Sleigh Bells Rock Out to Lead Belly’s ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’
Sleigh Bells have released their rendition of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” the haunting folk song made famous by blues musician Lead Belly in the Forties. Their cover is featured in the trailer for the upcoming film The Rhythm Section, directed by Reed Morano and starring Blake Lively and Jude Law.
The song, also known as “In the Pines” or “My Girl,” has been covered by numerous rock artists over the years, most famously by Kurt Cobain during Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged session in 1993. Sleigh Bells bring their noise-rock maximalist approach to the track, injecting it with guitar screeches, Led Zeppelin-esque reverbing drums and howling vocals from lead vocalist Alexis Krauss.
On their collaboration with Reed Morano and The Rhythm Section, the band said in a statement: “We first met Reed Morano in 2013 when she acted as cinematographer for our ‘Bitter Rivals’ video. Not only was she a stellar DP but she was exceptionally kind, funny, creative, smart and humble. She left a real impression on us and her tremendous success is no surprise.”
The band considers both the Nirvana and Lead Belly versions of the song as “total classics,” and agreed to cover it for the Rhythm Section trailer “with some apprehension.”