Cover Me Impressed: 'So Sad About Us'

I'm a huge fan of the sounds of '66. The Who are a perfect example. I don't consider myself a Who fanatic because I never got into the rock opera material (or anything that came after it). The Who's mod years, however, have been a favorite of mine since I was a lad. There is a Pete Townshend-penned song from the album 'A Quick One' that I particularly like, and I must not be alone because a couple of my favorite bands have covered it.

"So Sad About Us" was never a single. In fact, Townshend originally wrote it for The Merseybeats. This one is pure pop. No windmill guitar solos here. Lots of "la-la-las" and simple chords. Beautiful. Fast forward to 1978 for the UK's second mod wave. The Jam were at the forefront of the movement, and the band was obviously enamored with early Who. They covered several Who songs during this period, including "Disguises" and this one. The Jam's "So Sad About Us" was the B-side of the hit "Down in the Tube Station at Night". I'm taking the song from the import version of 'Extras'.

In 1992, "So Sad About Us" found its way to wax again with 'Safari', a four-song EP by The Breeders. I highly recommend this one to all Breeders fans. It has been out of print for quite a while, but it is worth the hunt. This was a year before The Breeders exploded with 'Last Splash'. I have followed The Breeders from its inception to today, and I say without hesitation this EP is the band at the top of its game. I'm happy "So Sad About Us" is a part of it.

The Who - So Sad About Us (mp3)
The Jam - So Sad About Us (mp3)
The Breeders - So Sad About Us (mp3)