Podcast Summary: "Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO" (Listening Party)

Show: All Of It (WNYC)
Host: David Fuerst (filling in for Alison Stewart)
Guest: Juliana Hatfield
Date: December 14, 2023

Overview

In this conversation, David Fuerst hosts a "listening party" with singer-songwriter Juliana Hatfield to celebrate her latest covers album, Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO. The episode dives into Hatfield’s journey through her series of covers albums, creative process, her relationship with ELO’s music, and her inspirations and challenges when tackling legendary material. The discussion is punctuated by multiple song snippets from the new album, with reflections on both the enduring power of ELO’s songwriting and Hatfield’s personal approach to interpretation and homage.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Covers Album Journey

• Origins of the Covers Album Series

  • Hatfield began covers albums with Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John in 2018, inspired by a lifelong love for Olivia and a personal connection through the artist’s cancer journey.
    • “At that moment, I thought it would be a great project for me to pay tribute to my love for her, my lifelong love for her at that moment.” (03:49, Hatfield)
  • Surprised by how fulfilling the first tribute was, Hatfield continued the pattern: alternating between albums of originals and covers (The Police followed Olivia Newton-John).

• The “Accidental” Series

  • Hatfield never envisioned a series; each new cover album arises as a spontaneous, intuitive decision.
  • The reception from fans and the satisfaction of the creative challenge contribute to her continued motivation.

Choosing ELO

• Why ELO, and Not REM?

  • Initially considered REM as her next subject, Hatfield found the scope daunting and instead followed a “whim” to ELO, recognizing a bridging connection through the Xanadu soundtrack with both Olivia Newton-John and Jeff Lynne involved.
    • “REM’s too...a little bit too daunting...there’s such a deep, wide breadth of material that I was not familiar with...long story short...I thought, ELO, why not ELO?” (06:18, Hatfield)

• Hatfield’s Approach to ELO’s Iconic Sound

  • ELO’s songs are renowned for meticulously layered production. Hatfield admitted that overthinking Jeff Lynne’s genius would have been paralyzing, so she relies on intuition and her own musical instincts.
    • “If I really thought about the genius of Jeff Lynn's production techniques...I would just—it would be too scary and overwhelming to dive in...So I focus on the hooks and the melodies.” (08:15, Hatfield)

• Deconstructing ELO Songs

  • Songs are stripped back, played repeatedly on acoustic guitar until she finds her own interpretation and the song “feels like my own.” (08:15, Hatfield)

Creative Process & Vocal Harmonies

• Making the Songs Her Own

  • Rather than copying ELO’s harmonies exactly, Hatfield selectively adapts and layers vocals to fit her own range and style—turning the process into a joyful puzzle.
    • “My dream job would be providing vocal harmonies for people. I would love to travel around and just, like, layer...vocal harmonies on top of their lead vocals...It's fun, but it's also, like, challenging in the way that a puzzle or a math problem is challenging.” (12:35, Hatfield)

• Nostalgia & Escapism

  • Working on covers provides a welcome escape and contrast to the darker themes in her recent original albums (Pussycat, Weird, Blood), offering both joy and renewed creative energy.
    • “It is a kind of escape escapism for me to go into these songs from my youth that gave me so much joy...it's escaping from the realities of life, I think.” (13:51, Hatfield)

• Balancing Respect & Innovation

  • Hatfield seeks to honor the original songs while still putting her own stamp on them. She emphasizes sincerity and the need to avoid inauthenticity or parody.

Highlighting Deep Cuts & ELO’s Repertoire

• Surfacing Hidden Gems
  • The album features both hits (“Don’t Bring Me Down,” “Can’t Get It Out of My Head,” “Telephone Line”) and lesser-known tracks (“Bluebird Is Dead,” “Ordinary Dream” from ELO’s Zoom).
  • Hatfield specifically hopes listeners will discover (or rediscover) ELO’s overlooked songs and albums, such as Zoom:
    • “I really hope that people will check out the ELO version of that song and that album, Zoom, because it’s such a wonderful song.” (17:13, Hatfield)

The Magic of Jeff Lynne

• Jeff Lynne as Songwriter & Producer
  • Hatfield is effusive about Lynne’s “iconic” yet relatable voice and his talent for crafting songs that feel deceptively simple yet are brilliantly constructed.
    • “It’s like a drug...His voice has that effect on me, like, God, I love that voice. And when he stacks them in harmonies, it’s like even that much more of the drug.” (20:26, Hatfield)
  • She theorizes that ELO’s music feels fresh in part because it isn’t over-rehearsed or overproduced, despite its layered complexity.

Looking Forward

• What’s Next for Hatfield?
  • She is working on a new album of original material, with another covers record likely to follow—possibly the elusive REM album.
    • “I’ll be the girl who cried REM.” (22:24, Hatfield, joking)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On starting the covers tradition:

  • “I just had Olivia on the brain, and that’s how the first one happened. And it was...very fulfilling for me.” (03:49, Hatfield)

• On adapting ELO’s production wizardry:

  • “I’m very intuitive in that way. I think that’s the only way I would really have the guts to take on projects like this. Because if I really thought about the genius of Jeff Lynne’s production techniques...it would be too scary and overwhelming to dive in.” (08:15, Hatfield)

• On joy in finding harmonies:

  • “My dream job would be providing vocal harmonies for people...It’s fun, but it’s also, like, challenging in the way that a puzzle or math problem is challenging.” (12:35, Hatfield)

• On using covers as a reprieve:

  • “It is a kind of escape escapism for me...to go into these songs from my youth that gave me so much joy...” (13:51, Hatfield)

• On people discovering ELO's deep cuts:

  • “It’s so great to know that Jeff Lynne hasn’t lost any of his musical power. You know, he’s still totally on top of [his game].” (17:13, Hatfield)

• On Jeff Lynne’s songwriting magic:

  • “There’s a lightness to...a breeziness to the feel of a lot of his stuff that...seems like maybe it’s more complicated than it really is...I think that he doesn’t do a billion takes of everything. It’s kind of fresh sounding.” (20:26, Hatfield)

• On her own future:

  • “I’ll be the girl who cried REM.” (22:24, Hatfield, lighthearted)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:49 – Hatfield recounts the inspiration and process behind her Olivia Newton-John tribute.
• 06:08 – Discussion about how the covers series evolved and the intended pattern.
• 06:18 – Hatfield explains the leap from considering REM to choosing ELO.
• 08:15 – Insights into her approach to tackling and rearranging ELO’s lush sound.
• 11:15 – The creative detail of syncing a real landline “off the hook” sound in “Telephone Line.”
• 12:35 – Hatfield keeps returning to the unique puzzle-like challenge of vocal harmonies.
• 13:51 – She speaks about covers albums as offering therapeutic escapism after darker original works.
• 17:13 – The joy of surfacing an overlooked ELO song (“Ordinary Dream”).
• 20:26 – On what makes Jeff Lynne’s voice and songwriting irresistible.
• 22:06 – Future plans: original album, next covers candidate.

Overall Tone & Listener Takeaway

The interview is warm, conversational, and gently humorous, with Hatfield as a thoughtful, approachable guest. She is honest about the joys and challenges of transforming iconic music, and her genuine reverence for Jeff Lynne and his songwriting shines through. Listeners get both a sense of the creative process behind “Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO” and motivation to revisit (or discover) the ELO discography, inspired by Hatfield’s love for the source material.

Highly recommended for fans of ELO, cover albums, artist process deep-dives, and those interested in how nostalgia fuels musical reinvention.