Portishead: SOS (ABBA Cover)
In an exhilaratingly dark version of ABBA’s “SOS,” Portishead’s Beth Gibbons brings an immense heartbreak to the Swedish group’s 1975 pop song. The cover is a tribute to Jo Cox (a Batley and Spen MP who fought for refugees’ rights) who was murdered last week outside a library. In this context, and in this downtempo version, the song carries much more weight, pain and sorrow. The slow-burning video ends with a quote from Cox’s first-ever speech in parliament, “We have far more in common than which divides us.” It’s a brilliant—albeit gut-wrenching—reminder of the gun violence and violence against women that we have grown all-too-accustomed to.
