ZAP MAMA featuring MICHAEL FRANTI / “Poetry Man” (King Britt Mix)

“Poetry Man” must be the sweetest, prettiest cheating song ever written. p snow.jpg For that, we can thank the inimitable Phoebe Snow whose own version of the tune propelled her to stardom way back in 1975 when she was all of 23 years old. Two decades later, Zap Mama’s Marie Daulne reprised Phoebe’s role as the wistful, starry-eyed mistress, only this time, the vignette became a dialogue of sorts, with Spearhead’s Michael Franti playing the Poetry Man himself. zap mama04.jpg The personification of the Poetry Man is the most obvious change, but not the only one. Marie is flirtatious, soft around the edges. Phoebe is disarmingly straight-forward. When it comes to that great line that ends the song (you know the one: “Home is that place somewhere you go each day to see your wife”), Marie sings it so that it sounds like, “Who do you want—her or me?” Phoebe, on the other hand, sings it like an accusation. It’s almost as though Phoebe is daring her man to ever see his wife again. michael franti.gif As for Franti, he plays the part just right: unapologetic; deep of voice; amused with himself and his sexual prowess; speaking only when he must, if then. His intermittent asides are pointedly meaningless, serving only to encourage his lady’s praise (“I like that part,” “That’s wonderful,” “Come on,” “So beautiful.”) Before his brief rap at the end of the song he muses aloud: “Maybe I’ll kick this ragga style. Check it out.” He knows he’s on stage, playing a part. abb_king_britt.jpg Philadelphia’s DJ/producer extraordinaire King Britt recognized Marie and Michael’s version of “Poetry Man” for what it is: a sexually-charged, innuendo-laden one-act play. Britt’s slow-motion remix changes the nature of the drama: the original is a quarrel in the living room at two in the afternoon; the remix is a reunion in the bedroom at two in the morning. Britt removes all the hard edges. The guitar sound is more full and soft. Strings take the place of the horns. The bassline is fattened then slowed to a near-standstill. The drums are edited out completely. The fighting, says Britt, can wait until tomorrow. —Mtume ya Salaam             A range of human emotions          The album Seven is my favorite Zap Mama release and, yes, "Poetry Man," is also one of my favorites from that album and, yes, Michael Franti does add quite a bit to the session. I knew about the Phoebe Snow original but had never paid much attention to it, however, listening to it now and then comparing the two versions, I see that Zap Mama not only liked the song, she also really liked Snow's vocal phrasing—some of the similarities seem to me to be intentional. Leave it to a remixer to come up with an interpretation that actually gives the song another dimension. Phoebe used a saxophone. Zap Mama used a drum beat. King Britt used light strings and that gave the song a will-of-the-wisp, ethereal quality that perfectly suits the ironic understatement of the lyrics. Another song from Seven features Zap Mama almost snarling the lyrics. Although her delivery on "Damn Your Eyes" is the polar opposite of the ingenue devil-may-care attitude exhibited on "Poetry Man," Zap Mama pulls it off successfully and you believe her both times. This is a testimony to her versatility. Similarly, Michael Franti on his Stay Human release manages to sing/rap about love with none of the braggadocio he declaims on "Poetry Man." No longer is it 'look at me,' but rather it's 'look at love,' 'look how all of us can get to this.' While neither of these songs are in keeping with the theme of "Poetry Man," both of these songs are offered as evidence that Zap Mama and Michael Franti are artists who entertain but who also are interested in exploring a range of human emotions. —Kalamu ya Salaam

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 13th, 2005 at 4:49 am and is filed under Cover. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


6 Responses to “ZAP MAMA featuring MICHAEL FRANTI / “Poetry Man” (King Britt Mix)”

Stephanie Renee Says:
November 13th, 2005 at 10:39 am

It was Black Ice who first brought Phoebe Snow’s version of “Poetry Man” to me on cassette and, without telling all of my business, I’ve connected with the autobiographical nature of it ever since. 🙂

I have loved my fair share of linguistically-gifted menfolk and I also appreciate storytelling that doesn’t trip all over itself in apology. Sometimes our passions and obsessions don’t fit neatly into moral categories. Sometimes the timing isn’t quite right or we give in to someone or something that we shouldn’t, depending on who’s doing the judging. But if the love is powerfully real, it sure gives you a hell of a lot to write and sing about.

I can never get enough of this one!


Berry Says:
November 13th, 2005 at 11:12 am

I remember listening to the Snow version in my early childhood but never reallys studied the lyrical content of it. It is a very pretty song. I could take or leave the Zap Mama version, althought the remix is okay. My favorite Zap Mama song to date is Bandy Bandy…I can’t get enough of that song.


kate Says:
November 13th, 2005 at 1:29 pm

after hearing phoebe singing this tune in the 70’s, i admittedly have less enthusiasm for the cover, but zap mama lends a wonderful melodical patina to the song that makes it very special…


Mahmud Says:
November 19th, 2005 at 2:03 pm

I’ve enjoyed both versions, though it is hard to keep them in my possession. They seem to have a way of being given away or acquiring legs… you know what I mean. Last Labor Day weekend, a friend came up to visit, brought along another friend — there were up here for dance classes — and after they discovered my old scratched up Phoebe Snow LP, that was the end: they put it on repeat (the old fashioned way, scratching the record some more each time as they searched for the beginning of the track) and that’s all they listened to for the rest of the weekend. I was glad to share it with them. Thanks for sharing this with one and all.


Edy Says:
February 19th, 2010 at 8:03 pm

This version is, like the original, amazing. But this one is far more sensual. I cranked it up on the radio while driving when I heard it. Michael Franti’s voice is like velvet against Zap Mama’s silks. Fantastic!


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