A cover of a Radiohead hit from actor Jim Carrey has been hailed by fans as a “raw and imperfect” rendition.
That imperfection appears to be the point of the song, as some fans hinted at in their praise for Carrey. Though Radiohead are hardly keen to play Creep live anymore, it remains one of their best songs and earliest hits. The song, which featured on the debut album Pablo Honey, has not featured on any dates of the reunion tour so far, and fans shouldn’t be hopeful of it making an appearance. But other vocalists, such as Golden Globe winner Jim Carrey, are on hand to deliver some alternative renditions of the hit. Carrey appeared at the Arlene’s Grocery venue and delivered the early Radiohead hit, much to the delight of fans in attendance and those watching the footage over a decade later.
One fan was full of praise for the performance, writing: “This is why I love live music. It’s raw, imperfect, emotional, and REAL.” Another added: “I don’t care if he can’t sing, this was like someone with a bleeding soul singing his heart out, well done Jim, you’re only human after all.”
A third person wrote: “I feel this is probably the only song in the world where singing off-key actually works.” Some listeners believed it takes some getting into the performance, with Carrey’s obvious love for the Radiohead hit enough to win some people over.
One person wrote: “It starts off a bit cringey, but once you realise how much Jim is into this song, it gives you goosebumps.” Another added: “He may be smiling and acting goofy, but you can see in his eyes, he feels every word. Music isn’t about perfection, it’s about expression.”
A third person suggested that while Carrey isn’t a “singer”, he could “put his heart and soul into it” and come out with impressive results. Similar praise was heaped on the Hollywood veteran for his cover of The Beatles’ I Am the Walrus, which featured on George Martin’s album, In My Life.
One fan praised The Mask and Sonic the Hedgehog star in a post to the r/Music subreddit, writing: “Wow, he’s good. You can tell he put a ton of work into that, and wanted to do it right.”
Another added: “Holy shit, he actually sings rather well.” A third wrote: “Wow. Mind Blown. I wasn’t expecting that whatsoever.” Other listeners were left enjoying the Carrey cover more than the original version of the song, which went on to be covered by Oasis during several of their tours.
One user praised Carrey, writing: “I can’t listen to The Beatles’ version anymore because I enjoy his [Carrey’s] so much more. It’s so much fun.” Another added: “Wow, that was excellent. I love how he puts his own twists on the vocals. He’s doing a great job of channelling Lennon while still putting his own flair on the song.”
Comments left on a YouTube video of the performance found it quite ironic Carrey would go on to portray Dr. Eggman in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, especially given John Lennon’s lyrics. One user who commented on the video from the studio joked: “He is ACTUALLY the Eggman now. Holy crap.” Carrey’s performance of Creep can be found below.
