By now it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m a major fan of Twin Shadow aka George Lewis Jr.. What may still be a mystery, though, is that I’m a sucker for covers. It’s not a matter of trying to copy or outshine the original, but rather interpreting – doing an homage, if you will – a song that’s left an impact. At least that’s what I naively hope to be the inspiration.

When one of my favourite current artists covers a personal favourite of all time, my attention radar is on full alert. Earlier, Lewis Jr. approached Rookie magazine with the idea of covering The Smiths’ classic, “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out”, with Samantha Urbani of Friends. The cover is a part of his UNDER THE CVRS series, and a Valentine’s gift for Rookie readers.

This is what Lewis Jr. had to say about the cover:

“Everything I do, I mean sincerely, but there is a little joke within this one. In every critique of Twin Shadow, there is a dropping of Morrissey’s name, which I always thought was funny because I have never really been a huge fan of Morrissey or the Smiths. [Laughs] So it’s a nod to people calling me ‘the Dominican Morrissey’.”

The end result is a synth tune with a distinct 90s R&B flavour. Watch the accompanying video, edited in a single day, below.