Hear Jon Bellion Transform Switchfoot’s Millennial Grunge Angst into Orchestral Pop

Kory Grow
·2 min read
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Switchfoot-beautiful-letdown - Credit: Erick Frost*
Switchfoot-beautiful-letdown - Credit: Erick Frost*

Earlier this year, Switchfoot took a cue from Taylor Swift and put out what they called “our version” of their 2003 album, The Beautiful Letdown. Now they’re expanding it into a deluxe edition filled with cover versions by the Jonas Brothers, Ryan Tedder, Owl City, and Tyler Joseph from Twenty One Pilots, among others. “To hear our friends and heroes singing these songs of ours — such legendary voices, such amazing talent — it’s truly a wonderful, strange gift,” Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman said in a statement.

The deluxe edition will come out on Sept. 15. They’re previewing the covers with Jon Bellion’s rendition of “Meant to Live.”

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Where the original featured stabbing hard-rock guitars and singer Jon Foreman’s copious angst, Bellion lifts the key and turns it into an orchestral pop tune, brimming with strings, sentimentality, and gently auto-tuned vocals. The video depicts a multi-generational father-son relationship, depicting a strong bond connecting the boys and men.

“A few months ago, the band and I sat down in the studio to listen to the final mix of the song, ‘Meant to Live (Jon Bellion Version),'” Foreman said. “When the strings faded out, we sat in silence, stunned by how moving the piece of music was.” He goes on to explain that he and Bellion texted back and forth about the recording’s cinematic qualities before prevailing upon filmmakers James Winterhalter and Joseph Larkin to shoot “a short film about a man, caught between his past and his future, discovering that he still gets to choose.”

Swtichfoot will embark on a tour (their version) starting this month and into the fall. They’ll perform The Beautiful Letdown in its entirety.

The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version) (Deluxe Edition) track list:

1. “Meant to Live (Jon Bellion Version)”
2. “This Is Your Life (Noah Gundersen Version)”
3. “More Than Fine (Monica Martin Version)”
4. “Ammunition (Relient K Version)”
5. “Dare You to Move (Ryan Tedder from OneRepublic Version)”
6. “Redemption (Colony House Version)”
7. “The Beautiful Letdown (Jonas Brothers Version)”
8. “Gone (Owl City Version)”
9. “On Fire (Ingrid Andress Version)”
10. “Adding to the Noise (Dayglow Version)”
11. “Twenty-Four (Tyler Joseph from Twenty One Pilots Version)”
12. “Monday Comes Around (Sleeping At Last Version)” *
13. “Meant to Live (Our Version)”
14. “This Is Your Life (Our Version)”
15. “More Than Fine (Our Version)”
16. “Ammunition (Our Version)”
17. “Dare You to Move (Our Version)”
18. “Redemption (Our Version)”
19. “The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version)”
20. “Gone (Our Version)”
21. “On Fire (Our Version)”
22. “Adding to the Noise (Our Version)”
23. “Twenty-Four (Our Version)”
24. “Monday Comes Around (Our Version)” *
25. “In My Blood (Our Version)” *

*Unreleased B Side

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