Daily Dose: Valerie June: “Cosmic Dancer” (T. Rex Cover)
Photo by Coen Rees Music Features Valerie June
Daily Dose is your daily source for the song you absolutely, positively need to hear every day. Curated by the Paste Music Team.
Folk/soul singer Valerie June has shared a very lovely cover of the T. Rex groover “Cosmic Dancer,” from their 1971 album Electric Warrior. Listen to it below.
June says the song is a call to focus on the light and block out negativity: “‘Cosmic Dancer’ to me is a reminder that we don’t have to waste energy saying ‘shut the hell up’ to any voice telling us that our light is not needed,” June said in a statement. “We came to Earth to shine. We were called to radiate. There is one true belief: That we should spend our entire lives dancing in the light.”
It’s a T. Rex classic (and their original is indeed a beautiful, one-of-a-kind trip), but when June sings it, the song sounds like it was written just for her. Her coppery voice pairs perfectly with the concert-hall piano, splashy effects and wiry strings, not to mention the enlightening lyrics. From the “womb” to the “tomb,” there’s always a reason to dance, says Marc Bolan. And the truth holds up when June sings those words: “Is it strange to dance so soon? / I danced myself into the tomb.” Release the fear and dance it out, every single day.
June released her sophomore album, The Order Of Time, two years ago. It’s a bright, invigorating escape from what we might remember as a grim 2017.
Listen to Valerie June’s gorgeous take on “Cosmic Dancer” below. She also has a string of headlining tour dates coming up—find all those and purchase tickets here, then hear our favorite T. Rex songs right here.
Read: Valerie June Wants to Be Set Free