Bright Eyes have shared a cover of Thin Lizzy’s ‘Running Back’ as part of Secretly Canadian’s 25th anniversary celebration. The band originally recorded their version of the song in August 2020 for a SiriusXM Session, but the cover was given an official release yesterday (January 14) as part of the label’s ongoing singles series, which aims to raise $250,000 for New Hope For Families. Kathleen Frances has also released her contribution to the project, offering her take on Electric Youth and College’s 2014 song ‘A Real Hero’. Take a listen below.
“Thin Lizzy is one of the finest rock n roll bands of all time,” Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst said of the cover in a statement. “Phil Lynott’s vocal delivery and lyrics exemplify nonchalant cool. On top of that they gave the world a reason to invent the word guitarmonies. I think this is such a beautiful love song. It felt really good to sing.”
Commenting on her choice of cover, Frances said: “I used to have this song on repeat. It has such an uplifting feel and its belief in humanity seemed particularly fitting for this project. I wanted to do something different, slow it down and create a moodiness to feel the sentiment of the song in a different way.”
Previous contributions to SC25 have come from Hatchie, Stella Donnelly, Bartees Strange, Jim James, NNAMDÏ, Beach Fossils, Porridge Radio, Skullcrusher, and more.