Having appeared on Like A Version with The Jezabels several times over the years, this time Hayley Mary has descended upon the popular triple j program as a solo act to deliver a powerful performance of “Would You Throw a Diamond?” and a stunning cover of Lana Del Rey’s “Chemtrails Over the Country Club”.
Whereas Del Rey’s version of “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” is a beautiful pop single filled with dreamy soundscapes and imagery, Mary flips everything 180 degrees by infusing the song with her brand of hard-hitting rock.
“I chose “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” because I think the lyrics are great and Lana Del Rey is one of the better songwriters of our time,” explains Mary in a post-performance interview with the station. “I love pop music that is aesthetically pleasing but it you want to dig deeper and find meaning you can.
“I guess because Lana Del Rey uses the past as a lens to look at the present, she has a wealth of beautiful language and melody to draw on while making it sound timeless and also topical.”
The result is a hard-hitting rendition that infuses a sense of power into the song while preserving the original’s sense of wonder and beauty.
“I’ve followed Lana Del Rey pretty much from the start so there’s flaws in there, and you see that in any career,” adds Mary. “I think as a performer I’ve watched her grow a lot and that’s quite inspiring as a performer because you know you have flaws and to see someone else overcome them is amazing.
“The fun thing about covering things is that it makes you like the song more if it’s good because you dig deeper and go ‘oh!’ Arrangements are arrangements, but a good song can stand up in various genres. So it was good to tear the song apart, we changed the timing [and] it still worked so it’s a testament to her writing.”
Referring to the lyric “chemtrails over the country club“, Mary says the line is “fucking brilliant” as she grew up in Byron Bay, the “land of the conspiracy theory.”
“I liked how it hit the nail on the head in this beautiful poetic way without saying one way or the other what she thinks,” explains Mary. “She just summed up a feeling that I think is very current but also very nostalgic.”
In addition to her stirring performance of “Chemtrails Over The Country Club”, Mary also delivered a stirring performance of her latest single “Would You Throw A Diamond?” which is her first release for 2021.
