Mick Harvey and Amanda Acevedo share their take on Pat Benatar’s ‘Love is a Battlefield’
Mick Harvey and Amanda Acevedo have unveiled the latest track from their upcoming collaborative album, “Phantasmagoria in Blue”, set for release on Mute in vinyl, CD, and digital formats on 1 September 2023. Their new rendition of “Love is a Battlefield” slows down the tempo of Pat Benatar’s classic 1983 hit.
Mick explains how the idea for the cover came about: “A friend, Emma Pursey, suggested a version of ‘Love is a Battlefield’ for an independent production of Sam Shepard’s play ‘Fool for Love’ she was working on. The idea of adapting it into a duet with a country-style arrangement immediately made sense, especially given the verse lyrics, which are often overlooked in Pat Benatar’s version. Although it wasn’t ultimately used in the play, the idea of recording the song stuck with me, so I brought it to Amanda for our project.”
Amanda continues, “At first, I wasn’t sure if Mick was serious about the song, as it was quite different from the other tracks we were working on. However, once we started developing it together, it became clear that it could be one of the strongest pieces on our album.”
Amanda, a Mexican singer and filmmaker, created the video for the track, drawing inspiration from Emma and the play: “I filmed my parts in the iconic and historic venue ‘Cineteca Alameda’ in San Luis Potosí, which serves as a cultural centre. I thought it would be fun to have Mick projected on the screen, with both of us narrating the story as two actors embody the song’s lyrics during a supposed play rehearsal. The video merges various realities into one dreamlike state or hallucination, with the location and timeline becoming slightly distorted. I’m delighted with the outcome and am excited to see what people think.”
“Phantasmagoria in Blue” is a 14-track album featuring duets between Harvey and Acevedo. They breathe new life into existing duets, reinterpret songs not originally intended as duets, translate songs from Spanish, and include songs sung in Spanish, as well as some original compositions. The album delves into timeless themes such as mortality, love, and humanity’s quest for meaning while embracing the enigmatic and mythical.
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