Floor Elevators perfectly demonstrates what happened when garage rock and psychedelic rock combined in the early 60s. Cited by many as having coined the term psychedelic rock to begin with, ‘Gloria’ flourishes under the bluesy drug induced influence of the Texas born band. It is a shame no studio recording exists.
1) Patti Smith – ‘Gloria: In Excelsis Deo’
Wildly exceeding all others in her interpretation of this song, Patti Smith’s heavily altered version, takes ‘Gloria’ far away from its original narrative, and in her signature mix of rock and spoken word, transforms it into a poetic, punky, and intensely rebellious masterpiece. The sex fuelled energy of the original song is matched whole heartedly by Smith yet is undeniably subverted. Dubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the “high priestess of punk-poetry”, Smith’s voice is defiant, and transcendental yet fiercely energetic, in a way that says far more than the self-acknowledged simplicity of garage rock and its largely male contributors ever could. Smith draws on her religious upbringing in her lyrics, combining many aspects of rebellion and liberation. “My sins, my own” she sings, “They belong to me”.
Words by Ray Bonsall
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