As we noted earlier this year, Aimee Mann—like the members of the Cars, a onetime Bostonian—turned in an arrestingly spare version of “Drive” for The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, giving the song a poignancy and directness only suggested by the original.
The music gods are off to a good start for 2018. Aimee Mann wins a Grammy. The Cars get voted into the Rock Hall of Fame. And, combining the two, Mann has covered one of the Cars’ biggest hits: “Drive.”
The Cars recorded “Drive” for 1984’s Heartbeat City, the Mutt Lange-produced album that marked the height of the band’s commercial success. “Drive” is a beautiful soft-rock ballad that was accompanied by a heavy rotation MTV video. Remember Paulina Porizkova crying while marking on the wall?
Mann recorded her cover for the television series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (she also appears in an episode performing “Drive” in a bar). Mann has covered other songs before for tributes or a movie, and most of those efforts only get traction with her loyal fan base. Her take on Three Dog Night’s “One” (a cover of a cover) has broken out wider; she still performs it often on tour.
So what would you expect from a singer-songwriter that covers a dreamy synth song from the 1980s? An acoustic guitar ballad? Ding, ding, ding. Aimee’s stripped-down playing and her unique voice accentuate the melancholy in “Drive.” This simple music plays to Aimee’s strength, and she does not disappoint. The Cars’ original version holds up today 34 years later, so there is a slim chance of improving this classic with a poppy overproduced version; thankfully she went in a different direction.
Give Aimee Mann’s acoustic cover of “Drive” a listen and sing along like you just lost your true love at the school dance.
Who are the main musical artists you listened to during your formative years? What music tastes have you developed most recently on the job?
[…] Now, I try to be aware of as wide a spectrum of music as possible. I work on many shows set in specific time periods, such as Pose, The Americans, and American Crime Story or that use music from all over the map like Claws, so I’m constantly going down rabbit holes of different times, locations, and genres. Everything from 1970’s Chilean music to late 1980’s house music or early 1980’s dark wave. The research is half the fun. Conversely, shows like Claws, 9-1-1, and the forthcoming series, Reverie on NBC use a good amount of contemporary music, so I’m always keeping my ear out for new music that fits the sound of those. More often than not, my music tastes wind up being shaped by whatever shows I’m listening for at the moment. I guess maybe I’m a “method" music supervisor?
American Crime Story: Versace focuses on the tragic assassination of the iconic Italian fashion designer, Gianni Versace. The show features a scintillating blend of ornate classical music, late 80’s/early 90’s nightclub favorites by Lisa Stansfield and La Bouche, and a dash of jazz. What was the inspiration behind these selections and was it intentional for the music to play such a dominant and telling role in the storytelling?
Ryan Murphy is a huge music fan so music is important to the storytelling in all of his shows. The overall sound of the show is truly his vision and from there, all of us – producers, editors, etc. – collaborate to serve that. In the case of Versace, there were two key tenets that guided the process.
First, on all of the period set shows, authenticity is extremely important. If a scene is set in Fall 1992, we take care not to use songs released after that point. For The People vs. O.J. Simpson, it was very focused on events within a few year span. This season, we are jumping around in time. We travel to 1987 and 1990, 1997 and 1992 (and some years in between). To some degree, we had to show that in the song selections.
Equally, if not more importantly, this season is much more of a “deep dive” into character than the O.J. season. Ryan, along with executive producer, Alexis Martin Woodall sought to approach the music through the lens of Andrew Cunanan, the killer, and his experience of life. Where would go and what music would he be exposed to? What would have been listening to as a child? We thought about what was playing in clubs at that time. We wanted to be accurate as to what was popular back then and put people in the shoes of a younger gay man in California. The fact that most of the songs are highly recognizable also provides a point of connection with the character – a position you may not want to find yourself in with a serial killer. The buoyant “Easy Lover” by Phil Collins and Philip Bailey plays as Andrew dances while a wealthy older man is in bed nearly suffocating.
In a cameo, Aimee Mann performs “Drive” by The Cars. It was for a moment where David Madson, who we know gets murdered shortly thereafter, decides not to escape in order to comfort a crying Andrew. Even the songs in the clubs like “Be My Lover” by La Bouche or “A Little Bit of Ecstasy” by Jocelyn Enriquez were selected with Andrew’s psyche in mind. Every moment of, “Oh, I love that song!” is immediately followed by, “Oh man, am I relating to this guy?” That’s one of the main questions the show asks: What role did we as a society play in allowing this bright young man with so much potential to murder an icon?
From the start of your career in music supervision until now, what has been your most challenging and game-changing experience working on a film or television show?
[… ]The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story was also a game changer for me. The season was starting as PJ was transitioning into Warner Bros. Records and right off the bat, there were on camera performances. The Aimee Mann appearance mentioned earlier in episode four. Then there was an on-camera polka band in episode five and of course, tons of needle drops in all the episodes. In an apprenticeship industry, there really comes a time to spread your wings. I remember P.J. telling me, “This is what needs to happen. This is your time to level up.” He was 100% right.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace Spotify playlist | updated to the finale and includes the official soundtrack
Adagio in G Minor • Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life • All Around the World • Capriccio, Op.85 – Letzte Szene: “Kein andres, das mir im Herzen so loht” • Andrew on the Run • Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Act 1: “Oh! quante volte” (Giulietta) • Donatella • Autopsy • All of Them • Gloria • Easy Lover • Back to Life (However Do You Want Me) • You Showed Me • Sposa son disprezzata • I’ve Done Nothing • Idea to Kill • A Little Bit of Ecstasy • Be My Lover • This Is the Right Time • A Certain Sadness • It’s Magic • St. Thomas • Are You Mad? • Pump Up The Jam • Drive • David Murdered • Tick Tock Polka • Attempted Suicide • Fascinated • Sensitivity • I’m Afraid • Interviews • Self Control • Balcony Reception • Get to Know Me • Freedom! ‘90 – Remastered • Sérénade mélancolique, Op. 26 • Runaway • Donatella’s Spotlight • String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor, Op. 29, D. 804: I. Allegro ma non troppo • Anachronism • Come Giuda • This Is Not for You • Raise the Flag • Hazy Shade of Winter • Touch Me (I Want Your Body) • Whip it • Blue Monday • Modesto on the Run • Vienna • Houseboat • Sailboat Break-In • Calling Modesto • The Man I Love • Nothing Like You • Basilica • Psalm 23: The Lord Is My Shepherd • Person of Interest • Surrounded • Another Stage • Hunt Is Over
*We couldn’t figure out which scenes the tracks “I’m Afraid” and “Nothing Like You” are from and simply put them in order of the soundtrack list. If you have any idea, please drop a line!
You can preorder the album and listen to samples on iTunes. *Music spoilers for the finale*
Track list:
1. Adagio in G Minor (7:45) 2. Donatella (2:51) 3. Andrew on the Run (6:39) 4. All of Them (2:01) 5. Autopsy (2:28) 6. Idea to Kill (2:21) 7. I’ve Done Nothing (1:09) 8. Are You Mad? (2:26) 9. David Murdered (2:00) 10. Attempted Suicide (2:51) 11. I’m Afraid (1:29) 12. Interviews ( 5:17) 13. Donatella’s Spotlight (2:13) 14. Balcony Reception (2:14) 15. Get to Know Me (2:29) 16. This Is Not for You (2:50) 17. Raise the Flag (1:42) 18. Modesto on the Run (3:35) 19. Houseboat (1:23) 20. Sailboat Break-In (3:28) 21. Calling Modesto (1:35) 22. Nothing Like You (1:31) 23. Person of Interest (2:16) 24. Surrounded (2:36) 25. Another Stage (2:24) 26. Hunt Is Over (1:06)
ACS news 