Karen O and Danger Mouse Cover Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day”

Thursday, Karen O and Danger Mouse revealed a cover of Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” via Amazon Music. The song mostly features one guitar and Karen O’s signature sweet, pining voice. Later, angelic strings are introduced to accompany O’s tremulous vocals. “You’re going to reap just what you sow,” she delivers with a honeyed coo. Their rendition is a stripped-down version of the track from Reed’s ‘72 album Transformer. The cover was first heard back in June for a SiriusXMU session.

The two are currently nominated for Best Rock Performance at the 62nd Grammy Awards for “Woman,” the lead track from their recent 2019 collaborative album Lux Prima. The album mostly consists of sweeping psych rock, with “Woman” drawing on ‘50s girl-group sounds. Last year, the two appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to record a live, Spike Jonze-directed music video for the track, complete with a troupe of dancers in beehive up-dos and white tank tops. The track features tremolo guitar that recalls Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Were Made for Walkin’,” providing some extra sass for the battle cry of a track.

You can listen to their cover of “Perfect Day” below. You can also revisit Reed’s classic original rendition from Transformer and see him perform it circa 1997 via Paste archival video, as well as watch Karen O and Danger Mouse’s performance of “Woman” on Colbert. The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards air Sunday, Jan. 26 at 8PM EST. Stay tuned for our Grammys coverage to see if Karen O and Danger Mouse take home the prize for Best Rock Performance.