Kelly is a genius and Billy knows it
A torrid debate over whether or not R Kelly is a musical genius – scratch that – genius, musical or otherwise, has been raging throughout the country (my mind) ever since he brilliantly remixed his own track (Ignition) into a monster-party-banger that dominated everyone’s prom that year and still makes people move their arms like they’re not so eloquently practicing uppercuts. There were glimpses of genius prior to the “Ignition Remix” (see: “Bump and Grind”) and even remix was not enough to convince some people – myself included. Once he released Trapped in the Closet he solidified his genius in my mind. Doubts arose when allegation regarding urinating on a minor surfaced, but pissing on a 14 year old was just Kelly’s way of keeping people guessing, or something like that. But, if you’ve heard “Ignition Remix”, seen Trapped in the Closet chapters 1-13, or his concert on HDNet (he detailed courtship and courteous complete with sound effects culminating with a visual representation of insertion coupled with the shattering of glass – think Stone Cold Steve Austin) you know he’s the real deal.
Bonnie “Prince” Billy recognized R. Kelly for what he was and says to himself, “what song can I record that best captures the essence of R Kelly.” Of course he settles on, “The World’s Greatest.” Okay, the song is technically about Muhammad Ali, but anyone who can’t see through that shit like a bad photoshop of a giraffe and squirrel who happen to be best buds needs to reevaluate their general world view. R Kelly needed a vehicle to be incredibly vein. To say things such as, “when there is darkness, I’ll shine a light /And mirrors of success reflect in me/I’m that star up in the sky/I’m that mountain peak up high/Hey I made It/I’m the worlds greatest.”
Bonnie Billy recorded a cover that captures perfectly the pretentious nature of lyrics while at the same time honoring them as true. Billy’s gentle vocals acknowledge Kelly’s lyrics as conceited and proceeds to playfully mocks them while simultaneously lauding R. Kelly for his bravado, musicianship, and his disconnect from reality. Billy’s voice is never quite confident enough to draw ire from the listener. He also removes all the “uhs,” “ohs,” and decides against constantly repeating, “the world’s greatest (ever).”
Billy’s version replaces the hopeful strings and inspirational (albeit tacky) keyboard from the background and replaces them with delicate finger picking on acoustic and ominous but sparse bass. The full background chorus that allows R Kelly to showcase his voice is replaced by a single female back up vocal. Finally, he cuts the song early at “in the ring of life I’ll reign love/and the world will notice a king.”
All of what has been previously mentioned makes the cover really good, but what makes it brilliant is his dedication to the source material. He takes Kelly at his word and records his song as such. He even makes sure to mimic Kelly’s annunciation, which ends up being an incredibly effective way to make the listener aware of the playful nature of the cover. “If anybody asks you who I am,” becomes “if anybody axe you who I am” as per Kelly’s original recording. The move is brilliant because other than that subtle clue the listener would have no idea that Billy is both ribbing and praising Kelly.
Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s version of “The World’s Greatest” is phenomenal. It is different, but honest to the source material and captures R Kelly’s work in its wondrous glory.
Listen and watch both versions below and note how in the post 9/11 video Kelly drags in police and fire departments as well as soldiers and construction workers, but don’t forget he’s really singing about himself. Oh, and also note 4:30 into the video when he starts to march, yell “yeah!” spin, and yell “yeah!” one more time. Stunning.
Bonnie “Prince” Billy – The World’s Greatest
R Kelly – The World’s Greatest
