Suede – Hungry Heart Review

An all-time great track from Bruce Springsteen? Sure, but that can be applied to so many of his works. Hungry Heart is just one of many extraordinary offerings from The Boss. A song which is inevitably set to be covered by those who feel The River and its influence in their work. Some more out-there covers have come through of Springsteen’s work, not least this cover of Hungry Heart from Suede. An incredible song is what Hungry Heart is. One of the most identifiable pieces in Springsteen’s discography, backed by an instrumental spirit which would define the best of his work in the 1980s. Breezy, cool, but with a repetitive through line to really hammer home that lust and desire. Pair that feeling and spirit with a band that embodied it in their heyday and still does decades on, it’s a match made in heaven. Suede takes to Hungry Heart with such immense charm built into their performance. 

Their performance comes from a BBC Radio 2 appearance. Every artist, as part of those sessions, finds a suitable cover. Be it Lola Young with a take on Sabrina Carpenter or this, it’s a chance to hear one of your favourites cover another piece of relevant material. Hungry Heart sounds tremendous with a flourishing, special touch from Suede. Frontman Brett Anderson suits the song, with an assured and higher pitch for the track than what Springsteen can offer. It’s a tremendous change because it captures the spirit of Anderson’s abilities but also the riches of Springsteen’s original. All great covers do just that. Showcase the magic of the original but also make it clear how you can make your version better. That’s just what Suede does here. Their instrumental spirit is in line with The River track but Richard Oakes gives it that Suede swing. It’s a brilliant pairing, but just a one-off. 

Suede are not going to form their next project around the Springsteen style. As much as a collection of covers by Suede of The Boss’ work would be, by the sounds of it, magnificent, this one-and-done tribute to Springsteen is delightful. Instrumentally charged and vocally confident. Listeners should expect nothing less of Suede. Their approach to this track is the same style as their greatest hits and contemporary triumphs. A sincerity is the lead appeal but the soft differences in their interpretation of the song makes all the difference too. Hungry Heart in Anderson and the band’s hands is a triumph. They’re capable of turning one of the more intimate moments from Springsteen into a mesmerising song which could easily fit into their setlist. Whether they do or not is yet to be seen.  

If they do, they’ve succeeded in making Hungry Heart their own. A great cover because Suede knows to do the basics well. Anderson sounds great, so too does the instrumental work. They play it close to the original Hungry Heart style but there is room enough for innovation, for new advances on an old classic. That is what covers are all about. Anderson’s vocals work brilliantly if you have the context of Suede’s work at your disposal. Those heartbreaks and triumphs which litter their discography over the last thirty years are utterly crucial. Hungry Heart may not be an obvious influence on Suede given their glam rock passions and now post-punk stylings, but The Boss transcends genre specifics. An outstanding cover from the band which lays bare their influences across Autofiction and Antidepressants.